Car-sharing service GoCar is putting a €2 surcharge on bookings due the increased cost of fuel arising from the war in the Gulf.
GoCar, which is owned by French car rental group Europcar, allows users to rent cars for short periods of time, with fees starting from €9 an hour. It has proved popular with Irish motorists over recent years, with many using it and similar car-sharing services as an alternative to owning a car.
The company has invested heavily in its service over the last decade and has expanded its nationwide fleet to more than 1,000 vehicles since it first arrived in Ireland in 2008.
In a message to customers, it said it “always aim to keep our pricing as fair and stable as possible” but situations “outside our control can occur from time to time”.
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“To manage the ongoing global conflict and its direct impact on Irish fuel prices, we will be introducing a temporary €2 fuel surcharge on all new bookings over the coming days,” it said.
“We want to be clear: this isn’t a permanent price increase. It is a short-term measure to help us cover these specific external costs so we can keep you on the road.
“We are monitoring the situation daily and are committed to removing this fee as soon as fuel prices stabilise.”
Motorists have been told not to expect fuel prices on forecourts to fall immediately but they have been assured that the 10 cent excise cut that took effect overnight will feed through by the weekend.
The chief executive of Fuels for Ireland, Kevin McPartlan, said he understood motorists would want to see the excise reduction reflected at the pump as quickly as possible but stressed that it was “important to say that this may not happen at every forecourt immediately, and that should not be misunderstood as a failure to pass on the tax cut.”
However, there have also been warnings that fuel prices are continuing to climb due to volatility on global oil markets with the stark possibility that war in Iran could quickly negate all the tax cuts rolled out by the Government.
There were hopes on Friday that the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz by Iran in response to the Israel-Lebanon ceasefire and the subsequent fall in oil prices might lead to a more lasting resolution. However US president Donald Trump says his forces will continue to blockade Iranian ships, increasing uncertainty around supplies.
