car rental in Los Angeles area
 

I need to rent a car in California for 4 days. Ideally, I'd like to pick it up at the Burbank airport (I'm staying very near there) and drop it off at LAX. However, not all rental agencies will allow that; the ones that do are much more expensive, and I'd save well over a hundred dollars if I just dropped the car off again at Burbank. For a Canadian dealing with US dollars, that's pretty substantial! However, I wonder if anybody can tell me the approximate taxi fare from Burbank to LAX, or if there is a reasonable alternative (bus?) so that I can see how feasible that would be. Thanks!

A taxi will cost you over $30. Keep in mind the time of day you're travelling. If it's during rush hour in the morning or evening, your cab could cost over $50. I've never found a way to avoid drop fees with rental agencies. Maybe Enterprise?

I can't imagine being without a car in LA for 4 days unless you have someone to drive you around. There really is no viable public transportation for tourists in LA.

Nikki, thank you! That's basically what I needed to know. The hotel I'm staying at has a shuttle to and from the Burbank airport; I can return the car to Burbank and hop on the shuttle back to the hotel, and then cab to LAX. I realize it will cost a lot, but it's less than I'd have to pay if I dropped the rental car at LAX. I'm heading out around midday, so the traffic shouldn't be too desperately bad - I hope! Thanks very much for the info.

Cindy,<BR><BR>If my mid-day, you mean literally noon, then you should be OK, give yourself and hour. If you leave later, say 1 pm or after, expect heavy traffic. Expect to pay about $60 from BUR to LAX, even at noon.

Thanks, Russ. My flight leaves LAX at 1:30 so I expect to be heading out there probably around 11 AM. Even a $60 cab fare is cheaper than the $200 difference I would have to pay if I dropped the rental car at LAX.

National, Budget, Avis and Hertz usually have no drop fees between these two airports. Check the rates often as they do change. 4 days, with drop at LAX, should be in the $150 range. The $100 difference that you mention seems high. <BR><BR>Supershuttle will get you from Burbank to LAX for about $35.

Thanks, Joe - I ended up getting a good rate from Dollar, with no drop charge. The hotel I'm staying at in Burbank covers half of the LAX bus charge as well, so I'm in good shape.