Van owners told not to rent vehicles to foreigners
By Rosli Abidin Yahya

Bandar Seri Begawan - Locals are reminded not to rent their vans to foreigners who want to drive them as far as Kalimantan, Indonesia to pick up workers because it will involve huge risks to the van owners, said a local who has encountered such a problem.

The van owner said he has been approached several times for his van to be rented for as low as $700 per month. "The owners may still pay for the bank loans of their vehicles at around $300 to $400 per month. That means they can make a profit of about $300 to $400 a month but they may risk not seeing their vehicles in Brunei again.

"The vans are used to pick up passengers in Kalimantan, Indonesia who are charged $100 per person.

"The drivers can make several round trips in a month taking as many as ten passengers per trip. Their incomes could be as high as $6,000 per month," said a van owner.

He said if foreigners want to rent vans at high rentals of about $3,000 or more a month, then that option could be open for discussion.

"The owners must ask for deposits and several months of rentals in advance. Furthermore, all damages including tear and wear must be covered by the drivers," he said.

He said some Brunei-registered vans or mini buses owned by Bruneians have disappeared after they were driven to Kalimantan, Indonesia and have not returned since.

The owners said the vehicles were purchased here by them to be rented out to foreigners so they could drive them to Kalimantan to pick up prospective workers.

"They have not returned over the past few months and financial companies are chasing us for the instalment payments," they said. -- Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin

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