When is a rental car not a rental car? When it doesn’t exist! I had booked a rental car from Budget Rent a Car for a car at the Manila airport at 7 pm tonight through Travelocity, with a Budget confirmation number and everything. When I arrived at 6:30, there was no one at the counter showing both Budget and Hertz signs, except the Hertz representative. I explained that I’d booked and prepaid for a Budget car, so he called the Budget number I’d been given when I reserved the car. The Budget rep (wherever he or she was) texted back that my car would be ready tomorrow, contrary to our agreement. 

What the hell happened to my reservation tonight? I have a hotel reservation 40 miles north of Manila, so can’t stay in Manila tonight. The Hertz rep didn’t have any cars, but nicely put me in a cab for the bus station, so I’m taking the bus to my destination tonight. I’ll figure out how to get a car tomorrow. Memo to Budget: staff your counter, and deliver a car when promised. 

So here’s how to get from the Manila airport to Angeles City, when your rental company botches your reservation and you have no other rental options. You can take a taxi for approximately 4,000 pesos ($88 USD), or take a bus, much cheaper, as follows:

1)      Take taxi (480 pesos, $10 USD) to bus station.
2)      Take 5 Star bus to the town of Dau (132 pesos, $3 USD)
3)      From Dau, take moto-tricycle to Angeles (130 pesos, $3USD) 

Cars are available for rental in Angeles, too. If your first stop in the Philippines is Angeles, renting a car in Angeles may be a better alternative anyway, since you can avoid the traffic nightmare inherent in departing metro Manila when you’re at the wheel.