Ranchi, Nov. 8: Tourists visiting Jharkhand can now look forward to a luxurious spin in cars instead of a bumpy ride in buses.

Come Monday, Jharkhand Tourism Development Corporation (JTDC) will roll out rental cars for trips to destinations like Deori temple, Surya temple, Jonha falls, Dassam falls and more. The move is being taken in view of the tourist season (November-January) and is aimed at ensuring maximum comfort to travellers besides eliminating the role of middlemen.

The cars on offer range from hatchbacks like Indica and WagonR to sedans like Maruti SX4, Honda City and Tata Manza to SUVs/MUVs like Sumo, Bolero, Scorpio and Xylo. Booking can be done at the ticket counter of Birsa Vihar Tourist Complex, Main Road.

'We had floated a tender in October to rope in agencies that offer cars on rent and will be offering the service from Monday. So far, we have received 10 bookings,' said JTDC managing director Sunil Kumar.

At present,JTDC runs deluxe buses, weekend bus services and dial-a-car fleet. But many travellers opt for private luxury cars and end up being fleeced by the agents.

Tourists will have to book the cars five days in advance. The rates for small cars are Rs 880 for four hours/40km and Rs 1,386 for eight hours/80km plus Rs 88 for every extra hour and Rs 9 for every extra km.

For higher segment of cars like SUVs, the rate for four-hour journey is Rs 1,870 and eight hour is Rs 2,640. Extra hour/km rates are Rs 165 and Rs 13, respectively.