Thousands of people are getting ready to celebrate St. Patrick’s weekend in Dublin for the first time in two years due to lengthy Covid-19 restrictions throughout 2020 and 2021.
According to research carried out by FREE NOW, this year just 27% of people plan on celebrating at home, while 59% said they were going to the pub and 31% to the parade.
With huge numbers expected to line the streets of the city centre, people will need to be very organised to ensure they can secure a taxi home over the weekend.
If you can’t organise a lift with a designated driver you can expect to struggle to secure a taxi at most times of the day as festivities kick off.
As well as being like gold dust when the city is busy, taxis will also be charging customers 20% more throughout the weekend as a temporary measure to encourage taxi drivers to come out and meet the high demand.
Niall Carson, General Manager of FREE NOW Ireland, told the Irish Mirror: “Levels of demand for public transport are anticipated to peak over the bank holiday weekend, and while the 20% fare increase is a temporary measure, it will serve as a positive financial support for taxi drivers across the country who will be helping to serve national transport needs as part of our wider transport network.”
He warned that if people want to limit booking delays or long waiting times, they need to:
- plan their journeys in advance
- consider multiple transport options
- try to avoid peak times where possible this weekend
