Anyone visiting Ireland will notice a deficit in transport infrastructure services, impacting mobility for residents and tourists. Dublin remains one of the last major European capitals lacking a rail connection between downtown and the main international airport. Also, the interconnectivity and reliability of city trains, trams, and bus networks are lagging. However, there is a clear national strategy to deal with these burdensome transport infrastructure deficits, and the government is relying on modern technology to advance into the future.
Current legislation does not reflect the fact that Ireland has an infrastructural deficit. For instance, road traffic legislation dates back to the 1960s, and niche areas lack clarity. For example, the legalization of electric scooters would aid in solving Ireland’s mobility challenges, but their use is currently in limbo. Thankfully, mobility solutions outside of public transport are evolving globally, and innovative solutions including electric scooters and efficient taxi hailing are decreasing commuter time.
BMW Group and Daimler recently pooled their combined mobility services to meet similar demands. Their new entity provides sustainable urban mobility for customers under joint ventures like: SHARE NOW for car-sharing, or FREE NOW for taxi ride-hailing. In Ireland, taxis in particular are fulfilling the mobility challenges successfully.
General Manager,
FREE NOW Ireland
FREE NOW is the largest taxi company operating in Ireland. It has over 12,000 drivers, 540,000 regular customers, and carried 16 million passengers in 2018. Its star destination is the Dublin Airport, which is the main entry gate for visitors. “We are an integral part of a mobility powerhouse in Europe that seeks to solve Dublin’s mobility challenges,” stated Alan Fox, General Manager, FREE NOW Ireland.
He continued explaining how Dublin Airport is their most popular drop-off point in Europe, and “At the moment, FREE NOW users can utilize the app seamlessly in over 100 European cities. From cities like Rome, Madrid, London, Warsaw, and Dublin passengers can utilize one app while traveling across Europe. The Irish taxi fleet, in particular, uses the FREE NOW app more than any other taxi fleet in Europe.”
Although FREE NOW operates nationwide, Dublin makes up 85% of its operations. Fox highlighted, “We are focused on growing our regional operations through a growth strategy over the next 12 months. FREE NOW’s compounded investment in Cork is substantial, and we recently invested an additional 600,000 euro in Cork to further expand our presence. We also have a significant driver base in Limerick and Galway, and are continuously lobbying in other towns to increase the number of drivers and passengers.”