Bolt competes with FreeNow expanding its taxi-hailing service to Cork

Company says the number of taxis in Cork has fallen in the past two years

Bolt's ridesharing service is alreay in operation in Dublin.

Mobility app Bolt has expanded its taxi-hailing service to Cork competing with rival app FreeNow.

The company said it plans to build on the successful rollout of their service in Dublin last year. Bolt said it has already recruited a significant number of taxi drivers to its platform for Cork and said it will address the regular supply issue facing Irish users of taxis with the use of incentives at peak times.
The company used their launch in Cork to also call for more taxis in the fleet in Cork saying the number of registered drivers is falling at time when the public's appetite for socialising is growing.

"Simply put, Cork needs more taxis," James Bowpitt, Operations Manager for Ireland said. "The total registered SPSV Taxi fleet in Cork is just 1,216, as of 28 February 2022, down 30 vehicles from 2020. So although the customer demand has come back, there has actually been a reduction of registered SPSV taxi vehicles.”

“After a hugely successful year in the Dublin market, we’re excited to launch our ride-hailing service in a second Irish City, Cork," Bowpitt said. "The appetite for socialising is back across the country but we are aware of the concerns some might have around the availability of taxis, especially at night. Bolt has been trialling incentives and commission-free trips for drivers during busy periods to get more taxis on the road."

In February, Bolt asked over 500 drivers across Ireland about their car usage and over 15% of Munster drivers claim they will likely give up their private car in the next five years with 11% responding that they will turn to use more taxis to get around.

Bolt uses its ride-hailing operations as a foundation for a range of mobility services including, shared cars, e-bikes, e-scooter hire, and food and grocery delivery. The company plans to roll our e-scooters rentals across the country's main cities once the necessary legislation is passed in the Oireachtas.

It is one of at least six companies to signal their intention to begin e-scooter rental schemes in Dublin and regional cities. The Road Traffic and Roads Bill 2021 regulates the scooters or Powered Personal Transporters (PPTs). It allows for regulations of how they can be used and extends existing offences under road traffic legislation to users of PPTs.

Bolt was one of eight transport operators to address an Oireachtas Committee earlier this month in relation to the legislation. 

Aisling Dunne, Bolt's Head of Public Policy for Ireland told the committee that six in 10 of Irish car owners use their vehicle every day, and eight in 10 use their vehicle for ‘recreational’ journeys that are the most suitable to switch. "There is growing awareness of reasons to switch; rising fuel costs, environmental concerns and concerns over parking all rank highly," she said.