As Dublin faces 48 hours without bus services, the taxi app company Hailo is looking to take advantage of the situation by offering users 50pc discounted fares during off-peak hours for the duration of the strike period.
Commuters are dreading the impending Dublin Bus strike, officially starting tomorrow (8 September) and ending Friday 9 September, although services are in fact set to cease at 9pm tonight (7 September) in order to allow all buses to return to their depots before midnight when the strike officially starts.
Having seen a sharp rise in demand during the Luas strike last June, the taxi app company Hailo has announced it plans to offer a 50pc discount during off-peak hours for the duration of the strike.
Having looked at its data, Hailo found that during the Luas strike demand for its taxis went up by as much as 25pc on certain strike days between 7.30am and 9.30am.
Meanwhile, the journey duration increased by as much as 35pc during the Luas strike peak times.
With a similar demand expected over the course of the next two days, Hailo has now said that it will offer users a 50pc discount on taxis taken between 6-7am and 10am-12 noon.
Hailo name soon to change
Hailo’s general manager for Ireland, Tim Arnold, said of the offer: “The recent Luas strike days have been very busy for Hailo and, in particular, for Hailo Prebook.
“We’re anticipating a huge surge in demand during the upcoming bus strikes, so are encouraging Hailo users to choose off-peak travel where possible. We’re committed as always to getting our customers to their destinations.”
While it appears as business as normal for Hailo, the company is in the midst of a huge corporate structure change having agreed a deal to rebrand as MyTaxi.
The decision came after the London-based company agreed to sell 60pc of Hailo to Daimler, owner of Mercedes-Benz, back in July.
Dublin buses image via Canadian Pacific/Flickr
