Hitching a ride in Cork is about to get a helluva lot easier.
Following a successful launch in Dublin in 2021, European super-app Bolt will be officially launching its taxi-hailing services in Cork tomorrow (Tuesday, March 29).
From Tuesday onwards, passengers in Cork will be able to download the Bolt app and order taxis to their location within minutes. Customers will have several options when ordering a vehicle, including Bolt Shield, where the car has a protective shield, and Bolt Green, for a hybrid or electric taxi.
At the moment, the total registered SPSV Taxi fleet in Cork is a mere 1,216, down 30 vehicles from 2020. So although the customer demand has come back, there has actually been a reduction of registered SPSV taxi vehicles. Bolt has already recruited a significant number of drivers to its platform for Cork and aims to address the regular supply issue facing Irish users of taxis with the use of incentives at peak times.
“After a hugely successful year in the Dublin market, we’re excited to launch our ride-hailing service in a second Irish City, Cork. 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.” said James Bowpitt, Operations Manager for Ireland.
To celebrate the launch in Cork, Bolt will be offering passengers 50% off their first 10 trips. Nice one!
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. These services are provided to more than 100 million customers in over 45 countries across Europe and Africa.
Bolt is in active discussions to launch many shared mobility services in Irish cities next year, which would offer the public the ability to choose between a taxi, car, scooter or even an e-bike within the same app.
Bolt’s mission is to reduce the need for private car ownership and Ireland seems an ideal target, with recent studies showing that just 1 in 10 Irish car owners felt they could give up their private vehicle with the alternative options currently available to them.