Taxi association offers frontline advice for Volvo week

By Roisin Peddle

Representatives from the Progressive Friends Association of Taxi Drivers and Operators have urged both the business and private sectors in Galway city to come together to make the upcoming Volvo Ocean Race finale a special event for all visitors to the city.

Frank Okonkwo, the vice-president of the PFA, said it was vital that hoteliers and other businesses made sure their guests felt safe and welcome while in Ireland. Attending a Failte Ireland training session designed to help frontline businesses cater for the huge numbers expected during the festival, Mr Okonkwo said hotels should introduce practices to ensure the safe return of all guests after an evening’s festivities.

“We recommend that those in the business of providing accommodation to visitors coming to Galway, should design a name tag, key tag, or better still business card that would indicate the address and location of the accommodations to facilitate the return of their guests to their lodge after a happy night out, although majority of BBs and hotels already have such things in place but it’s advisable for others to follow suit,” he said.

He noted that sometimes visitors to Galway became disoriented and were unsure of their bearings, and it was up to those in the hotel and taxi industries to make sure they returned to their accomodation safely.

“As part of the frontline business contacts in the city, we have noted that many times, some visitors can’t identify their accommodation, and they can’t really remember the name of their hotels or BBs after good night out, so it’s important for them to have something so that taxi drivers would know exactly where to take them,” he said.