Christmas Party Transport in Limerick and Clare

The Christmas party is booked. The venue is in the city, half the staff live out in the county, and somebody has just asked the question every organiser dreads: how is everyone getting home?

This guide covers how to organise Christmas party transport in Limerick and Clare, from choosing the right vehicle to planning drop-offs, so the night ends as well as it started.

Why sort transport at all

Leaving people to make their own way home works on paper. In practice, taxis are at their scarcest on December weekends, and the people who live furthest out are the ones left waiting longest.

Booking transport also takes away the temptation for anyone to drive home after a few drinks. For an employer, that peace of mind is worth a lot.

Book early

December Friday and Saturday nights are the busiest of the year for every transport operator in the country. Vehicles get booked weeks ahead. If your party is on a weekend in December, book the transport as soon as the venue is confirmed.

Choosing the right vehicle

Start with your head count, then work out how many trips you need:

Up to six people: a Mercedes V-Class
Up to sixteen: a 16-seat Mercedes Sprinter
Larger teams: a 33-seat coach, or a combination of vehicles

One vehicle for the whole team is usually cheaper per head than a fleet of taxis, and everyone arrives together.

Getting there

The simplest option is one pickup from the office. If people are coming from home, a few pickup points along a route, such as a business park, a town centre and a hotel car park, keep things manageable without the driver going door to door.

Getting home: the part that needs planning

This is where most Christmas party transport goes wrong. Three things to decide in advance:

One departure or two? Some teams run an early bus for those who want to leave and a later one for the rest. It costs a little more and keeps everyone happy
Drop-off points. Group people by area. A route that goes through Raheen, Castletroy and then out towards Ennis works better than criss-crossing the county
A fixed time. Agree it, tell everyone, and stick to it. The driver can wait a few minutes, but not an hour

Give the driver the drop-off list in advance, in order, and nominate one person on the night to keep track of who is on board.

Check who you are booking

Any vehicle carrying a paying group of more than eight passengers needs to be run by a licensed operator, with the right insurance for carrying passengers for hire. A cheap quote from someone with a minibus and no licence is not a bargain if anything goes wrong. Our guide on how to check a bus operator is legal shows you what to look for.

What to tell us when you book

The date, the venue and the time you need to be there
Your head count, and where people need picking up
Your home time, and the drop-off areas
Whether you want one return run or two

Dowling Executive Travel looks after Christmas parties and staff nights out across Limerick and Clare, from a Mercedes V-Class for a small team to a 16-seat Sprinter for a full department. See our corporate travel and group travel pages, or get in touch with your date and numbers for a quote.

Christmas Party Transport in Limerick and Clare: Getting Everyone Home