Staggered pub closing times could help people get taxis and 'regenerate' Derry & Strabane night-time economy

At July’s Business and Culture Committee meeting, UUP Alderman Darren Guy highlighted PSNI feedback on the recent Music Trial, within a report on Strabane BID’s campaign, which said anti-social behaviour was reduced during the event, possibly due to customers leaving premises “in a staggered fashion” as opposed to all leaving at closing time.

Alderman Guy said: “This happens every year with the Jazz Festival, and in all the years I’ve been [a taxi driver] I’ve noticed, at major events within the city, people go home at staggered times [and] it works.”

“It could be the way of regenerating the night-time economy in the city and Strabane, because people won’t go out late at night because they fear that they won’t get home.

“More and more people are going out in the afternoon and going home at 9 or 10, it just seems to be that young group that’s staying out later, and they’re fighting for taxis after, so it’s something to consider.”

Director of Business and Culture, Stephen Gillespie, said the night-time economy was a topic of discussion among the Plan for Neighbourhoods Forum, and staggered closing times was “something we could feed back to them”.

Earlier this year elected representatives in Derry & Strabane were told that a new training academy to train up taxi drivers in Derry could help address the current gap in provision.

At the time Council members approved the appointment of North West Taxi Proprietors Ltd to deliver the Academy through the Derry Strabane Labour Market Partnership (DSLMP), which was established under DfC’s Employability NI framework.

“The Taxi Academy will furnish 14 participants with confidence, customer service skills, qualifications, driving skills, license and wrap around support required to take up employment within the taxi industry or as a self-employed taxi driver.

“The 2024/25 Academy will commence upon contract award and the 2025/26 Academy is subject to funding.”

Head of Business, Kevin O’Connor, noted that DSLMP programmes, including the Academy, were designed to deliver “micro-interventions at a small scale”.

“They are designed to test the need and hopefully then DfC or other partners can scale these initiatives, should they be successful,” he concluded.

Andrew Balfour, Local Democracy Reporter.