'People are tired of buying off the shelf': How Ireland Taxi Tours built a people-first travel business

When Robert (Bob) McAuliffe launched Ireland Taxi Tours six years ago, most people told him the idea wouldn’t work.

At the time, Bob had stepped back from driving due to health issues and was searching for a new direction. Drawing on decades of connections across Ireland’s taxi industry, he saw an opportunity to create something different from traditional coach tours and rigid travel packages.

Instead of offering fixed itineraries, Ireland Taxi Tours would give travellers complete flexibility: local drivers, customised routes and experiences designed entirely around the client.

“Everybody said it wasn’t what people wanted,” Bob says. “They were wrong.”

Today, the business works with more than 100 drivers across Ireland, completed more than 1,000 tours last year and is rapidly growing through word of mouth, repeat customers and travel agent referrals. But according to Bob, much of that growth comes down to one person.

“I didn’t give Jenny the job she has today,” he says. “She built that job herself.”

From organising paperwork to running operations

Jenny Zanotta, tour manager and co-owner, originally joined Ireland Taxi Tours for just a few hours a week. Her role was simple: help Bob organise paperwork, improve filing systems and bring some structure to the growing business.

“No, I didn’t know what I was taking on,” Jenny laughs.

At the time, she expected to be supporting the business behind the scenes. Instead, she quickly began identifying ways to improve how tours were managed and how drivers communicated with clients.

“The first thing I noticed was there were little bits of information missing from tours,” she explains. “So, I asked if I could contact clients directly and gather what we needed.”

From there, her responsibilities evolved naturally. As the business expanded, Jenny began implementing systems to make life easier for both customers and drivers, including creating WhatsApp groups a few weeks before tours began that included the drivers. The groups allowed travellers and drivers to communicate directly about pickup times, hotel changes, extra stops or itinerary adjustments.

“It sounds simple, but it changed everything,” she says. “Communication is key. People need to know they can reach you when they need support.”

Today, Jenny manages much of the company’s day-to-day operations, from client communication to driver coordination. “The drivers go straight to Jenny now,” Bob says. “The clients do too.”

Building a remote-first tourism business

Although Ireland Taxi Tours is based in Ireland, Jenny now lives in Switzerland, meaning the business operates largely remotely. That setup has forced the company to become highly organised when it comes to communication.

“We talk to drivers every day on WhatsApp,” Jenny says. “Communication has to be open and accessible. If somebody needs support, they need to know they can reach you.”

The company now works with between 100 and 120 drivers across Ireland, many of whom joined through referrals from existing drivers. “We grow organically,” Bob explains. “We only bring in people the other drivers trust.”

That culture of trust has become one of the defining parts of the business.

“The respect the drivers have for Jenny is incredible,” Bob says. “Not because they want extra work, but because they know she genuinely cares about them.”

Jenny’s previous experience travelling and working across Europe also helped prepare her for the role. Over the last decade, she has worked in bars, restaurants, hotels and hostels while travelling extensively, including solo backpacking trips and living in a camper van. In Lisbon, she unexpectedly ended up managing a 100-bed hostel after the owner temporarily returned to America.

“Looking back now, all those experiences probably prepared me for this,” she says.

Why local drivers make all the difference

One of the biggest things separating Ireland Taxi Tours from traditional operators is its use of local drivers rather than standard tour guides. Instead of travelling around the country with one guide for an entire trip, customers are introduced to different local drivers depending on where they are visiting. That means every part of Ireland is experienced through somebody who actually lives there.

“A guide from Dublin can’t show you Dingle the way somebody local to Dingle can,” Bob says. Each driver brings their own stories, favourite locations and personal knowledge to the experience. “If you tour Ireland with us and have five different drivers, then you’ve had five different perspectives on Ireland by the end of your holiday,” he explains.

That local insight also allows tours to feel far more personal. Bob describes how younger couples might be brought to hidden romantic spots like the “Money Tree” in Gougane Barra, while older travellers may simply want somewhere peaceful to sit with a coffee and enjoy the scenery. “It’s the same place, but two totally different experiences,” he says.

Growing through accessibility

One of the company’s biggest areas of growth has come through accessible tourism. Although accessibility was always on offer at Ireland Taxi Tours, it was never showcased. In September 2025, Bob launched Accessibility Tours Ireland, believing it would generate a small number of additional bookings each year. Instead, it has quickly become one of the fastest-growing parts of the business.

“Now it’s around a third of all our enquiries,” he says.

For the business, accessibility goes far beyond wheelchair-accessible vehicles. “It’s about understanding what people actually need,” Bob explains. That could mean supporting older travellers who are slightly unsteady on their feet, adapting schedules around mobility requirements or simply ensuring somebody has company while the rest of their family explores.

“You might have somebody who can’t walk too far,” he says. “Our driver will sit with them, chat with them and make sure they’re still part of the experience. This is your holiday. We do it your way.”

That flexible, people-first approach has helped Ireland Taxi Tours stand out in an industry often dominated by rigid itineraries and one-size-fits-all experiences.

Rejecting ‘off-the-shelf’ tourism

Despite its rapid growth, the company has deliberately avoided relying on large online travel agencies and booking platforms.

“We made the decision from day one not to work with online travel agencies,” Bob says. Instead, Ireland Taxi Tours has focused on direct relationships, referrals and sustainable growth.

“We doubled in size in the early years and just kept growing from there,” he says. That slower, more deliberate approach has also allowed the business to maintain fair pricing while ensuring drivers are properly paid. “We’re not bargain-basement prices,” Bob explains. “But we’re not charging crazy money either.”

The company’s customer base is broad, ranging from honeymooners and solo travellers to golfing groups, families and fishing trips. But according to Bob, there is one thing almost all of their customers have in common. “The people who use us are tired of buying something off the shelf,” he says.

A business built around people

For Bob, Ireland Taxi Tours was never intended to become a vanity project. Instead, he sees the business as a way to support drivers and local communities across Ireland. “A lot of these drivers live in small towns and villages,” he says. “The work we give them can genuinely make a difference to their families.”

As Bob gradually steps back from the business, focusing on creating the tour itineraries in 2027, Jenny will continue leading the next phase of growth as the general manager.

“I’d love to see us continue growing organically,” she says. “Not through massive expansion overnight, but by continuing to improve what we already do well.”

Bob has complete confidence in where the business is heading. “The company isn’t me,” he says. “It’s Jenny. It’s the drivers. It’s the people behind it.”

And in an industry increasingly shaped by automation, fixed packages and AI-generated itineraries, that human approach is exactly what customers are responding to. “What we do is real,” Bob says. “It’s honest, and it works.”

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