Sudbury cab companies preparing for an unpredictable New Year’s Eve

Despite restaurants having last call at 10 p.m. and closing by 11 p.m., cab companies in Sudbury say they are still expecting many calls throughout the night from people at house parties. (Molly Frommer/CTV News)

Sudbury -

Despite restaurants having last call at 10 p.m. and closing by 11 p.m., cab companies in Sudbury say they are still expecting many calls throughout the night from people at house parties.

Lockerby Taxi said it’s expecting New Year’s Eve to be busier than last year.

“Last year everything was closed down, this year with the new restrictions, it’s going to be very unpredictable,” said Sharon Flinn, co-owner of Lockerby Taxi.

“We are thinking everyone is going to be having house parties. So, there will still be celebrations we hope and we have hired extra call takers to take the calls anticipating a wait time of 30 to 35 minutes or less depending on what the needs are.”

Flinn said on Friday nights, there are approximately 15 drivers on the road, but she called in an additional four drivers for New Year’s Eve.

Aaron Taxi is another cab company in Sudbury that expects to see multiple rushes throughout the night.

“With bars being closed, lots of the parties were large ticket events, banquet rooms, bars, restaurants, all those will be done at 10 p.m., we can probably expect two or three rushes tonight -- one at 10 p.m., the other usual one around midnight,” said Michael Sanders, owner of Aaron Taxi.

“So, that might be for the better with breaking up the evening instead of having everyone call us in one half hour period.”

Both can companies say they want everyone to avoid drinking and driving and are asking people to have patience on the line if they can't get through right away.