JUSTIN MOYLAN, founder of SwiftPark Meet & Greet describes his day
I WORKED IN transport and logistics, but when that firm closed down I decided it was an opportunity to set up my own business.
I got the idea for SwiftPark, my meet-and-greet service at Dublin Airport, from seeing it in other airports around the world, where it’s very well established.
By last August I was up and running, and so far so good.
When customers are coming to the airport they make an online booking for me to meet them at the set-down area at departures. They provide details of their car and then call me on my mobile as they approach the area. I then make myself known to them and, while they head on into the airport, I drive their car to a secure parking facility in Santry.
When they fly back in I’m waiting at the airport to meet them with their car.
Most of my business is corporate, but we get a lot of families, too, and if you’ve young kids you’ll appreciate how great it is to be able to just get out of the car at the departure gate.
It’s nice, too, for people travelling on their own who don’t like being dropped off in the big long-term car park in the middle of the night, from a security perspective.
The days are long, but the good thing is that no two are the same. Depending on the bookings that come in, my first job could be at 4.30am. And some days I could be finished by 8pm and on others still going at midnight.
It’s a labour of love, but I get a real kick out of building up a business. A lot of my work now comes from repeat business, and that’s really rewarding.
All the cars that book with us get a free wash, and I have valeting services on offer at an additional cost, so I fill up gaps in the meet-and-greet schedule doing that.
People are always on time at the drop-off stage, when they are heading for outbound flights, so that’s no problem. Arrivals are in the lap of the gods, however, and things can get a bit hairy when flights are delayed and I have other bookings to manage, but somehow it all works out fine.
For lunch I might go home to Dalkey or bring a sandwich into work with me, and if I’m lucky I’ll be home for dinner, but mostly my wife and I are like ships that pass in the night at the moment.
We’ve got three kids under the age of five years, so in terms of hectic we’re right in the middle of it. It’s worth it, though, to see the business take off.
** Justin Moylan is founder of SwiftPark Meet Greet
** In conversation with Sandra O’Connell