Two vehicles from GoCar sharing service set on fire in Dublin

Company says cars set on fire in Blackpitts area were worth some €15,000 each

GoCars in Belfield, Dublin. The car sharing company said it was disappointed after two of its vehicles were torched in an apparent arson attack in Dublin 8.
GoCars in Belfield, Dublin. The car sharing company said it was disappointed after two of its vehicles were torched in an apparent arson attack in Dublin 8.

Car sharing company GoCar has said it is disappointed after two of its vehicles were torched in an apparent arson attack.

The vehicles were parked in Blackpitts, Dublin 8, when the incident occured on Tuesday night.

Car sharing is a member based activity where a company provides access to pay-as-you-drive vehicles on an hourly or daily basis. The vehicles tend to be parked at on-street locations in towns and cities.

“As a small Irish business, an attack on two vehicles worth €15,000 each is obviously a huge disappointment for us, but it is an isolated incident and we’re reassured by how swiftly and thoroughly the gardaí have been dealing with it,” GoCar head of operations Jonathan Roche said.

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“We still have absolute confidence in the viability of car sharing in Dublin, although it is very frustrating to suffer this attack as we’re a small Irish business with six full-time staff, and cannot afford these types of setbacks.”

Mr Roche said the company has 4,000 members and a fleet of 150 cars and vans.

“These two cars are consistently very busy, and with them off the road our members are inconvenienced and we’re losing out on essential revenue. Our cars are like our shop for any small Irish store, and this attack will cause many knock-on effects for our business with a small team,” he added.

Dan Griffin

Dan Griffin

Dan Griffin is an Irish Times journalist