New Year's Eve transportation in Sudbury there are plenty of options

Morning North6:34Being a cab driver on new year's eve

We invited taxi driver Lauri Punkaril to chat about what it's like to be out driving on what is his busiest night of the year. He also filled us in on what you should know before calling a cab on new year's eve.

New Year's Eve celebrations will keep people up tonight until the wee hours tonight and if you'll need a lift after the ball drops, you're advised by taxi and bus drivers to plan ahead and be patient.

Taxi driver Lauri Punkari, who has been driving New Year's Eve revellers around Sudbury in his taxi for the past five years, told CBC News that people need to be patient as they wait for their rides.

Be prepared to get home safely and takethe bus instead of driving.-Sudbury Transit operations manager RobertGauthier

"Don't get mad if they tell you it's an hour [wait for a cab], because New Year's Eve is going to be really busy," he said.

"And if you get the wrong time where everybody wants to cab at the same time, you have to wait."

People who can't wait can catch free Sudbury Transit starting at 10:30 p.m.

Sudbury Transit operations manager Robert Gauthier said buses will run every hour in the city core, and every two hours in outlying areas.

"Be sure not to miss it. Look at the schedule online," he said.

"And be prepared to get home safely and take the bus instead of driving in a condition where you shouldn't."

There will be increased security at the bus depot downtown to ensure New Years revellers stay safe.

"On New Year's Day, we're prepared for the year after. We've been doing this for many years. We sort of know what to expect," Gauthier continued.

"Of course, there's always surprises. But for the last few years, they've been pretty much incident free, which is great. If we see any sign of something brewing, then we notify the police right away."

Volunteer drivers for Operation Red Nose will also be available to make sure people get home without a hitch.

Punkari said he will make sure there are extra bags in his car for his fares who have been into the festive brews.

"If somebody feels like they're going to be sick, you just give them the bag and they can use that. Just like in an airplane," he said with a chuckle.

"When booze is talking, there's not much you can do. All you can do is sit and smile."

Greater Sudbury Transit schedule

On December 31 between 10:30 p.m. and 2:30 a.m., buses will depart the Downtown Transit Terminal every 60 minutes at half past the hour on the following routes:

• Route 241 Howey/Moonlight/Shopping Centre
• Route 300 Lasalle / Madison / Cambrian
• Route 502 Regent / University / Four Corners
• Route 189 LoEllen / Copper / Four Corners
• Route 640 West End / Gatchell / Copper Cliff
• Route 147 Donovan / Kathleen / North End
• Route 103 Coniston (via the Kingsway)
• Route 303 Garson / Falconbridge (via the Kingsway & Falconbridge)
• Route 701 Lively
• Route 702 Azilda / Chelmsford
• Route 703 Hanmer / Val Caron / Capreol

TransCab hours will be extended, where available, to match the additional public transit schedule. New Year's Day, January 1, will follow the Sunday and Holiday service schedule.

Visit www.greatersudbury.ca/transit for bus schedules or dial 705-675-3333. To see the number of minutes until the arrival of the next bus at any stop in the city, visit mybus.greatersudbury.ca.