Taxi Driver Online

Rising fuel costs put taxi drivers on 100-hour week

TAXI drivers across Redditch are having to work up to 100 hours each week to make ends meet due to the spiralling cost of fuel.

And with petrol prices edging towards the £6 per gallon mark, they are backing plans for an increase in fares.

Safder Hussain, chairman of the Redditch Taxi Association, said increased running costs were making it difficult to make a living in the town.

“There are a lot of taxi drivers doing scary hours,” he told the Standard.

“Many are going between 80 and 100 hours each week and for that they will be earning a basic wage.

“Our biggest overhead is fuel and the maintenance of our vehicles and fuel prices have suffered an astronomical increase.

“If they reach £1.50 per litre then it is going to be very tricky for a lot of drivers. We cannot afford to run our cars at a loss.”

Mr Hussain was speaking ahead of a meeting of Redditch Borough Council’s Licensing Committee next week where a proposal to raise fares by six per cent is set to be discussed. The last fare increase was in January 2009.

“We realise that an increase would affect our customers but we have no alternative,” Mr Hussain added.

“Most of our drivers are still charging below the council’s recommended fares and most of them weren’t charging double over the Christmas period.

“We had been against any increase in fares but the the VAT increase has forced us to change our minds. The cost of fuel affects everything.”

A report to members of the Licensing Committee states fares in Redditch are slightly cheaper than those in Bromsgrove, Stratford, Worcester and Warwick but slightly more expensive than in the Wyre Forest area.

http://www.redditchstandard.co.uk/

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Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

its the ones who have ALWAYS worked 100 hours a week (and had a 100 hour jockey) who have buggered it all up anyway, and thankfully they are now reaping thier rewards, all the others did it to keep up and the cake gets sliced thinner, and thinner until theres bugger all left

and you know whose spoilt it, mainly cos taxi work is mainly cash and they love cash.....

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Of all the things ive lost, i miss my mind the most

ffs

I agree!

CC

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Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

there are some who, seeing a different work pattern emerge (say early's or sundays) decide they to will call "on" at times theyve never worked before, then you find they are, in fact, on thier drive at home listening for a decent job to come in.....

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Of all the things ive lost, i miss my mind the most

So most drivers are discounting but they want a tariff rise?

Sounds like something from the Skippy Handbook of Taxi Driving

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Caledonian Cabbie

pmsl.....confusing to say the least.

CC

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Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

We've got them round here working 30 hour shifts straight through then driving 25 miles home to where they live. Last Saturday one started at 4am and was still out on the Sunday morning at 7am.

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Do not argue with an idiot. He will drag you down to his level and beat you with experience.

Believe me, don't get Mercury X2

fuel is just one part of the rising cost of living / operating

perhaps the most obvious given how much we spend on it.

fares have to rise across the uk without delay , across all firms PH and Hackney

firms who dont put up rates are likely to lose drivers to the ones who do so trying to stay "cheaper " will be foolish.

the annoying thing is we drivers absorb the increase until the firm does something about it

everything else seems to be going up so why not taxi fares ?

I've spoken to lots of passengers about a fare increase and about what they expect from taxis/ph. The general opinion is they don't object to the prices it's the service they want more than anything else. If companies let them down and charge for the inefficient service that's what makes them see red. They also don't mind waiting so long as they are told they may have to wait

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Note to self: Just because it pops into my head does NOT mean it should come out of my mouth!!

Well they can object but they can with a taxi, wheras almost everything else that they want or need they cant object, other than not buying, and with some things even that option isnt available, like, say, council tax....

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Of all the things ive lost, i miss my mind the most

"Our biggest overhead is fuel and the maintenance of our vehicles"

How much does it cost to fill up a toyota avensis "£60"

How much for oil and a filter change "£50"

Sorted-thats what they do round here,repairs are done when things fall off or after car fails council test.7am to 3am shifts are commonplace on a friday then off to bed til 11am saturday back out til 3am sunday then sleep back out again sunday 12pm til 12am then home to sleep back out again monday 7am.Seven day week working so when does the vehicle get maintained???

Many afford to run mercs with the money saved by not paying any tax.

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GuildfordPH