Taxi Driver Online

Hi,
I'm thinking of jacking in my job on the post due to upcoming changes in the industry. I currently work 8 hours a day , 5 days a week 5am-1.30pm and this makes me £260 week gross.
How does this compare to driving a taxi? I guess the big earners are fri,sat sunday nights but can you make a living doing days?
Lastly is better to join a firm, rent a car and radio from a firm or get a license and set up on your own?
Sorry for any stupid questions,
Ian

Forgot
that was £260 gross but can usually add on £20 shift allowance and £26 overtime

Well that's a very difficult question to answer Ian, there are so many factors to take into account, but (for example) journeymen (ie drivers who drive someone else's car) in my manor earn less than the minimum wage, and as for things like paid holidays and the like, forget it - it's basically just casual work.

On the other hand, London drivers working long hours and Friday Saturday nights etc can probably earn several times what you are earning just now, but of course they have to do the Knowledge for three years or so to get there.

Most of the rest of drivers will be somewhere in between, but to earn more than what you are earning just now I suspect you would have to work unsocial hours, I doubt if you would be any better off doing the same hours as you are presently, but of course it depends where you intend working etc.

Factors that will influence earnings include:

- area - at the end of the day wages are linked to the wages in the local economy, so the wages you are earning now would be more difficult to replicate in a small town in the north as comared to a big city in the south.
- knowledge tests etc - some are quite stiff, but you'll earn more at the end of it all.
- day/night - there's generally a big gap, as mentioned above - nights are obviously better earners, but you have to put up with the scum of the earth - it's not all that will do it - I did it in a biggish city for a couple of years but I won't be back!!
- restricted areas - in most of the bigger cities you can't get a taxi/hackney carriage plate anyway unless you buy one, and this may cost 10s of thousands, so you either have to go private hire or jockey for a taxi owner. If you did manage to get a free plate in such an area you'd be quids in, but you'd probably have to wait years.

As for working for an office, again this depends whether it's taxi/private hire.

If you go private hire, then you can only pick up pre-booked work anyway, so you've no choice but to go with an office, although you could perhaps do your own thing later on, but that's more difficult.

With a taxi, you can pick up off the streets, or go with an office as well, most are with an office in my experience, but a lot of people don't like the hassles of telephone work.

Dusty

PS Buying a taxi plate probably isn't a good idea at the moment, there's a fair chance it could become worthless in the next few years.

what you are asking varies thoughout the country, and it aint cheap to badge up, if you live in Gateshead or Mansfield, you can make a killing beccause all taxis there park on rank so you can nip round picking up all the punters without them knowing.

The best advice I can give is have a chat with the local firms, book a holiday or use your sick leave

and try it out.

Wharfie

Thanks for the replys!
Maybe i'll have to have a rethink no point leaving what i'm doing and going to a job where i'll have to work even more unsociable hours just to equal my current pay.
There are taxi firms (somerset) and they let you hire a taxi and radio from them £250 week i think is this what you meen by journeymen drivers?
Maybe i'd be better of cleaning windows? The only reason i thought of taxis is i may be able to get early voluntuary redundancey which could finance liscence,car and doing my knowledge or whatever test yo do do wn here.
Thanks foer your help,
IAN

You will earn a living Mr Guest, it wont be great, but it wont be bad.

If you are a grafter, then you will do well. However if you are a lasy git, then you will join a union and moan like hell that you aren't earning.

Gosh, thats succint and to the point innit!

_________________
There is Significant Unmet Demand for my Opinion.

my advice is dont spend especialy redundancy on a car private hire or taxi until you know you are suited to the trade.

you should jokey first.

it might turn into a disaster, not everybody finds this game easy,

its better than walking the streets, but for some standard of living is appauling.

Wharfie

Umm, some say its good some say its not so good.
I dont mind work , i work 8 hour days now but do get a day of in the week as well as sunday but say i did mon- thurs 4pm-11pm and fri,sat,sun 6pm-3am what sort of money would i be on.
Also im from somerset not london so no point basing this on black cabbies take.
I dont think the actual job would be to hard as im very good at the routes around my job from drivivng post vans, finding routes through trafic jams etc.
Thanks again for your views

I am a postie I want to quit,
I am thinking of driving a taxi for a bit,
I know the routes I travel in my van
I will use your taxi if I can.

how much money will I earn,
will I have lots of cash to burn
I dont mind doing hark work,
at the post office they will not let us shirk,

Some say its good some say its sad
surely it cant be all that bad,
TRY it out the cry comes afar,
see if you like it before you buy a car,

How much will I earn give a guess,
To drive your car give me your bless,
I am confused by your reply
but to the post office Ineed to say goodbye

so come on you boys, all in gloom,
it cannot be a job in doom,
give me more views,
lets have no more ado

Paddington Bill.

_________________
Come and go as you will,
but Do so with Paddington Bill

Ok,
try this test, somerset man.

Your friends phone for a lift
DO YOU

a Pick them up and say no charge
b Cut the fare they are friends after all
c You are in a job charge full fare

Your Mum wants you to take her shopping every friday

a no charge and I will wait
b charge but not waiting time
c charge and pick her up later.

Youve had a good day, do you

A go and have a good spend
b treat yourself
c save it it will cover the bad day.

you are doing the books, do you
a slip a few quid in my pocket tax wont know about that
b put a few unaccounted quid in a tin thats my holiday pay
c be absolute straight with the books.

the car is making a funny noise
a ignore it it will cost.
b its my day off wednesday it will go in then.
c this is the tool of my living get it in now.

A georgeous bird chats up and wants love, do you
a pull into a dark corner and sort her
b I will take her mobile, and finish early to see her
c discourage her its my job, and get her to drop off quick.

A well known councillor gets in to go to the town hall
do you

a have a good moan about licensing
b remind him that the press are rightly giving an hard time
c pretend not to notice who he is but chat about life

Aell known buisnessman gets in the taxi with a bird and snoggs her in the back
do you

a tell all and sundry its a great laught
b just tell your mates on the rank.
c Tell nobody, what happens in your car is a secret

somebody leaves thier purse in your car
do you,

A keep it you could do with the dough
b tell control but take a £10 for your honesty
c tell control and ensure its safe,

a mobile phone is left in your car and it rings
do you

a answer it so you can find its owner
b tell control but answer it so they know you have got it
c tell control but dont answer it under any circumstances


you go to pick up at a restraunt they take some time do you.

a leave them if they are so ignorant
b give them a piece of your mind when they come
c turn your meter on at least you will get paid.

a young child is alone with you to school and is giving you hell do you

a give him a crack
b yell at him to behave
c calm him down and inform the school when you get there


now
mark all A 1 point
mark all b 2 point
mark all c 3 point

12 points, leave it alone its not for you

24 to 35 well you might last 12 months

36 you have a chance of making the grade

Wharfie

I tell you what Geoff mate, I've worked the streets of Gateshead for 12 years mate, and I feel you have given this gentleman some extremely bad advice. In some area's people don't stand around waiting for a taxi, they either walk to the rank (usually situated at or around areas of public congregation) or phone for Private Hire.

Therefore to advise that anyone should "nip around picking up all the punters withouit them knowing" shows entirely how little you know of the trade in both of the areas you mention.

You are passing on advice that would bankrupt drivers in most areas, I know fine well that it would have a detrimental effect on my own business if I was to follow it up here.

To the Guest who asked the original question
Both codes have comparable earnings, and both rely on hours worked, whatever the time of day or night, if your sitting in the house watching the television you will make no money. My advice would be to "jockey" someone else's car as this allows you to enter the trade without major investment give it a month or two as people get paid monthly so the middle weeks of the month are always quieter than the beginning or the end weeks.

B. Lucky

The Wharfie quiz will determine whether or not you will make the grade in the taxi trade?

I have read many words written by Mr Wharfie but that quiz post has got to prove his knowledge of this trade.

I think its time to rest my case.

B. Lucky

wondered where you had got too!

chill out hes as lightly to go to Gatehead as I am to Somerset

you treat yourself and me far too sriously

Wharfie

BTW I was suprised not to see the following question-

A drug addict gets ino your car and at the end of the journey threatens you with a syringe full of blood while he demands your days takings, do you.

A.Pick up your Krooklock and whack the dickhead.
B.Inform the office of your predicament and ask for further advice or assistance.
C.Hand over the cash then get stabbed with the infected needles containg infected blood to stop you from chasing, leaving an uncertain 3 months waiting for HIV tests and the like.


If I take my mother to the shops I wait (or go inside with her) then I take her home, put the shopping away then make her a cuppa. I wouldn't dream of charging her, after all she never charged me for help when I needed it.

F**kin dreamland.

B. Lucky