Taxi Driver Online

A street cab. Company guys are paying up to £350 per week.

There are NO market forces operating in Edinburgh's taxi market.

I need my own car to survive. Times are hard.

Do you understand now where I'm coming from? How Skull and I have seen this coming? And Ali T and the 100 plus guys who recently applied for a licence and were refused?

Are we all wrong?

Saturday I did £278. I achieved £30 for the first three hours. I started sharp at 5.15. I finished at 4 am.

Great result. Except my fuel was £38. I drove 178 miles. My rental for the week was £250. I had to take cash out of the bank to meet the rental.

Was a time when a Saturday shift paid the rental, and tips paid the fuel.

Now it doesn't. I know that I've got as much chance of getting the odd 5p out of a fiver than a quid.

A £4.95 fare and the punters are looking for the change.

(BTW The tariff as set out, engineered by our trade "reps", which brings fares 5p short of a pound, lets punters believe that handing over a fiver for a £4.95 fare and trumpeting "keep the change" is them tipping a driver. It's an insult. I make sure they take it back.

Our tariff costs us our tips.

Now I know the feckwits on this forum are going to say, "ah but tips are an extra, we're not ENTITLED to them".

Except councillors were quoted as saying that the tariff structure was not a problem, and the paticular councillor (I believe it was Cardownie, but I my be wrong) always tips anyway. Punters no longer are.

In my experience the only tippers are English visitors.

Scot's don't. The French, from the land of the "gratutite" don't tip. A few years ago in better economic circumstances, I had a night of picking up mainly French rugby fans, usually middle class guys, not one tip - so the state of the economy is not an excuse.

And the Ozzies, Kiwis and Springboks NEVER tip. Of course, the Americans have stopped coming.

Perhaps the disappointment is that the Irish, who used to tip big style, seem to have stopped tipping completely. Not just the visitors, but anyone with an Irsih accent.

The rugby weekends are beckoning. Come back after them and let us have YOUR experience.

Tips are no longer relevant.)

However I digress.

Skippy, a trip to Gala would garner £83, according to the list price, and not a penny less. I wouldn't prostitute myself for anything less.

You think you're smart because you would do the distance for £45. You're destroying your own market. It would be better to do the job for the real price, and lose the job to another cabbie, than give it away for half price. At least the job you did get would be worthwhile.

£45 for 28 miles each way. £12 for fuel, you've got £33. For two hours work, stress on you, stress on you car. £16 per hour earned. I hope you believe you're a success.

But you're right, £83 may be too much. But who wants to go to Gala anyway. And if it's a farmer on a rugby weekend, they can afford it anyway.

I don't sell myself short. And I never will. I know my worth and if a gala guy wants to negotiate the price goes up, or he walks.

I'm not careering down the dangerous twisting borders roads, putting my life at risk for anything less.

However, a job down any of the quality roads out of Edinburgh, everything is negotiable.

Notwithstanding this Skippy, you're operating market forces, YOU think it works, more power to you.

How many other unskilled jobs would earn you £16.00 per hour

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

Thanks Toots, I know you don't realise what you've just said, but crack on to this.

1. You may have, but I don't have an unskilled job. I have to qualify to do my job, I would seek that the qualifications to my job be enhanced to protect my professionalism.

2. £16 is not the going rate. This does not include; tax liability; Statutory sick pay; holiday pay; pension provision; other employed benefits. Please explain to me how taking all of this into account gives a real wage that is anywhere near the national minimum wage, far less exceeding it?

And all the watchers and not posters on this forum, you tell us too.

Toots, I'm surprised that a guy like you didn't realise this.

Now compare this with a train conductor. £100 per day. Plus 5% of ticket sales. Plus free rail travel. Paid while on holiday. SSP OK. A wee pension.

Toots. Still there?

Now, go ahead, do what you always do, defend the indefnsible.

except your not making £16 per hour - your taking in £16
you have expenses !

ffs Jaspar....the new Blakey



CC

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

That the best you can come up with?

Proof positive that CC stands for Childish Cnut.

You gotta grow up.

I just can't understand how Taxi Talk and the National Taxi Association allows their names to be abused by a simpleton like you.

You sitting on your PDA spouting this drivel?





CC You're entrenched in FEAR.

Does he not like you or is it friendly banter

Lighten up Jaspar you tosse*

CC

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

Times are hard for everyone mate,wether its your own or rented its all over the country.I dont think theres many places that earn the same as 5 or 10 years ago.

Don't know where you got your figures from but the fuel and wear & tear on the vehicle for 45 miles is approx £9.00 at current fuel costs and considering the type of vehicle he drives. Even the people who are employed with regular wages coming in have fuel or transport costs to work, they also have to pay tax etc the same as everybody else so they don't earn £100 per day either.

I'm not the one that classified this job as unskilled, but, it is and until such time as it isn't it will remain so. With regard to qualifications to do this job I have plenty and I needed them to keep doing it.

Every year I do a business plan to ensure that I will indeed earn enough money to justify the expense of continuing in this trade and if there comes a time when it's no longer viable I will move on to something else. Perhaps it would be as well for you to do the same rather than hang on until you get what you want, it may be too late by then to get back all the time you've missed with your family, perhaps you should go be a train conductor, with a wage of approx. £26,000 per year it's not bad going.

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

Can't you read?

How does 28 miles each way equate to 45 miles?

And, you've just proved me right. You do try to defend the indefensible.

Read this again. And pay attention.

I'm not a million miles off that figure Toots.

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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

Toots you lying c*w!!!

As everbody knows;

1. Head south on North Bridge/A7 toward E Market St Continue to follow A7 1.0 mi

2. Turn left at E Preston St/A7 0.2 mi

3. Turn right at Dalkeith Rd/A7 Continue to follow A7 Go through 1 roundabout 4.4 mi

4. At Sheriffhall Roundabout, take the 4th exit and stay on A7 heading to Galashiels/Hawick/Carlisle/Newtongrange Go through 5 roundabouts 26.8 mi

5. Continue onto Ladhope Vale 407 ft Galashiels, Scottish BordersUK

Est. fuel cost: £8.34

Google Maps!



and its 32.4 miles.....which is 64.8 return.



CC

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