Taxi Driver Online

You now see the folly of a restricted market where you have to buy in.
What controls were there on driver's licences before delimiting? Were there a silly amount of drivers and very few cabs to go round them? All of whom went and got their own cab when the opportunity arose?
Too many places placed no value on the driver and everything on the plate value. Lift the cap and you're all screwed.
I wonder what you will all do once HMG notices how much tax credits are costing them.

TBH, I don't think there's that much you can do to improve your situation.
I'd certainly knock the radio on the head if it's not getting you work. Try something that's pay as you go, such as cab:app where you pay per job. No work, no pay. http://www.cabapp.net/

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http://wingsoverscotland.com/ http://www.newsnetscotland.com/

Jessops and HMV staff will all wanna be cabbies now

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

I'm saying no-one owes us a living.

You're saying nothing because you are the type that would rather stay quiet than be honest to the fella.

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IDFIMH

No nobody owes us a living,but I'm not saying nothing cause I've got a great secret,there's no answer to give him.We're all gonna have to sit this out or you give up,sign of the Times.I don't speak for anyone else but here it's probably as bad as it's been in the last 20 odd years.But I can't see the logic in more taxis as in yourself.All the ideas of here have been tried_: cab app got it ,discount on meter fare had it,advertising done to death ect ect.Thing is there's only so many punters to go round and there all skint like the rest of the country ,so unless your lucky and live in a busy,affluent area where there's work or move to skippyland you have to grin and bear it and ride it out.

Well unfortunatly with that attitude, you are doomed to failure. What is the point in complaining about your earnings when you are doing nothing to increase them. I am based in a small market town but when things started to slow down I activly went out and looked for new customers. I have invested in using Google adwords. Simple to set up and you pay per click. Most people these days that need a taxi will simply use Google and do a local search. This alone has increased our workload and costs an average of £25 per month. We also invested in a memorable phone number which has helped. I came up with a catchy slogan and use it in all our advertising and on the cars. These are just 3 little things that we have done and it has increase our work by at least 50% in the last year.
There is an old saying that is still true today. IF YOU FAIL TO PLAN THEN YOU PLAN TO FAIL.

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Grandad,

would you open a small shop on a street of 300 small shops that all looked the same, sold the same thing and expect to do any better (or even as good as) the existing shops?....

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

Thank God for school runs i say.....PMSL

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

[quote="wannabeeahack"]would you open a small shop on a street of 300 small shops that all looked the same, sold the same thing and expect to do any better (or even as good as) the existing shops?....[/quote
So that means it really is a mistake to deregulate ?

Don't laugh too soon you never know how long it'll last ! Maybe when someone undercuts you

only once every four years here....cos thats how long the contracts are, and we get annual inflation increases and mines just been extended....

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

Doesnt bother me one way or the other, anyone going into the trade knows and accepts the possibilty, and my LA is already de-regulated

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

My LA is deregulated and the cab numbers have stayed roughly the same for the last 5 years, around 350 hacks and 38 p/h.

Just accept work is [edited by admin] for all of us at the moment. I chuckle at the newcomers round here who aregoing to "take over" the area. In my town, there's about 8 ph and 2 hacks. they both bugger off to Hythe or Folkestone. the newbies are so cheap they won't be around for too long. £85 for Gatwick, a round trip of 170 miles, £95 Heathrow, 205 miles round trip...local runs £3. We get £1 a mile including dead mileage. Less can often mean more. Remember, there's a certain level where you pay tax, ISTR about £10k, so why work yourself silly to earn £15k only to pay 20% of that in tax? Earn £10 and get working tax credit. Simples.

Or go p/h and like someone else said, plan from the luxury of your settee rather than sit in the car all night wasting fuel for £5 every 2 hours.

The newbies here live in the adjacent town and sit here all night, sometimes until 0200 for nothing, just running the engine to keep warm. they've boasted to the local car wash they "make £1000 a week profit" . They "might" TAKE £1000 a week between their 3 cars, but the y don't seem to know the difference between profit and turnover.

There's no easy answer.

there is

Turnover is vanity, profit is sanity....

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

I know that, YOU know that.

THEY don't!

Ive seen all this before in the light haulage market, its even easier to set up than a cab... buy a van, bingo...24/7 courier!

i saw blokes go from brum-glasgow (300 miles each way) with a lwb sprinter for £90 fuel+£5/hour and think they were doing well.... then have to wait 45-60 days to get paid

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