Taxi Driver Online

By the way, if you start an office from scratch then you won't have a lot of work, in which case no one will pay you much for a radio, and by the same token you'll find it difficult to recruit drivers because 40% of not very much is..err..not very much.

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Taxi Driver Online
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I understand what your saying, but surely if you put out Hackney carridfges in the area they will make what they should bne making, wether they are new or not?

If there inline at a rank, or getting flagged down...there still likely to make the same as the hackneys which have been around for years

Yes, it's certainly a lot easier to start a hackney office from scratch because the street work can be relied upon to make money while you build up a pre-booked clientele - clearly a start-up PH operation is a lot more difficult, because you have to start with zero work.

To that extent if you start with your own car and are driving it yourself then while you might not make a fortune, you at least won't go hungry.

However, if you are relying on getting other drivers to drive other vehicles then that would be a different propostion.

It all depends on local circumstances though - I assume that there are no numbers limits in your LA (ie you don't have to buy a hackney plate?). Which LA is it?

I suppose I'm a naturally cautious person, but I would buy one hackney, drive it yourself for a few weeks working from the ranks until you get a feel for the local environment as regards the economics and driver availability etc.

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Taxi Driver Online
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The area is Ashfield, and yeah you don't have to buy hackney badges.

i know some areas of the district have ranks which are usually empty with people waiting in line (surely it should be the other way round). even when there seems to be a good number of cabs knocking aound on the roads while i deliver. maybe there all PH. I've stopped looking really.

Well if the ranks are as busy as you say with people waiting then you should do OK.

But we keep on being told by others that trade in that part of the world is very poor

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Taxi Driver Online
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But they have an answer to all their woes. They are going to get the police to do all the licensing functions.

All they have to do now is to find an act that allows them to do it. Methinks they will spend a long time looking.

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IDFIMH

I know our friend is a bit of a Walter Mitty figure, but he seems to think he's the Prime Minister now

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Taxi Driver Online
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So you can earn decent money in Oxford?



Where did you pluck 80 Grand from? Is this from your local knowledge of Oxford? Spot on mind.

JD

Paying 40% to drivers is not likely to bring many applicants.

I'm not sure what the situation is in your part of the world but in Hereford the going rate is 50% of the take to drivers and i've even heard that some owners are offering 60% because of a shortage of drivers wanting to work. It's made me think twice about buying my own taxi to work in Hereford.

Why cover the cost of all the expenses when owners are willing to give drivers such a high percentage?

So i'm currently setting up my own taxi business in monmouth where it is much cheaper to set up and I will be working as a jockey driver in Hereford on Friday and Saturday nights to bring in the cash.


Kevin
http://www.monmouthtaxis.co.uk

I've never heard of 60% before, but I've heard of 50% and maybe a free shift t to the driver if they work six shifts.

That's better for the owner than upping the %age, because if the driver can't work the six nights then he misses the freebie, whereas if he misses a night on the higher percentage then he still benefits from it.

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Taxi Driver Online
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Belvar wrote:



I think this guy is pulling your plonker

Either that or he wants to be one of the first drivers to work for you.

In fact I would not mind a deal like that, might make more as a driver than I would an operator.

I used to be a courier before I became an operator and the only thing that saved my bacon when I started was I had good friends who were operators themselves one who was a courier and his partner who was chauffeur if I had not had their advise and input I would probobly have gone bust by now.

If you have any specific questions re starting up send me a pm anytime and I will be happy to detail my own experiences.

Also look at the VAT tread in relation to employed and self employed and the rental of vehicles.

It is crucial you set this up properly from the outset else the revenue will put you out of business.

Take care and good luck

Eric

Yes, the driver that Mr Belvar spoke to was clearly not 'employed' by the firm, because if he was then he wouldn't be on a %.

What the driver meant basically was that he was driving the firm's car rather than his own, but no doubt from the tax perspective he's being treated as self-employed.

Some areas seem to be mostly rentals, whereas in others a %age is more common, but they will both be self-employed nonetheless.

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That's pretty much the deal I'm on at the moment. 50% plus every 4th friday is a free night whereby I cover the cost of the fuel and anything I make is mine.

Sadly when I get my monmouth business up and running I'll only be working hereford on friday and saturday nights so I will not be getting the free night.

I suppose from a drivers point of view deregulation is good for us. With so many vehicles now licensed there is a shortage of drivers so the rates have to go up to get people to jockey rather than go out and buy their own taxi.

Basically it's just the part timers and those who are getting a feel for the trade that wants to jockey now. If the job suits you and you want to work full time then you go and get your own vehicle. Even WAVs are cheap now.

Kevin
http://www.monmouthtaxis.co.uk

Exactly.

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IDFIMH