Taxi Driver Online

well it is fast approaching and just to let you all know it's safe for you to go this year because I'm not !!


to be honest the selection of traders is getting worse year on year

they need to set up a market section with people selling useful stuff instead of stand after stand of insurance brokers,apps and dispatch software last year was rubbish in my opinion the worst selection of traders ever and this year looks even worse so I don't think it's worth wasting a day on

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Taxis Are Public Transport too

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What do you mean by 'useful stuff'? if you mean receipt books and coin holders then that kind of stuff is easy to get over the internet these days. And with Uber blazing the trail, in a few years drivers won't need receipt books and coin holders anyway

Insurance can be done online quite easily as well these days, so suspect the PHTM show will wither on the vine in the next few years.

It does serve a purpose by having loads of vehicles all in one place, especially WAVs.

I think recently they have had speakers from the industry and Q&As. With the right speakers that's is a draw.

But the average drivers will not give a stuff over Data units and phone systems.

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IDFIMH

Ah, they still have vehicles on display, then? Assumed from Edders' post that they were a thing of the past.

Yes, would be useful if buying WAVs and purpose-built vehicles, but not really much use for anyone buying saloon cars.

That's another thing that's a bit easier these days with the internet etc - as I recall it, twenty years ago PHTM had approximately zero adverts for vehicles, but last time I looked it was choca with them, and of course lots of associated websites now.

The last time I went there was a guy there selling oil additives, a chap there selling all sundries like cleaning equipment, leather bags etc etc. Trying to sell stuff like this to Taxi Drivers is like trying to sell a camel to the Arabs. The Taxi Show is an old horse that's been ridden hard. Why not have a Vape stall within the arena?

Ironically, only time I ever went to a show the one thing I nearly bought was a *cloth* coin bag, to replace my leather one, which was specifically made for taxi drivers, but was hopelessly shallow and if dropped would spill coins all over the place - once dropped about £40 in shrapnel on the local Shell forecourt

But they only had luminous green and orange ones at the show, which I didn't want - thought these things were meant to be discreet, not to stick out like a sore thumb and made obvious to all and sundry

But I kind of got used to the leather bag over the years, and still have it fifteen years later. Problem now is that it's got a hole in it, but it's either on my lap or on the floor, so easy enough to pick up any loose coins

In the past there have been stands SELLING useful stuff like

car cleaning equipment
Kit for fixing license plates
Car Aerials
Roof lights
Dashboard signs
Gadgets
Cameras
Emergency sick/spill kits
Car spares
Oil additives
fuel additives
devices for improving fuel efficiency

it would be nice if there was a "market area" featuring at least some of the above that would make it worth attending as you could find and purchase useful things

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Maybe we should get a container load from China and do it ourselves.

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IDFIMH

Car cleaning equipment? Yes, I'd travel 400 miles if they were selling that

Seriously, though, all that kind of stuff is easily bought over the internet if you can't get it locally. It's not as if mail order didn't exist twenty years ago, obviously, but with websites you can easily see all the suppliers and types of rooflights, for example, and easily specify different colours and wording.

And stuff that used to be quite specialist like dashcams can be bought from Argos, Currys, Halfords or Amazon these days. Lots of taxi stuff on Fleabay as well.

Yes, call it TaxiMart or something

the whole point I was trying to make is that this appeals to only a small minority of the trade and as such fails to meet the needs. Now if it had practical uses other than if you were specifically looking for a vehicle or a dispatch system. It would bring more visitors and hence bring organisations like the NTA etc. to drivers attention and maybe recruit a few more members and provide the trade with a stronger voice

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You mean more would attend if a proper pi$$ up was organised?

Maybe that's the trouble with the show too - the words 'pi$$ up' and 'brewery' come to mind.