Taxi Driver Online

Where to start with this? Pure churnalism and advertorial, obviously, and some of the writing isn't exactly an object lesson in clarity. A bit easier for those in the trade to work out what's being said, maybe, but since it's aimed at the public then, er...


40 JOBS: Highland taxi firm on the hunt for 40 drivers in Inverness

https://www.inverness-courier.co.uk/new ... xi-257695/

A TAXI company owner wants to employ 40 more drivers to keep up with demand.

Inverness Taxi managing director Gavin Johnstone is warning Christmas revellers – that if Halloween is anything to go by – there will be a difficulty in getting people home, unless more people come forward to become taxi drivers.

Mr Johnstone said drivers could earn "a four figure sum a week" for full time work – and in Highland, he said, the process was relatively short to apply and gain approval for a taxi drivers licence with Highland Council.

Mr Johnstone said: "At Halloween people were waiting for long periods of time at both the taxi rank, and within the office for a cab. Something that we don't like to see happen. But we are desperately short of drivers.

"In Inverness we need 40 drivers to keep up with current demands. There is a shortage all over Scotland."

He continued: "Halloween was so busy there was a real problem with people waiting a long time to get a taxi.

"Aside from it being completely hectic in the office, we were really keen to help people get to their destination as quickly and safely as we could.

"What we need to do is manage people's expectations about Christmas and New Year, if we do not have the staff we don't want people to wait for a long time in the city centre in the cold.

"No one wants that for people. While we can give people an idea of the length of time they need to wait, say an hour plus, it can sometimes be much longer.

"Often when we get there, people have made other arrangements, and have not told us, and that takes up time as well."

Mr Johnstone explained that shortages are due to staff retiring, people who have changed jobs in the pandemic and the loss of staff through Brexit.

He continued: "Driver shortages are being felt around the country, and we want to encourage as many people as possible to become taxi drivers.

"In Highlands the process is fairly simple and we can have all the approvals in place in as few as six weeks. There are two types of driver - private hire, drivers who pick up pre arranged fares, and taxi drivers who can pick up people off the street.

"There is an Inverness 'knowledge' test to pass for taxi drivers, but we are here to support people with that."

Drivers also need to be over 21 years of age, have a clean current driving licence for more than 12 months, a medical examination and be approved by Highland Council for a taxi driver's licence or private hire car driver's licence.

Mr Johnstone, who gave up driving to run the business, joked: "I might need to get my badge again!"

Can't be bothered wading through every line of the above, but a few highlights:


Doubt they'll be 'employed', or even have 'worker' status. Self-employed, almost certainly.

And, as regards the headline, there are no *jobs* for *self-employed* drivers.


To 'earn' £1k per week you'd have to take maybe £1.5k in fares or so per week. Turnover £75k per annum?

Interesting thought, too - if you're earning £1k per week profit then you wouldn't have been eligible for *any* SEISS grant money during lockdown


Get tae...

The shortage here is of passengers and taxi rank space


Makes it sound like he was making some sort of sacrifice by giving up driving.

Nothing to stop you getting back behind the saddle if running the office is such a burden

And website looks professional, but easy to see from there that they haven't employed professional copy writers.

I mean, why has no one ever picked up the likes of this?


I just managed *not* to burst into tears over the pandemic too, but I don't go around bragging about it

And, you know how everyone expects such websites to extol the virtues of 'professional, experienced drivers' and 'commitment to the highest standards', blah, blah.

Well this firm lays that sort of stuff on with a trowel, and in my unprofessional opinion overplays that sort of marketing hype

https://inverness-taxis.com/

As no doubt does every cab firm owner in the world, whether the demand actually exists or not.

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IDFIMH

Halloween night is one of the busiest nights of the year, possibly only beaten by New Year's Eve.

So please don't use that as an example.

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IDFIMH

You mean cheap foreign labour.

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IDFIMH