Taxi Driver Online

Thought I could do with some of the first guy's excess hair, then saw the photo of the second guy

Anyways, not sure if this is genuine, or they're just bull$hitting, but I started to skim over it towards the end


'Your health comes first': Cab driver turns his life around thanks to business rival

https://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/n ... ess-rival/


Image: Lancashire Telegraph

A cabbie who hit a hedge in his car and had his taxi licence revoked has turned his life around.

Shakail Ahmed, 43, regained his badges thanks to the support of business rival Shaz Malik who runs Four Sixes in Chorley.

Chorley Council stripped Shakail of his private hire and hackney carriage licences after complaints were made against him in 2019. A decision Shakail said was correct and one which he says helped him to develop as a person.

He also told of being inspired by the Netflix series The Tiger King and wanted to share his story to encourage other drivers not to fall into the trap he did.

In the incidents which were captured on CCTV Shakail clipped a hedge at speed while trying to retrieve a drinks bottle from under a pedal.

Then he hit a kerb while carrying passengers including two small children. Later, he used an unlicensed vehicle to carry out a booking.

Shakail was forced to sell his successful businesses, Star Cars, Four Fours and Eccleston Private Hire.

He said: “I used to work really and sometimes seven days a week for very long hours. I took up being taxi driver at the age of 21 so it was all I knew. But as you get older you have to learn to prioritise things.

“In my case I did not. I carried on working hard and soon enough it took its toll.

“I started to nod off whilst driving. I would do anything to stay awake like keeping the windows down and having energy drinks.

“Then I started making mistakes and one thing led to another.”

Following the incidents Chorley Council revoked his licences and he was was forced into selling his businesses. In 2019 he appealed failed in his bid to overturn the council decision.

Four Sixes based in Hollinshead Street, Chorley, later bought Shakail’s businesses.

Shaz of Four Sixes told us: “Shakail was one of our main competitors. I had a choice of helping or seeing him drown.

“As a human it’s impossible for me to ignore and walk past someone who needs help.

“I’ve been told from different people I have met over the years that I can reach out to humans on personal level, people have described it as a gift that I have. So, I used this to help people.

Shaz helped Shakail reapply for his licence and got him back on his feet.


Image: Lancashire Telegraph

Shaz said: “I agree with the council and how they take these kind of incidents very seriously.
“He’s well known in Chorley and the surrounding towns. He needed support and I wanted to give him that. When someone’s down, I believe in helping them back up.

“I think he has come a long way and I think other drivers who get themselves into his situation can learn from him.

“As a base operator he brings a lot of experience to the firm.”

Shakail said: “Shaz has been brilliant and we had some really long conversations. I have to say it is thanks to him that I am back.

“He told me to watch a Netflix documentary, Tiger King. He said to me “You’re the Taxi King”.

“He told me I had had a great business, but lost it. It was a matter of understanding were you went wrong and how to get past it.

“I thought I would never gain my taxi badge, but I made a recovery which I didn’t even think was possible to do.”

Shakail also urged other cabbies to listen to their bodies and think about their own mental health before embarking on the long hours.

He added: “Work will always be here- you can be assured of that. Taking energy drinks and doing other things to keep going will catch up on you sooner or later.

“The best advice I can give anyone is that your physical and mental health comes first.”

It's him with all the hair again

And more marketing dressed up as a human interest story


Two of Lancashire's oldest taxi drivers hang up their keys after 75 years and hundreds of thousands of miles in the job

https://www.lep.co.uk/business/two-of-l ... ob-3555318

Two of Lancashire's oldest taxi drivers have hung up their keys together - after going the extra mile for their customers.



Eddie Schofield, 76, and Jim Michaels, 70, between them have clocked up 75 years of cabbying across Chorley and beyond.

But now, thanks to Covid and advancing years, they have both decided to retire from the Four Sixes group, and let someone else take to the wheel.

Eddie



Eddie, from Chorley, started driving taxis in 1983 for a company called FitzPatrick, one of the first taxi companies to open in Chorley. He then moved to Four Sixes Taxis a few years later.

He said: "I have to say I have really enjoyed my time as a taxi driver. My retirement came because of Covid 19 and it's been emotional to leave after all these years. And even though I'm retired, I will always see this as my company."

Four years ago, Eddie was involved in a potentially-life saving situation, which he says demonstrates the extra responsibilities of a driver.

He said: "Every Thursday we had a regular run from Euxton. One day his one day, the customer didn’t come out of the house, which was unusual. I knew something wasn’t right, so I got out of the car and went towards the door and looked into the porch, and that's when I saw the lady unconscious on the floor.

"I rang the base operator to send an ambulance and police as soon as possible, which he did. That is just one of the things we do. Customers weren't just customers back in my days; if they used your taxi regularly, we got to know them and would help them, including checking up on elderly people."

And what about advice for new drivers? He added: "In all of the years I've being doing taxis, one thing that will happen is that you'll encounter an agressive customer at some point in your career.

"I would advise anyone new, if a customer is aggressive, you always speak to them in calm manner. This should give the customer understanding you don’t want to be confrontational, and you will find that the customer backs down."

Jim



Jim Michaels lives in Skelmersdale, but has driven in the Chorley area since 1986 after leaving a job at Tesco.

After working in the Croston and Eccleston areas, he joined a company called Croston Cars, which is now run by the Four Sixes group, the oldest in Chorley.

He says his time has been made memorable by providing more than just driving for customers.

He said: "I used to drive the tail bus, where I'd pick up five or six customers in wheelchairs. I enjoyed the time with these customers, because back in those years, taxi drivers where a support mechanism for the community; helping and supporting. Other taxis companies don’t focus on this anymore, whereas Four Sixes remains focused on this."

Jim says his take on customer service has been motivated by his experience as a customer when he was a teen. After a night out, he didn't have enough money to get home, but the driver still took him to his door to make sure he got back safely.

He said: "When I started to drive a taxi, if I customer didn’t have enough money, I would go that extra mile to get them home safely.

"When you're young money is always spent up before the night and you forget about how you will get home. So be honest with taxi driver and I am sure he will be able to do something for you, being polite and being honest will get you far."


Shaz Malik, owner of Four Sixes, thanked the drivers for believing in him when he took over the business, and sharing their knowledge of the trade.

He said: "Jim and Eddie have been a credit to Four Sixes and highly valued members of the team. We wish them all the best for their retirement.

"Driving for all these years and providing an excellent service for the surrounding areas of Chorley is a big achievement and they should be proud of that and we should all thank them.

"For sure Eddie has to be one of the oldest taxi driver in Lancashire to retire, it's achievement in itself, am sure if Covid-19 wasn't around, Eddie would been driving until 80."

You would have thought they would have said enough's enough in Feb 2020.

Why at their age would you risk the fate that has befallen far too many in this trade over the last 2 years?

All that said good luck to them in their retirement.

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IDFIMH

As someone grey and pretty bald, think I mentioned my, er, appreciation of this guy's hair before

But I'm beginning to wonder if it's actually real

Anyway, this isn't job, but some interesting reading, for reasons I won't go into


Bolton: Taxi boss's 'one stop shop' for Pakistan services

https://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/news/23 ... -services/

A businessman is aiming to launch a new project to create a ‘one stop shop’ to help people in Bolton access services in Pakistan.


Image: The Bolton News

Shaz Malik, well-known as the owner of Four Sixes Taxi Company, says that he envisages a service that will help communities in the borough deal with anything from land disputes, the purchase or sale land and vehicles and inheritance to getting driving and gun licenses or opening bank accounts.

He says this should have special relevance to communities in Bolton.

Mr Malik said: “Land grabbing in Pakistan is a common place as UK nationals don't know the rules.

“After speaking to people in the Bolton area at great length this is an all too common place.

“Generational land has either been given away out of fear or lack of knowledge.

“It's a common place in every Pakistani household to have some sort of land or house issue.

“Not knowing the Pakistani court system doesn't help and cases can take years to resolve, often lack of knowledge can make these cases go on for more than ten years.

He added: “One common scenario is in the unfortunate death of a parent it becomes an inheritance case to get what is rightfully yours.

“What tends to happen in these scenarios is the other family members in Pakistan transfer the asset into their own names hoping you will never return and if you do you wont have the expertise to do anything about it.

“Another typical example would be if you purchased a house overseas and your own family member has repossessed the house and won't move out.

“It’s a common occurrence and most Pakistanis in the UK has either experienced this or knows someone close who has.”


Image: The Bolton News

Mr Malik hopes that his project, which will start by focusing on the Punjab region of Pakistan, will change this and was able to draw upon a wealth of personal experience.

He said: “I travelled to Pakistan alone to understand what people must go through who don't know and understand the system.

“I had zero support from family or friends to get to Pakistan, I had only travelled once when I was younger.

“If I had any assistance from my family, it would have been easy and I wouldn't have fully understood what I needed to do to support the people overseas and create such a service.

“This gave me a great insight on what was required and how I could bridge this gap and make it seamless.”


Image: The Bolton News

He added: “I was fortunate to have meetings in Pakistan with the government officials.

“The meeting was arranged and organised in confidential about an outline sketch off what my proposed plans where to support the people overseas.

“It was a positive meeting and they understood and agreed there are problems, especially when they have investments here and don’t know how to access them.

“They agreed we would be a gateway to people overseas to have access to what is theirs and they would definitely be able to support us on this mission.”

Mr Malik hopes to get his project up and running soon and in the meantime can be contacted through his Four Sixes taxi business.


Image: The Bolton News

The cynic in me thinks all you need is a bag full of cash.

Sorts out most stuff.

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IDFIMH

especially in Pakistan so I'm told !

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Taxis Are Public Transport too

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