Taxi Driver Online

Certainly sounds good on paper, but it's pretty unusual for the reality to be all Indians rather than the odd chief further up the pecking order

I mean, he's CEO for a start. That doesn't mean that the financials won't be more equal, but I hae ma doobts, as they say up here


Elite100 Station Taxis hopes for 100 drivers by November

https://www.yorkpress.co.uk/news/255841 ... -november/


Image: York Press

A newly-launched driver-owned taxi co-operative is promising to deliver better standards of customer care and a better deal for drivers.

Elite100 Station Taxis has been created by Nazhat Al-Hafiz, who has been in the taxi trade for over a decade.

Naz, who is the company’s CEO, says this experience has meant he has seen the financial struggles and unfair treatment many hardworking taxi drivers face.

He told the Press: “I was always passionate about finding a way to bring drivers together and create something that truly worked for them and their community — a model where success is shared and everyone benefits.”

Naz says such co-operatives have worked well in London, Birmingham and Manchester, as well as in Spain and Canada.

The driver-owned co-operative would be a non-profit organisation, where every driver is a partner in the business.

Elite 100 Station Taxis is the only Hackney Carriage company in York licensed by the city council, which Naz says “which means all our partner drivers are fully regulated, trained, and committed to serving the community safely and professionally.”

To date, some 50 drivers have joined the venture since it started early this month, with 50 others expected in November to give him the 100 drivers he seeks.

Naz hopes to raise £10,000 from drivers who join the firm to develop an app and booking system, offer driver training and welfare programmes, and launch and raise awareness of the business.

He said: “Elite100 Station Taxis brings together modern technology, fair treatment, and local trust, creating a sustainable and community-driven alternative to corporate taxi apps.

“Our main goal is not to make profit for shareholders, but to help our drivers earn more, live better, and become financially secure.

“By removing high commission fees and unfair platform charges, drivers can keep more of what they earn, making their lives easier and helping them get out of debt and financial crisis that many face in the taxi industry today.”

And with no shareholders to support, more money could also be ploughed back in training.

Naz explained: “Normally, a taxi driver pays a yearly subscription or high weekly rent just to work under other companies or private hire apps — often with little support in return.

“Our model changes that completely. With Elite100 Station Taxis, drivers become partners, not just workers, and every penny goes back into improving their livelihoods and the service we provide to the community.”

He added: “However, what makes Elite100 Station Taxis unique is that we are the only Hackney Carriage co-operative in York, fully licensed by the City of York Council, and we operate entirely as a non-profit social enterprise focused on supporting drivers and serving the local community.”

A hackney carriage company (by which is presumably meant a circuit) doesn't need a licence, so not clear what's meant there.

More 'driver partners' though - but I suppose this time it's actually descriptively correct, at least if the ideal in the spiel actually comes to fruition


I suspect the first paragraph above is based on the information in this paragraph, but something has been lost in the translation somewhere

I tried something similar years ago but in the end it was me doing all the work and financing. they will find that most drivers just want to pay their dues grab their share of the work whinge a bit and then go down the pub for a good P. U. on their day off

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lack of modern legislation is the iceberg sinking the titanic of the transport sector

The theory behind these kinds of firms has merit, and there are some quite successful firms operating this way.

But trying to get 100 drivers, who have previously worked alone, to work within a company, along with the company's rules, in my view, is an absolute nightmare.

But I wish them well.

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IDFIMH

We had a decent ‘Taxicall’ circuit here in Chester for a few years. The problem was the bigger it got the more arguments arose. ( he’s keeping the job for his mate etc ) and then drivers who’d come straight from private hire started taking silly jobs on and expecting drivers to pull off a rank and drag a couple of miles for a small job. Then when the radios had to go digital via a mast instead of cab to cab the price was extortionate and it ended up folding.

The responses from Edders, Sussex and X-ray sum it all up nicely