Taxi Driver Online

Despite the headline, this is a bit wider than the norm for the genre, and also encompasses the family-firm/start-up advertorial narrative.

And also a bit of licensing nitty gritty as well

Anyway, let's see how they're doing in five years


‘Women feel a lot safer with a female picking them up’ – new female-led Wick taxi firm puts safety first

https://www.johnogroat-journal.co.uk/ne ... ew-447563/

Family-run private hire business Tina’s Taxis is making its mark in Caithness by providing a safe service, particularly for female passengers.

The idea for Tina McPhee’s business was born out of a desire to create a sustainable future, and a flexible working environment, for her family.



Tina and her daughters’ father, Max, decided to invest in setting up a small business that their girls, Jade and Jeanette, will eventually take over.

Originally launched in April this year, the business really took off in June once word got round that there was a new option for a lift home.

Day-to-day operations are split among the family members. Jeanette and Jade are the primary drivers, while Tina – who previously worked in the civilian guard force at Dounreay – manages the phones.

During their busiest periods on Friday and Saturday nights, Max pitches in with weekend driving shifts to give his daughters a break.

For Tina (55), one of the main benefits of running her own business is the flexibility it offers her family.

“It’s freedom really for the girls that they’re not stuck in a nine-till-five job. The job works around them basically. So if they need a day off, we can accommodate that,” Tina said.

Work schedules can be tailored around personal lives and this adaptability is essential; 35-year-old Jade is a full-time mum to her son who has autism, while 37-year-old Jeanette is expecting a baby soon and is currently on maternity leave from Tesco.

A major selling point for the firm is the peace of mind a woman driver offers female customers.

Currently, female passengers make up roughly 70 per cent of their clientele.

Tina believes that women feel more secure with a female behind the wheel.

She said: “I’ve had a lot of comments regarding that from clients, just advising that they feel a lot safer, especially females after a night out, that it’s a female that’s picking them up. There’s been that much stuff that was heard in the news and it’s just making people feel a lot safer in themselves.”

Getting the business on the road took some time. It took around four months to finalise all the necessary paperwork, which included vehicle checks, council processing, and obtaining personal licenses for each driver.

But Tina said the hardest thing was “building up a clientele and building up trust within that clientele”.

Jade agreed that building a reliable reputation and spreading the word was their real first challenge.

She said: “But once we actually got the high [numbers of] clientele that we have now, it’s been great. I think we’ve got a really good reputation on reliability and our timekeeping; we’re not making anybody wait long periods of time. And just being there for everybody in the community, being able to actually provide something for them, it’s a good feeling to be honest.”



The family also navigated a local rumour alleging they had reported another taxi firm for using the word ‘cab’ on their private hire vehicle, which is strictly prohibited by Highland Council.

Tina cleared the air with the competitor, explaining that it was a misunderstanding and that her own firm was completely unaware of this specific regulation.

“After speaking to them we were making them fully aware that we weren’t the ones that reported them.

"We had no idea about this, otherwise we wouldn’t have put ‘taxi’ on our car. They obviously understood it was just a rumour.”

In fact, they are now having to alter their own vehicle stickers to comply with the rules after discovering the oversight.

Relations with other local taxi companies remain strong.

“There’s plenty of room for everybody,” Tina said.

Looking to the future, Tina is planning to expand. Currently operating two cars, they are in the process of applying for a third vehicle.

By next year, they are aiming to bring on an additional employee to meet growing demand – and in keeping with their current strategy, they are hoping to hire another female driver.

The narrative is a bit confusing - first it reads like they were accused of making the complaint, but then someone seems to have complained about them. Or maybe there's been complaints going back and forth

But obviously they've been using the name Tina's Taxis on their PHVs, and that's not allowed


Aye, right. I'm sure they're all cock-a-hoop and holding hands round the campfire at night singing Kumbaya

I wish them well.

But this trade isn't easy for new firms to start up, and the 'we are women, for women' selling point never works.

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IDFIMH