Taxi Driver Online

FALLING numbers of people going out in the evenings has caused irreversible damage to the taxi trade, it is feared.

Many taxi drivers are taking second jobs or getting out of the business altogether because it is becoming increasingly difficult to make a living, it is claimed.

And Ashley Miller, chair of the Bournemouth Taxi and Private Hire Joint Committee, said he cannot see the situation improving in the near future.

“It’s really quiet at the moment,” he said. “You can put that down to the credit crunch but really problems go back to New Year’s Eve 1999 when many people opted to celebrate at home rather than pay lots of money to go to a bar or club.

“People partied at home and liked it and the trend has continued. Then there was the smoking ban which has made things even worse.

“I don’t think the taxi trade will ever recover. Bournemouth is being served by around 650 Hackney and private hire cabs which is a lot more than even a big major city needs.”

Mr Miller used to have eight Hackney vehicles but said that by the New Year, he would have only have the one that he drives himself.

“Each vehicle was losing me about £400 each week,” he said. “You cannot carry on like that.

“A lot of drivers have left the business altogether but there are other drivers, particularly foreign ones, who are working more than 15 hours a day, seven days a week to try and make a living.”

Derek Heritage, marketing director at United Taxis, said: “We’ve noticed a downturn, not so much during the day but definitely at nights.

“I think the smoking ban has had an effect and people are just conscious of money and whether they are going to have a job next year.

“We’ve noticed students are being much more careful too because of student fees.”

But he said he did not think fares were too high: “Taxis are expensive for one person but not between three or four people.” And Mark Smith, director at Streamline Warrens agreed: “We’ve had very sedate rises in the past couple of years and our taxi fares are not too bad nationally – they are mid-range.

“There has been a downturn this year but it’s not been as bad as I feared. I thought we would be 15 to 20 per cent down but it’s actually about five.”

Taxi drivers waiting outside Bournemouth railway station broadly agreed with Mr Miller.

Jeremy Everingham, 42, said: “I think the night time (trade) is suffering especially during the week. It’s just the last few months. I think it is the recession.”

A 43-year-old taxi driver said: “It’s rubbish. Personally I think it’s the economy and the night buses taking a lot of our business. I have to work longer hours for a fraction of the money.”

Bill Whiston, 53, said: “It’s quiet. I don’t know if it’s just the economic situation. You have good days and bad days but it’s a significant drop.”

Robert Fung, 43, said that big firms like Nationwide and LV no longer send as many staff down from London as many have been made redundant which impacts on the taxi trade.

“It’s the recession. It’s coming down from business. We are seeing less day work,” he said.



http://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/news/4 ... in_crisis/

Working your own car, whatever next?


Lying ***t.

_________________
IDFIMH

Not a lot of sympathy from those leaving comments on the Daily Echo's site.

_________________
IDFIMH

Those comments are brutal are we more hated than the tax man

In my unbiased view those comments come from folks that hardly ever use cabs, mainly late on a Fri/Sat night when they have no other choice.

Folks that use us regularly hopefully have a far more positive view.

But the stats don't lie, taxi/PH usage has increased greatly over the last 10 years, so we must be doing something right.

_________________
IDFIMH

The nations habits are changing the supermarkets control the economy and they want people to buy their booze from them and drink it at home and thats exactly what is happening they have successfully killed off the off license trade and have the pub trade on its uppers mind you a lot of it is down to stupid breweries clinging to outdated business models and making landlords pay more for their beer than the supermarkets sell it at !

Town centres are losing their night time "vibe" because as fewer people go out fewer people want to go out because their mates aren't out etc etc. taxis have to adapt and find other sources of trade like running people to or from supermarkets

I would imagine that he must have had drivers working on a share basis to lose that kind of money.

_________________
if you cannot be yourself, then who can you be.