Taxi Driver Online

Can anyone tell me what is the best way as an operator to accept credit card payments?

I posted before asking about taking credit card payments in the car but now I would prefer to take the payments in the office rather than on the road.

I know there are quite a few companys out there but having no experience in taking credit card payments what can you guys recommend??

Just contact your business manager at your bank, we use Streamline (through Natwest). When we started taking cards approx 3 years ago we were clearing approx £100 per month in card transactions now it regularly tops £1500.00. As these transactions are classed as "cardholder not present" you are open to chargebacks, however this has very rarely happened to us. Your bank wil advise you on how to cut down on these. I cant remember how much it costs us per month for the terminal, but its not very much. American Express take a larger percentage than other cards, but you do find that these jobs are usually from high end clients, and you can always add an additional charge onto the job quote.
We have never looked back since taking cards, and among other things we have done to improve our business our customer base has risen over these last few years.

These do the trick.

http://www.paycabs.com/aboutus.asp

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Do not argue with an idiot. He will drag you down to his level and beat you with experience.

Believe me, don't get Mercury X2

If you are going to have a terminal in your office, make sure it is compatable with your phone system. Not all credit card terminals work on digital phone lines. The same as some fax machines will not work on digital lines.

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Grandad,

I think I will have a chat to the business manager at my local Natwest bank on your advice 'westside1'.

You must be turning over quite a few jobs to be taking in over £1,500 per month? At the moment because my office is very small I only have the occasional question if I take credit cards but I think it is the way to go and definetly want it this year some time.

I am still trying to grow the business and I think it will be hard this year due to the VAT rise and the rise in fuel and the amount of local pubs that have been closing is unreal, but hopefully fingers crossed I should get things moving.

Thanks for the advice.

We are averaging just over 21,000 jobs a month at the moment, back in April we were doing 16,000. if you run your business properly, by offering a reasonably priced efficient service, your customer base will grow. We switched from Autocab to Datamaster back in April and haven't really looked back, infact our vehicle fleet has increased from 34 to 39 in that same period. Go out there and actively promote your business, this doesn't have to cost the earth. Don't get drawn in by all the doom mongers that this year is going to get worse than the last, let your competitors think like that whilst you take their customers. As I have already mentioned our business has thrived over the last 3 years. If I can be of any further help, don't hesitate to give me a shout.

Now that is 100% cracking advice.

_________________
Do not argue with an idiot. He will drag you down to his level and beat you with experience.

Believe me, don't get Mercury X2

Thanks again westside1

I must admit that I try to keep looking on the bright side but it has been very difficult for me since I started my office just over two years ago.

We do offer a good priced service as out prices either match or are lower than the other offices and settle for the drivers is the cheapest in the town. However, our service is not the most efficient as calls are missed and jobs cannot be taken simply because I cannot get new drivers! I have not had a day off since I started but am always hopeful that things will pick up but it is very hard to increase the work when you dont have enough drivers, catch 22 really. I have tried everything but they seem to avoid the office like the plague.

The main problem is that the office doors are not always open in the day but the phone lines are as I have to be a driver and receptionist due to the fact that the money I take keeps the office going but I dont have enough to pay a day receptionist!

Can you give me any advice?

dont try to be the cheapest, just compete or simply work out whats fair

it wont be so busy now, keep your drivers happy, back off the driving to do the base, and keeping the office doors open

have you costed everything out?

theres no point having an office thats shut mate

when i ran 3 LWB vans as a courier (and a few subbies) i used to give myself the shortest runs or no work so i could man the phones, have you a divert to your mobile? have you an iphone/android so you get emails easy while out?

have you won any contract work?

I try to set out the fares so that we are competitive without being too cheap so drivers cant complain and aviod the office because of that issue.

I have two drivers renting cars at the moment and the others are operating there own cars and I have had another driver interested be being a jockey driver I just need to buy another car as one of the jockey drivers smashed one of my cars up the other week and its now been written off.

If you're running cheap fares, that could explain your difficulty getting drivers.

Many won't look at 15 jobs x £10 being better than 8 jobs x £15. They'll just see that ABC are going from point A to point B at a lower price than XYZ and they're not getting so much out of that job.

We have immense problems with drivers if we fix a 'competitive' price on a job.

how does your base rent compare with others in the immediate area?

Our fares I would say are not cheap compared to others but about the going rate. Minimum rates are now about £4 and our price list went in october to £4 and looking at other offices price lists we are pretty much on a par so not really anything to complain about from the drivers there.

Radio rent is currently set at £100 per week for owner, £220 per week for jockey, other offices are £120+ per week owner, £240+ per week for jockey so we have same fares as other offices and cheaper settle but still struggle for drivers.

The office I took over used to be one of the biggest but when I took it over it was the worst and was frankly a joke. There was only one driver working from the office and the office only ever opened whenever he could be bothered to come in, usually between 6 -10 pm fri, sat, sun nights only and shut when he wanted to go home usually around 2am.

I am wondering if after 2 yrs I am still being haunted by the bad image, just feel like I am bashing my head against a wall as I know we got work and can get lots more just cant get any until more drivers.

What you need to do is, advertise the office as being a 24 hour operation or such, drivers take it in turns to work through the night with the phone calls coming through to the night mike. It saves having to pay staff to sit there through the night answering the phones.

_________________
Do not argue with an idiot. He will drag you down to his level and beat you with experience.

Believe me, don't get Mercury X2

I can have a radio for £55 a week.....