Taxi Driver Online

Grandad gezz a joob

If you live near enough to my town and you can pass the local knowlege test and I have a car available, then no problem. But I do have a few people who drive for other firms in the town wanting to come over as well.

_________________
Grandad,

Just hope your council doesn't have a literacy course as part of the licensing criteria.

_________________
IDFIMH

Why? Do you think that I am illiterate? I'll have you know that I know both of my parents and they were married to each other years before I was born!

_________________
Grandad,

dinnea wirra pops got a gade tam tam an spekin yah is nea a prob

I would have thought in the current economic downturn you would have had a queue at your front door?

Perhaps you should get someone independant in to stand back at a distance and ask the same question. You may not like the answers, but it may help you to get more cars on the circuit.

if the CRB checks were sameday it would be easy to recruit but i aint spending money only for the driver to lose interest and decide the dole looks a better prospect during his long wait for a badge

_________________
Of all the things ive lost, i miss my mind the most

From what I can glean from previous threads, advice was given to make sure that he did his homework prior to jumping in with both feet. I even suggested preparing a proper and full business plan and judging from the current thread this obviously wasn't taken on board. I wish him all the luck in the world but until he prepares a very honest and realistic business plan this business will only improve by sheer luck and nothing else

_________________
Note to self: Just because it pops into my head does NOT mean it should come out of my mouth!!

You're just far too sensible at times Toots.

Thanks for all the advice guys.

Toots, I have done my homework and been asking other drivers why I am not getting any new or old drivers coming over to my office, so I now at least have an idea as to what is going wrong. The only thing that can correct this is to recruit more drivers hence asking if paying drivers a wage is a viable option? I know where I am going wrong and that is simply I cannot work 24hrs 7days a week as I have already tried that and after nearly 2 1/2 yrs and not a day off I am worn out and still not getting drivers. I have offered drivers deals to come over but to no avail and the last driver who drove one of my cars drove into a post and wrote the car off and only paid me £80 instead of the £350 excess.

The only way I can grow the business is simply to advertise with leaflets and on business cards to begin with and on each I am going to state that drivers are needed so hopefully this will bring in work and drivers. Only with more drivers can the office grow, simple, but how can you keep the work when you simply cannot get drivers to come and work for the office because by the time they come the work has been lost. Most weekends I now go with limited sleep just to keep the office going and keep the work coming in so I am still pushing myself to my limit.

As for sheer luck, I do think that luck is simply not on my side due to me taking over in a recession and the office going down to 1 driver and only 6 phone jobs friday, saturday and sunday before I took the office over and the office having a very bad image. I keep asking for advice as I am always looking at different options to see if they might work, nothing wrong in that I think.

Finally, I even asked a driver I know if he wanted free settle if he would come over and bring more drivers but was turned down!!! Now someone tell me where I am going wrong and where a business plan will help when I have looked at every option and tried everything I can think of!!?

Rant over now time for some sleep!

Thanks for all the advice guys.

Toots, I have done my homework and been asking other drivers why I am not getting any new or old drivers coming over to my office, so I now at least have an idea as to what is going wrong. The only thing that can correct this is to recruit more drivers hence asking if paying drivers a wage is a viable option? I know where I am going wrong and that is simply I cannot work 24hrs 7days a week as I have already tried that and after nearly 2 1/2 yrs and not a day off I am worn out and still not getting drivers. I have offered drivers deals to come over but to no avail and the last driver who drove one of my cars drove into a post and wrote the car off and only paid me £80 instead of the £350 excess.

The only way I can grow the business is simply to advertise with leaflets and on business cards to begin with and on each I am going to state that drivers are needed so hopefully this will bring in work and drivers. Only with more drivers can the office grow, simple, but how can you keep the work when you simply cannot get drivers to come and work for the office because by the time they come the work has been lost. Most weekends I now go with limited sleep just to keep the office going and keep the work coming in so I am still pushing myself to my limit.

As for sheer luck, I do think that luck is simply not on my side due to me taking over in a recession and the office going down to 1 driver and only 6 phone jobs friday, saturday and sunday before I took the office over and the office having a very bad image. I keep asking for advice as I am always looking at different options to see if they might work, nothing wrong in that I think.

Finally, I even asked a driver I know if he wanted free settle if he would come over and bring more drivers but was turned down!!! Now someone tell me where I am going wrong and where a business plan will help when I have looked at every option and tried everything I can think of!!?

Rant over now time for some sleep!

Had you prepared a proper business plan you would have been made to think of all potential downfalls before you invested any money, you would have been prepared if you couldn't get drivers, you would have prepared options for every possible scenario. It may not have told you what you wanted to hear at the time, but, at least you would have been ready for this and last but not least it would have told you if it was a genuinely viable business for all the effort and cash that would have been invested in it. A properly prepared business plan will show what is likely to happen if a business grows, but, it will also show what will happen if it doesn't and how much it is going to cost to find out

_________________
Note to self: Just because it pops into my head does NOT mean it should come out of my mouth!!

Go to the job centre, and ask there advice, anyone on job seekers allowance must be seen to be actively looking for work
As your looking for drivers they will pay for there badges, (they do here anyway) you could set the criteria like over 25s only with clean DVLA licence then take it from there

I have done this a couple of times Skippy. I haven't yet managed to get the badge paid for but I have found a couple of good drivers this way. Mind you they do sent some right idiots over who are just trying to show that they are looking, but it is at least free.

_________________
Grandad,

after 20 years taxiing, ambulance subbing and running 3 lwb vans for haulage use id never employ again.

_________________
Of all the things ive lost, i miss my mind the most