Taxi Driver Online

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IDFIMH

My normal shift used start at 7pm - until about 3am
The student campus that is around 2 mile from the centre of town was a fantastic place to work and you could do endless jobs upto 12 midnight.

The fact that this campus won't let Hackney taxis' into the grounds (because BlueLine now have a contract with them - oh and the security woman that works there has a husband thats a private hire driver and dislikes Hacks), and the fact that students are drinking at the halls now and getting private hire into town at 12 or even as late as 1am, is making it a waste of time going out for a 7pm start.

Even in the popular Jesmond area, Students are drinking at home and getting cabs into town as late as 12. Gone are that days when people actually went out into town for 7 or 8pm.

The main time when money is made is the 2.30am - 3.30am slot (during the week) Whereby you've got an hour to try and make maybe £30-£35. You might be sitting with a tenner on your metre at 2.30am, but at 4am might have done over £50.

The lads that are doing day shift can also be waiting 2-3 hours between jobs. It's really that desperate that dirty tactics are seen daily (and nightly). Lads just driving around and pulling in to be first car if the opportunity arises - I've also noticed more and more that if someone comes to a car thats say in the middle of a rank; the driver will now just take that job, no matter how many cars are infront. It's bad, and because you see it happen every night, you start to say if they are doing it, well so am I....that's how things are way out of hand up here - along with the illegal crap of private hire.

The days of making a decent wage on the Hacks in Newcastle are well and truely gone. Realistically, if you can make £50 on a day or night shift (Sunday through to Thursday), you've had a decent shift - I kid you not.

When you think deisel costs have to come off that you start to wonder if it's worth it.

The wife is starting to ask questions and I know she wants me to start looking. Fortunately, I can make a little extra money by other means (trading on horses - anyone interested and I'll point them in the right direction)), so I'm in a slightly better position than some.

Chris

its the same everywhere I was speaking to a milton keynes driver he said the main town rank moves every 15 to 20 minutes an if ur 10th on the rank you'll be waiting over 2 hours for a job that's only a fiver or so or if you go to the station there's over 30 taxis ranked up and that's same with the private hires my cousin who drives for the main milton keynes firm skyline taxis says your lucky to get a job a hour as the firm has over 200 cars,
My shift was normally 10 to 4-5 but for the past few weeks I have been working 8 to 4-5 as its really quiet as of the good weather lately people rather walk than pay for a taxi,
Weekend nights are the busiest days of the week or maybe saturday morning but what I and most of my other work mates say its not always going to stay like this were in a ressesion so its going to be like this you never know next year might be busy

I don't know what everybody is worried about, market forces will sort it out

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

The recession leads to the perfect storm i.e. less work due to poorer punters, and more vehicles due to high unemployment.

It's going to be like this for a few years yet.

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IDFIMH

Been pretty grim here, but the last few weeks have been busy most days and weekends are good

So are you suggesting that market forces, at the moment, are the reason why there are too many drivers and not enough work or is it all down to the recession and market forces won't kick in properly until the recession is over?

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

It's both, one leads to the other, and the other leads to the one.

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IDFIMH

It'll be all over after today.

The Royal Wedding will boost the economy straight out of the recession!!!

Oh, I'll just seen a fly-past by a squadron of pigs!!

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Kind regards,

Brummie Cabbie.

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