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UK cab trade debate and advice
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PostPosted: Fri Jan 20, 2012 12:21 am 
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Dusty Bin wrote:

What I'm alluding to is that fare levels have little more to do with what drivers earn than the price of tin of beans has to do with what shelf stackers earn.


how do you make that out?

CC

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PostPosted: Fri Jan 20, 2012 12:28 am 
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Because at the end of the day what you earn depends on what the labour market decides you're worth, not the price of the goods or services provided.

Stick fares up and in the long run you'll just get less of them and vice versa.

I mean, if your LA doubled fares tomorrow would it double your earnings?

Well even assuming customers were prepared to pay the fares - which of course they wouldn't - you'd just get more people seeing driving a taxi as an attractive proposition and after a while you'd end up with half the jobs you had prior to the fare rise, so back to what you were earning before.


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PostPosted: Fri Jan 20, 2012 12:31 am 
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Dusty Bin wrote:
Because at the end of the day what you earn depends on what the labour market decides you're worth, not the price of the goods or services provided.

Stick fares up and in the long run you'll just get less of them and vice versa.

I mean, if your LA doubled fares tomorrow would it double your earnings?

Well even assuming customers were prepared to pay the fares - which of course they wouldn't - you'd just get more people seeing driving a taxi as an attractive proposition and after a while you'd end up with half the jobs you had prior to the fare rise, so back to what you were earning before.



you have a very defeatist attitude....the public generally accept fare increases in my experience.....drivers do benefit as the income increases....10 jobs prior to an increase still means 10 jobs after.

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PostPosted: Fri Jan 20, 2012 12:36 am 
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Not 'defeatist', just real world economics.

Are you saying that your fare increases in the last twenty years are fully reflected in your current takings? I doubt it.


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PostPosted: Fri Jan 20, 2012 12:42 am 
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Dusty Bin wrote:
Not 'defeatist', just real world economics.

Are you saying that your fare increases in the last twenty years are fully reflected in your current takings? I doubt it.



no but the 167 extra taxis have.

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PostPosted: Fri Jan 20, 2012 12:43 am 
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captain cab wrote:
Dusty Bin wrote:
Not 'defeatist', just real world economics.

Are you saying that your fare increases in the last twenty years are fully reflected in your current takings? I doubt it.



no but the 167 extra taxis have.

CC


QED.


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PostPosted: Fri Jan 20, 2012 12:44 am 
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Dusty Bin wrote:
QED.



:lol:

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PostPosted: Fri Jan 20, 2012 12:47 am 
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captain cab wrote:
Dusty Bin wrote:
QED.



:lol:


You forgot the 'CC' bit :wink:


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PostPosted: Fri Jan 20, 2012 12:48 am 
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Dusty Bin wrote:
captain cab wrote:
Dusty Bin wrote:
QED.



:lol:


You forgot the 'CC' bit :wink:


just keeping you on your toes

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PostPosted: Fri Jan 20, 2012 9:03 am 
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If you are cheaper than the competition, but still offer the same service, you will get more work providing punters are made aware that you are cheaper.

That in-turn will lead you to having more money in your pocket at the end of the week.

The only downside will be if your competitors then reduce their fares, in which case you will be worse off.

But sometimes your competitor can't or wont. Then you should fill your boots.

Eh Skippy? :wink:

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PostPosted: Fri Jan 20, 2012 10:16 am 
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Sussex wrote:
If you are cheaper than the competition, but still offer the same service, you will get more work providing punters are made aware that you are cheaper.

That in-turn will lead you to having more money in your pocket at the end of the week.

The only downside will be if your competitors then reduce their fares, in which case you will be worse off.

But sometimes your competitor can't or wont. Then you should fill your boots.

Eh Skippy? :wink:

What if the work simply isn't there? Then you do the same work for less money.

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PostPosted: Fri Jan 20, 2012 11:30 am 
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Granddad has got it in one.

While I have only a short experience in the Taxi business, I was 25 years running a Coffee House/Restaurant.

We had a buoyant trade with about 2000 customers each week in Season and about 600 each week for the rest of the year.

As there were several Competitors in the immediate vicinity. To try and increase the Off Season Trade, I tried 2 different schemes, neither made any real difference to my turnover and both reduced my Profit Margin.

Scheme 1:- Loyalty Card, with a free coffee on every 6th visit.
Scheme 2:- Deep Discounting, with local Newspaper and Radio Advertising. These were tried - Off Peak Discounts, Bogof, Free Child's meals, 2 Courses for a £5.00.

There was little measurable increase in Trade and a considerable loss of Goodwill with my neighbours. A couple started similar schemes and their experiences were roughly similar. When my Lease ran out I had out-lasted all but one of those businesses.

My conclusion is that, unlike the Supermarket Business, most Café Customers stay loyal to their chosen supplier. I think that Private Hire may be similar and anyone who discounts from the 1st position in the Rank is cutting their, and their Mates, throat.

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PostPosted: Fri Jan 20, 2012 2:28 pm 
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wee eddie wrote:
Granddad has got it in one.

While I have only a short experience in the Taxi business, I was 25 years running a Coffee House/Restaurant.

We had a buoyant trade with about 2000 customers each week in Season and about 600 each week for the rest of the year.

As there were several Competitors in the immediate vicinity. To try and increase the Off Season Trade, I tried 2 different schemes, neither made any real difference to my turnover and both reduced my Profit Margin.

Scheme 1:- Loyalty Card, with a free coffee on every 6th visit.
Scheme 2:- Deep Discounting, with local Newspaper and Radio Advertising. These were tried - Off Peak Discounts, Bogof, Free Child's meals, 2 Courses for a £5.00.

There was little measurable increase in Trade and a considerable loss of Goodwill with my neighbours. A couple started similar schemes and their experiences were roughly similar. When my Lease ran out I had out-lasted all but one of those businesses.

My conclusion is that, unlike the Supermarket Business, most Café Customers stay loyal to their chosen supplier. I think that Private Hire may be similar and anyone who discounts from the 1st position in the Rank is cutting their, and their Mates, throat.

=D> =D> =D> =D> =D> =D>

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PostPosted: Fri Jan 20, 2012 3:30 pm 
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grandad wrote:
Sussex wrote:
If you are cheaper than the competition, but still offer the same service, you will get more work providing punters are made aware that you are cheaper.

That in-turn will lead you to having more money in your pocket at the end of the week.

The only downside will be if your competitors then reduce their fares, in which case you will be worse off.

But sometimes your competitor can't or wont. Then you should fill your boots.

Eh Skippy? :wink:

What if the work simply isn't there? Then you do the same work for less money.



Plus more hours which in turn costs more fuel so therefor your earning less.


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PostPosted: Fri Jan 20, 2012 3:40 pm 
Hmmm, funny how the drivers can lose out once again but the office owners still want top dollar for reduced services towards them.

I would love to win the Euro Millions to the tune of £100+ million, I'd start with my city by giving free radio, free uniform and free cleaning and maintenance to my drivers, just to ram it right up everyone else.

Constant rules and regulation changes by PHC owners over the years has made the job into a job, it's a wonder why anyone would want to join the slave ship it's become now, it's going to be an interesting few years ahead for the trade and I hope drivers get so sick of it they start breaking away into their own co-op companies, in todays world of firms with 600+ cars, 100 O/D's could simply walk out and give them the finger and start up themselves with a minimal cost to set up and a minimal radio charge to cover overheads.

Anyway, that's my say for now, nothing finer than force feeding a [edited by admin] their own medicine.


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