Anastacio wrote:
I've had a word with a few of the boys who control the Taxi work around my village. What is the better paid work, hackney or private?
It has become clear that it will depend greatly on where you live and the type of people in the area. But what are the fundamental signs that help you choose which to take on, hackney or private? Do most drivers have the dual license and alternate depending on how business is. Some say private and airport runs, some disagree and say airport runs are not good earners. With so much contradiction out there it is difficult to know how the land lies, where to concentrate my efforts.
How many hours on average do drivers work to be able to earn a reasonable living, support the family, have a decent life. I've a feeling 9-5 doesn't cut it in this game.
cheers,
Bob.
There are too many variable to be able to answer such questions, and it's probably better if you find it out for yourself once you're in the trade. It varies from area to area, on what drivers prefer, how good they are at getting their own work, any other income that they have, what sort of lifestyle they follow etc
For example, if they have six kids, a non-working wife and and three foreign holidays a year then chances are they'll need to work longer hours than a single guy who still lives with his mum and dad and whose idea of a good time is a trip to Blackpool for the annual Star Trek convention.
But in general you'll tend to earn more in the big cities, and during unsocial hours, particularly at weekends late at night. Of course that means driving the drunken dregs of society around, which no one really enjoys, except perhaps the drunken dregs of society who just happen to drive taxis when they're sober, or perhaps even when they're not.
And the more effort to get the badge the more you'll generally earn, and again this varies between areas.
Of course, many drivers have a habit of exaggerating, while many others have other sources of income such as a pension, so when they brag that they only have to work x hours and don't work at all during Jan and Feb then take such claims with a pinch of salt.
For example, if you want to do only airport runs that'll probably mean working for yourself and finding your own work, which isn't always easy. And airport runs may look like quick money, but if you're only doing a couple a week and nothing else then that's not much use. Also, it may seem like a lot of money for a couple of hours, but it's generally lower profit margin-wise, so you'll be using a lot of fuel and putting a lot of miles on the car compared to the short runs.
But if you can then it's best to plate your own HC, because that means you can build up your own work while using the ranks when you don't have any, but neither is a particularly easy option these days, and doesn't look like it will improve much in the next few years, if ever.
Everything else being equal an HC plate is always better than PH, because you can do street work and phone work with the HC, whereas PH is always stuck to the phones only.
Of course, if you can survive with phone work only then that's fine, and indeed thousands do.
Personally although I've got a HC plate I hate the bog standard pre-booked scenario with a passion and don't get many airport runs, so prefer to vegetate on the ranks even though I could make a bit more with a booking office.
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) and trade from home, register with your County Council education transport and local Ambulance service (either as contracted or volunteer driver), advertise as a taxi and as a courier, even takeaway deliveries, every holes a goal