Taxi Driver Online

The type of insurance I have is fully comprehensive I have informed my insurer who slapped a little bit more on the premium to be able to carry out the work I do. I didn't mean to step on anybody's toes here all I was asking was for opinions on taxi driving and whether it was a worthwhile job I feel this has gone far beyond that and just turned into a slagging match because I do this type of work and am rubbing other driver's noses into it.

So you don't have hire or reward insurance. Do you have the requisite level of public liability insurance?

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Grandad,

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If only Skull had listened to you Doom, Hey he might just have got an idea out of this thread though, Voluntary Driving, you reading this Skull

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Alway's been about Tightening the Grip!

Okay I feel the thread has gone way off-topic I didn't come in here for criticisms on what I am doing right now I came in for advice and opinions ON WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO DO. I wanted to know whether driving a cab be it either my own or someone else's would be a viable source of income.

I didn't however come in here asking opinions on whether I'm a t*** or a scab or whatever the hell you want to call me, the reason I do this and put up with the [edited by admin] my boss throws up at me is purely to make ends meet put yourself in my shoes for one minute, I have a disabled father who lives 26 miles away from me I have to go over there on a daily basis to do shopping for him etc, I'm stuck earning very little money and with very little praise I simply took this as a form of second income to enable me to get over to my dad on a daily basis and with fuel prices the way they are you need to be a rich man to run a car. As the saying goes "Walk a mile in my shoes and only then can you judge me"

I didn't ask for a slagging match or anything else I was looking for a little GUIDANCE. When you lot were thinking of driving a taxi did you not have to ask for a little guidance?

I'm sorry if your views of me are negative or whatever but for crying out loud the question was is it a profitable thing or should I just stick with something I hate.

It can be but at the moment it's not great, if you are prepared to work unsocial hours you should make a living, just not a great one. Do your homework and work out the costs first.

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

I work unsocial hours anyway, when I get a day off the usual job I do nights for the car service which is from 4pm on a Wednesday say, until 9am the morning after.

So I'm used to that plus I used to do overnight parcel delivery so I'm no stranger to it.

Let me clue you into something.
The guy you talk about isn't your boss, what you're doing isn't a second income and you're not supposed to profit by it. That is why you come out no more than pennies ahead.
The clue should be in the word "voluntary".

Now don't get me wrong, somebody is profiting by this but I doubt if it's you.
Start with this "boss" of yours, who will be charging the councils and hospitals a lot more than you get to see.
Then there are those handsomely paid Council and NHS bean counters, with the nice Jags and Beemers that you are helping to fund.

If it's praise your looking for, you've come to the wrong place. You wouldn't fare any better selling cheap lager outside your local now would you?

Now as to your question about getting licensed, I can't answer that one for you.
Ask the local cabbies how things are, just don't get surprised if they tell you the game is fekked due to the amount of well meaning mugs doing their work for buttons.

Oh, and in my time I've walked many miles and in worse shoes than yours.
Sympathy you will find between sh*t and syphilis in any dictionary.

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http://wingsoverscotland.com/ http://www.newsnetscotland.com/

somethings not adding up here,you work 4.00pm untill 9.00am on your day off ?

The day off that I get once a week from my other job! Honestly if some of you were to actually read you'd get the general jist of it all.

And as for profit I do make a little bit of a profit. for instance if I do a trip from Skegness to Boston (23 miles x 2= 46) my car is a diesel and returns 56mpg. Now take that sum I just did and you will clearly see I am still within that 1 gallon of fuel which I paid £6 odd for, now take the price we charge 45p so time to do the sums again 46 x 45 = £20.70...so the £6 odd that I spent out has now tripled...Understand now?

Once again for the jocks I said I'm not looking to be judged that is I don't need for you to tell me that I'm a [edited by admin] that's effectively raping your custom if I really wanted that to happen the name of the post wouldn't of been advice and opinions it would of been "How big a [edited by admin] am I?" I don't need for you to give me a background check...

If you're like this in real life Gus I can honestly understand why "t***s like me" are taking your custom you judge every [edited by admin] without even knowing a bit about their past/history etc

And as for what the Councils or NHS or indeed my boss are getting I really couldn't give a [edited by admin] to be honest as long as it's my wage that's paid.

And on the liability insurance front before you start judging me about that (which I had missed out) just so you can shove it in your pipe and smoke it YES, Yes I do have liability insurance in force. My car insurance also know about it.

So your earning a living doing Voluntary work??

So what is it about your past/history etc that makes it ok for you to steal someone else's livelihood? Tits like you will always find a justification for being a tit.

"My poor sick dad needs me to do his shopping" or "I've had a hard life" well my heart bleeds purple pish for you.

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http://wingsoverscotland.com/ http://www.newsnetscotland.com/

yes but how much public liability insurance? Most comprehensive insurance policys include £5,000,000 cover. Most local authorities require £10,000,000 cover. So you may have some cover but is it enough?
Oh and the title of the thread states advice and OPINIONS. People are giving you their OPINIONS.

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Grandad,

I detect a flaw in your Costings. Apart for adding, to the cost of your Fuel, some allocation for your time.

These are just Ballpark figures and are the reason why most of us are so defensive. People don't think of them.

I'll start with Depreciation, £5,000pa on an E7 - £2,500a for a Skoda. You gotta replace it sometime - out of your own pocket.

Follow this with Consumables, Tyres, Cleaning materials, Oils, etc, £750+pa.

Maintenance, could be any amount? Depends, very much, on how you drive. Including visits to Back Street Bodyworks, now and again - just to tidy things up!

Then add proper insurance, that covers you with a replacement vehicle. Between £1,000pa and £2,000pa depending on vehicle. OK, that can come down by 25% but your No Claims Bonus disappears as soon as you become a Professional and you have to start again.

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Don't dream it ~ Be it.

Thankyou very much Eddie you actually got the jist of the question and did answer some of them for me and that has helped me out a little bit!

As for you gus would it really have hurt you to answer the question rather than turn the thread into a debate I was looking for a little guidance on whether it was a fairly profitable job and opinions on the job at hand as in do you really get as many nasty drunks as people say etc that was all!

Here, as a Hack, in Ayr. The daytime trade is really a nonstarter unless you are part of a System or have a School Run, or even both.

The main business is late night, between 11.30pm and 3.30am. Mid-week that can mean fairly slim pickings, but still, with better sales than the day-time.

At the weekend, things start with people going out to dinner, 7pm, and returning from same, 10pm+, then comes the Pub Trade and the pre-fueled youngsters heading for a night out. Up until now things will have been fairly civilised. Now, you will start to get folk complaining about the fare, trying to negotiate a lower fare or finding that they have insufficient funds. Your Parentage and Nationality will be questioned and your Mother insulted. All grist to the mill.

Many Customers are charming and well behaved, but a significant minority will attempt to engineer a free ride with a significant proportion of successes. The Police, God bless their little cotton socks, take over an hour to process any form of complaint and, formally, can do little to help you. Many of them will try and frequently succeed in persuading a recalcitrant Client to anti up but it takes time, which means a loss of business. Frequently it is better to cut your losses and let the Punter off, preferably as far from their destination as possible, but you risk damage to the vehicle. However, I have a Line on my T&Cs that says that they will be returned to the Start Point of the Hire and have then driven slowly along the Rank. Internal light on. Saying to each driver that this person has no money available for his/her Taxi Ride.

My estimate is that about 15% of Saturday Night Punters will attempt to Bump you. Most will be put off by locked doors and gentle persuasion. Most of us, in Ayr, now require a Deposit for any out of Town Runs after dark. This helps but multiple drops still cause arguments.

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Don't dream it ~ Be it.