Taxi Driver Online

[quote="trotskys twin"]Socrates AL uses now the same vehicles as london hacks and its fares are considerably cheaper on the longer runs than hacks................never let the facts get in the way of propaganda [/quote]

When asked what successful companies do [b][u]that couldn't be easily replicated by any other competing company[/u][/b], you previously suggested "nice newish motors"... leading to our assumption that nice newish motors were somehow not available for London HC operations to use. You later state that London HC operate exactly the same vehicles as Addison Lee... thereby contradicting your initial assertion... so which is it? Do AL operate the same vehicles as London HC or do they operate vehicles not permitted to be used as London HC. If the former then we must remove your initial proposal from No.1 on our list. Wannabeeahack's assertions 5 upwards are all also invalid for our thread as we are asking what cannot be easily replicated by anyone else. By all means let us have an alternative thread to investigate what factors successful companies may happen to capitalise on, but this thread is concerned with the success factors that CANNOT be easily copied by just about anybody else. Drivers prepared to work for low wages is something ANY taxi company can exploit... courage, motivation and astute business acumen is something relatively FEW people possess.

So to continue our investigation into what factors CANNOT BE EASILY REPLICATED.... you stated earlier that it wasn't the fares as London customers didn't care about the fares... then in almost the next breath you maintain that fares are considerably cheaper on the longer runs than hacks... again my dear fellow, self contradictory statements. Which is it, are lower fares a factor in the success of AL or are they irrelevant?

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The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing...

Im not hearing what YOU think the answer is Socks...

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

Didn't you know? I know nothing! Nothing!

This is why I am here, to glean wisdom from the enlightened members of this respected online community.

Knowledge begins with wonder ... I wonder what the successful taxi companies are doing which couldn't easily be replicated by everybody else...

Some members have suggested that the successful taxi operations are run by people more courageous than drivers ... More motivated ... Possessing greater businesses acumen...

For my part ... I know nothing ... But I'm keen to learn ... Teach me!

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The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing...

Pointless

What works for 1 location may not work a mile away

probably best you go and try it

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

We cant here, the LA dont allow them

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

Does anybody know whether Trotskys Twin is correct here... "AL uses now the same vehicles as london hacks"

If he is correct then proposal no.1 must be struck from our list... one can't have propaganda getting in the way of the facts now!

If he is wrong then Trotsky's Twin has learned something ... what joy! It is after all far better to be refuted than to refute. Lucky old Trotters!

Any bright young things out there care to share the truth with us? What vehicles do AL favour, and are London HC allowed to operate the same?

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The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing...

If he said that then he is incorrect.

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IDFIMH

I think that was what TT was hoping wouldn't be pointed out - I mean everyone should know - who have any interest in the trade what type of vehicles AL mainly use.....shouldn't they?

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Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

Unless AL are using Mercedes type "taxis".

Speaking of what makes a successful company, a few years ago I picked up a rather large man from one of the caravan parks on the coast. As usual, "busy tonight mate". "No, I replied, it's never busy round here".

"You need to get some grafters, y'know, blokes that'll work round the clock". I pointed out that me and the mrs run and drive the business and the last thing we'd want is other spoiling our business. "Nah, I got me own company round Weybridge, our blokes are takin' over £300 a day each". I said we'd be lucky to take £300 a week round here.

while this chap may run a successful ph company in Weybridge, there's far more people with money, far more houses, and railway stations, in Weybridge than there are on the Romney Marsh!

So indeed, what works in one area may not work in another. There's no radio circuits here, the nearest being Folkestone and Ashford, both 15 miles away. There's 2 independent hacks in town, and about 8 independent ph cars, all struggling for what little business there is. No account work, pubs close at 11 if you're lucky, the chippy closes at 8.30....

My dear RoytheBus... your logic is impeccable... understandably, high density populations provide the critical mass necessary for economy of scale to work for well organised operations.

Your explanation suggests that service providers who are geographically tied to sparsely populated areas may quite simply be doomed to a kind of subsistence / lifestyle type operation. Your tenacity, clinging to existence on the very precipice of life is truly worthy of respect... but it doesn't answer the thread in respect of higher density populations.

Some service providers who are geographically tied to more densely populated zones, such as London, Greater Manchester, Birmingham, Liverpool City Region, don't profess to be doing so well despite the critical mass being available in abundance. They complain of BIG FIRMS stealing all their work... how did those BIG FIRMS get so big... and what did they do that couldn't have been done by anybody else in that area?

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The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing...

They took a chance and invested.

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Grandad,

What you mean where there aren't bundles of punters you wont need bundles of taxi/ph?

Well I never.

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IDFIMH

You don't need a degree in business studies to work that one out do you.

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Grandad,

They were probably there first, got big, then took over the smaller outfits. I've seen it many times in the bus industry.

When buses were de-regulated in the 1980s loads of independent companies sprang up. In London there were about 30 small firms and 4 large firm doing all the TfL tendered bus routes. Thee days there's the Big 5 groups with just 2 independents! All the other small operators (myself included) have either gone broke because we couldn't keep up with TfL's demand or those who could were taken over by the Big Groups.

WTF....its not rocket science

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