Taxi Driver Online

I know that we are just a small market town but our company are one of the new kids on the block. We started with 1 car for school contracts and invested all the profits into more cars. We won more school contracts and started to EMPLOY drivers to help with the work. I would do weekend work in town as well. When we had enough cars to make it worthwhile doing other work as well as the school work, we started to rent cars to self employed drivers as well as the employed drivers doing the school runs. Because of the way drivers pay for the use of the cars they can earn more than with other company's in the area. We have gone from one vehicle to being the largest operator in the town in a relatively short period of time. Why have we been able to grow so quick and increase the volume of work? Well it isn't hard but the opposition still haven't worked it out.

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Grandad,

I think Socrates wants to start a taxi firm so is asking how to do what others just go on with and did so save him trying himself

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

Sussex, Sussex, Sussex, my dear boy... you're not thinking hard enough... Come on! Stretch that grey matter of yours! Get with the program, we've been talking about CRITICAL MASS.... Think of what that means!

In nature, fissile material has to be present in sufficient quantities before the magic of nuclear fission can be sustained. Only a fool would think that the relationship between the amount of fissile material and the phenomenon of sustained nuclear fission followed a perfectly straight line from zero all the way upwards. Below a certain tipping point of material density, nuclear fission IS NOT SUSTAINABLE ... it simply does not happen. It is only once we venture ABOVE that magical tipping point (the critical mass) that the nuclear sparks start to fly, and any subsequent increases in material density thereafter directly affects the number of sparks. Drop back down below the critical tipping point again and the sparks don't decline, they cease completely!

So, now let us apply the very same understanding to a critical mass in "punters". RoyTheBus and I were exploring the possibility of there being punter density tipping points, above which OPTIMISED FLEET EFFICIENCY could be sustained (leading to supposed £300 a day takings) but below which OPTIMISED FLEET EFFICIENCY could not. No matter what you do or how hard you try, if the punter density is below the tipping point, there's no sparks, you are doomed to low wages / subsistence driving.

Heading into higher density areas which have the potential for punter critical mass, maybe something wondrous is possible, if you get the fleet management just right, that gives some operators an extremely competitive edge...

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

I'm getting bored now!

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Grandad,

Anyone trying to oust one of the long-established operators in a high density are will be doomed to failure; the area's already saturated with taxis or ph cars!

I got there a while ago

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

i started out bored

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

Alas, our most senior of citizens, Grandad, has called time on this enquiry.

So in answer to the question, what is it the successful taxi operations have done that couldn't be replicated just as easily by anybody else, it has been suggested that the winning teams are led by people with courage, motivation and business acumen over and above that of the average driver.

We've learned that the restrictions some LA's place on HC vehicle type may affect a consumers choice of service ... And Trotter learned that AL and the London HC trade do not operate the same vehicle type.

We only just touched upon OPTIMUM FLEET EFFICIENCY, something which may never be possible in sparsely populated areas of low consumer density, but may under the right conditions be possible in the built up areas ... It is to this I next turn my attention...

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

The problem of supply and demand has been mentioned; peak demand in most urban places is Friday and Saturday evenings when everyone's on the razz and wants to get home at 0300. Peak demand in rural areas at school times due to the high number of school taxis required. the other peak time is 1st January between 0030 and 0400. You could have 100 cars on the road at thee time and keep them all "busy", but what do you do with them the rest of the year?

Polish them.

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Grandad,

Charge high rents and tell them it's the busiest company in town

Or like ours if you're not earning say you must be working the wrong plots or times because everyone else is doing x2 what you are (but they are also doing x2 the hours) and that where else will you take home £400 p/w, but don't say that to do that you need to do 70 hours

I suppose we could all run a firm using slave labour waged drivers, and maybe some will find that totally acceptable.

So to answer your question, yes we could all do it.

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IDFIMH

Better Romanian them, the Poles have all gone from round here...

Interesting. In Weybridge, there is only one station, called... Weybridge. There is limited nightlife in Weybridge, one or two bars open in the High Street, and another one or two down Queens Road. Don't see where the work comes from to make £300 day.

The people who have money (St. Georges Hill have houses in 8-figures), don't tend to use PH, as they have their own chauffeurs/drivers anyway, or use executive PCO licenced companies to ferry them around. Hence I see more of those (and London taxis), than Elmbridge registered PH. Being in a very wealthy area doesn't necessarily mean more work.

Dunno, I'm just saying what this punter told me. there's other stations in the area, whether they're under the same LO I don't know. West Byfleet, Byfleet & New Haw as well as the stations on the line to Staines. It is quite a wealthy area.

The point I was trying to make was what works in his area won't work in my area. the sheep round here aren't particularly wealthy and seem to stay out rather than go out. One business plan won't fit all, so you have to adapt your business to the area.

One reason there's only 2 hacks in my area is because the rest of us can't be bothered doing the knowledge for Folkestone, some 15 miles away. PH was the easier option.