Taxi Driver Online

Just a heads up without a big app debate.
These guys are going around Edinburgh at the moment Signing drivers.
Just be aware that they hold a £100 deposit from you, which is apparently to cover any discrepancies in fares.
Bear this in mind , thankfully I found out before I gave acc details.

Another day another "you'll can't live without it " App, everyone supposedly better than all those that have gone before it, but the one thing they all have in common is that they will have a sizable Cut of the fare for little or no work and more than likely they'll charge you money up front for it whether it works or not.

They also don't have a booking office licence which is a requirement

1hr30minutes on the video posted under Holyrood talking

_________________
Alway's been about Tightening the Grip!

Thought that applied to phc, its an app for black cabs.

A Booking office licence in Scotland is required for any operation taking bookings for 4 or more licensed vehicles. (Taxi or PHC licence)

_________________

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

Oh my God Dougie, you really need to get your head around this, a booking office for an app company could be as little as a broom cupboard with a metal plaque on the door.

These app companies are the future and you'd better get use to it. Oh and City Cabs is far from being an app technology platform company.

These boys will make mincemeat out of the bowling club mentality committee run taxi companies.

_________________
All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others.
George Orwell, "Animal Farm"

Just so long as it's a licensed broom cupboard with a metal plaque on the door, and the licensees are sticking to their conditions of licence

_________________

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

Not that it matters much.

Apps connect the customer straight to the driver. It's just an electronic form of a street hail. No booking office involved and no booking office licence required.

Or if you prefer to look at this way. The booking office and the hardware is the drivers phone. The app is the software he owns and controls. Only one driver on the 'system/circuit' therefor no booking office licence is required.

I know for a fact Gus you are well aware of how apps work so I'll just thank him for the opportunity.

All apps are not the same.

I pay 50p an app hail. The first five were free. The app was free to download! Registration was free! I only take the ones that suit me no tells me which jobs to take.

When there are no jobs I still use the credit card facility, for free!

Taxi apps - empowering drivers!


Other apps are available.

All the above is spot on, apart from "Taxi apps - empowering drivers" and while I agree, this might happen in the short term? When the apps market really takes off, the competition will be between app companies fighting over customers by offering the best deals and that will be funded out of the drivers pocket and not the company. And these tech companies will be looking at the bigger picture of how they are performing in their market nationally rather than at a local level. Edinburgh, Glasgow, Dundee, Aberdeen etc. What's the difference? All of these Cities are just locations on google maps.

I think the simple truth is, app tech is destined to bring high level efficiency to an industry, which at the present time is totally inefficient.

I'll give it three to five years and taxi companies the likes of CRT and City Cabs will be a thing of the past.

_________________
All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others.
George Orwell, "Animal Farm"

It is the long term that matters but success may be be won or lost in the short term. And why?

Yes the booking office for Taxis (public hire) is a goner.
It survived due to the technology of the era, selling their commodity ie passengers to the drivers.
It could only sell what the drivers would buy. And drivers are their only customers. Street hails their biggest competitor.
Because street hails are still significant in number and the restrictions of the licensing system drivers wouldn't buy passengers outside of their 'toon'
It might have been thought that this system empowered drivers, it certainly helped them retain the status of small independent businesses. But instead it is the rock they fell on.

With drivers and with them passenger to sell restricted to catchment areas there is not enough business to sustain enough booking offices to provide any level of competition.
Dialling a telephone number is a matter of habit and once a 'number' is embedded with the passenger there is little that can be done to compete. Passengers only want a lift up the road ASAP in the main. There is no added value.
Divided - the independent minded driver businesses fall and the booking offices dictate the terms.

The PH booking office has thrived in this environment.

Now technology has moved on a pace, and taxi drivers are given a chance to use the competition between app providers to their own benefit.

With no booking office licence required any app provider can operate in any area that drivers are willing to use their app.
Passengers will simply press a button and get the nearest Taxi. The more likelihood of getting one will dictate the success of the app. There will be incentives no doubt but hit rate will be the key.
Drivers at this moment in time have the power to decide which app they use and therefor which will succeed just as they once choose which booking offices. Drivers can demand the features and benefits from the app provider.
The competition for drivers is hotting up.

Will the small independent business sell out cheap for the first handful of customers?

I know where skull will have his money on and given the history few could deny his argument.

Time will tell

Hi guys I am Paul,
I work for GetTaxi and specifically deal with their driver recruitment in the UK.

Just thought I would drop you guys a message to say hello and to clear up any confusion.

In case you haven’t heard of us, we’re a global company based in 24 cities (soon to be 30) across 4 countries. With over 5000 licensed drivers already signed up in the UK, we’re proud to be the number one app connecting drivers to passengers.
We’re also the only app that works exclusively with licensed Black Taxis nationwide, ensuring a safe and reliable service for all of our passengers, wherever they are.

The GetTaxi app available on iPhone and Android, allows passengers to book a licensed Black Taxi with one tap of their mobile bringing even more customers to you.

-In regards to the £100 float which you mentioned.
This is not an up front cost, nor do we take any money out of your bank account. (We don't have any daily, weekly, monthly or yearly charges either - just a pay as you go 10% flat rate) The account details in which we collect off each of our drivers are in fact just the account number and sort code. With theses details we pay our drivers weekly for all business account and card jobs in which have given them!

We simply hold back 5% weekly of any payments until we reach a float of £100. When £100 is reached no more money is taken and if the driver ever wishes to leave, you can simply call us up on either our 24/7 driver and customer services team, let us know you wish to leave and then we pay it on your next weeks money. Alternatively you can call the driver services team Monday to Friday 8:30am to 7pm.
This is to simply cover ourself for if any drivers happened to start doing cash only work!


So far it has been an absolute pleasure to be working in Edinburgh and I look forward to the future of GetTaxi working alongside the black taxi trade.

If anybody has any questions, concerns or problems which they believe I can help out with (taxi related that is - I'm not a councillor) my contact details are below!

For anybody wishing to find out a bit more info and getting the app, please fill out your details here: http://gettaxi.me/signup/

Regards
Paul Carr
paul.carr@gettaxi.com
07891534623

Go to the Holyrood talking Taxi thread, around the 1hr 30 minute mark the discussion turns to App companies, what makes Get Taxi any different to current Booking Offices, you take bookings you dispatch bookings, it's all done electronically, Get Taxi is acting illegally by operating without a booking office licence, Why has Uber applied before operating? They know the law is different that's why, I highly recommend you watch the video provided on the other thread, that can't be too difficult, I do though operate the Cordic App which is backed up by 850 taxis, it's way ahead of the game in Edinburgh, competition is good but only if your company are willing to play by the laws of the land your operating in, so come on tell us Why you think Get Taxi are so different to Uber and Cordic?

_________________
Alway's been about Tightening the Grip!

GetTaxi have met will all licensing committees and are fully compliant to operate.

This thread will not be monitored constantly so feel free to contact me directly for any questions or problems.

Regards
Paul

That's what they needed to know....

_________________
All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others.
George Orwell, "Animal Farm"