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 Post subject: Milton keynes HC
PostPosted: Thu Sep 19, 2019 9:55 am 
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Joined: Tue Dec 15, 2009 3:00 am
Posts: 84
Location: Wolverton, buckinghamshire
hello everyone,

please would like some information and think everyone would be great help

I am currently driving private hire in Milton keynes Buckinghamshire and have been for the last 10 years but now i'm thinking of buying a Hackney carriage, as with out of town private hires drivers (Northampton, Aylesbury) coming in and joining our operators and operators taking them on car numbers soaring day by day and the work still being the same, rates lower with fuel prices and maintenance prices going up also operator fees unaffordable, And with the joining of the 2 major operators in Milton keynes with nearly 700 cars now totalling it is really hard to make a decent living.

My situation is my car is expiring and will have to spend 5/7k to replace I have been offered a wheelchair accessible hackney for not much more than what it'll cost me to buy another vehicle.

Would it be more reasonable to replace my vehicle and carry on working for the private hire operators and keep paying their fees and watch drivers numbers climb day by day or do i pay the extra money and get my self a hackney and work off the station and ranks and be independent with no operator fees?

What are the benefits of hackney over private hire other than no operator fees?

Milton keynes hackney numbers where re-limited in 2013 and since then no plates have been issued, The cabs before the limit was removed are saloon type cars and all the cabs licenced when the limit was removed are wheelchair accessible cars.

Please as much advice needed.


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 Post subject: Re: Milton keynes HC
PostPosted: Thu Sep 19, 2019 1:50 pm 
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Joined: Wed Sep 03, 2003 7:30 pm
Posts: 53921
Location: 1066 Country
Quote:
Please as much advice needed.

I suppose it all depends whether or not you can earn enough off the ranks to live.

Ask around, spend a day observing the major ranks or speak to the drivers.

Maybe you could join some of the apps that only charge you for what you take.

And remember the upkeep on a WAV is, in my experience, considerably more than that of a saloon.

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 Post subject: Re: Milton keynes HC
PostPosted: Thu Sep 19, 2019 3:34 pm 
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Joined: Tue Dec 15, 2009 3:00 am
Posts: 84
Location: Wolverton, buckinghamshire
Sussex wrote:
Quote:
Please as much advice needed.

I suppose it all depends whether or not you can earn enough off the ranks to live.

Ask around, spend a day observing the major ranks or speak to the drivers.

Maybe you could join some of the apps that only charge you for what you take.

And remember the upkeep on a WAV is, in my experience, considerably more than that of a saloon.


I know of one driver who went into Hackney from Private few years ago what he tells me is the money you make total is the same but in ph you drive annually 50k miles but to make the same money you only do 20k miles in Hackney with no rent and less of a fuel bill and wear tear as less miles driven and less jobs done in a day.

Is that true ?


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 Post subject: Re: Milton keynes HC
PostPosted: Thu Sep 19, 2019 4:45 pm 
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Joined: Sat Apr 01, 2006 11:47 pm
Posts: 19110
Location: Stamford Britains prettiest town till SKDC ruined it
Milton keynes is one of the most over licensed boroughs in the UK

do your research I once went to Milton Keynes station the queues of hackneys was the longest i have ever seen

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 Post subject: Re: Milton keynes HC
PostPosted: Thu Sep 19, 2019 9:36 pm 
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Joined: Mon Nov 12, 2012 11:13 pm
Posts: 436
I would suggest getting your name about as a wheelchair taxi and you will find there is a decent amount of wheelchair work,the population is getting older.hospital appointments,clinics,OAP homes.i get calls every day from the surrounding areas all peed off that they can't get a wheelchair taxi.


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 Post subject: Re: Milton keynes HC
PostPosted: Fri Sep 20, 2019 9:38 am 
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Joined: Tue Apr 03, 2007 11:27 pm
Posts: 19639
rayggb wrote:
I would suggest getting your name about as a wheelchair taxi and you will find there is a decent amount of wheelchair work,the population is getting older.hospital appointments,clinics,OAP homes.i get calls every day from the surrounding areas all peed off that they can't get a wheelchair taxi.

There is only one wheelchair taxi here and it doesn't get used that often because nearly all the people who need one use the volunteer service.

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 Post subject: Re: Milton keynes HC
PostPosted: Fri Sep 20, 2019 10:01 am 
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Joined: Tue Dec 15, 2009 3:00 am
Posts: 84
Location: Wolverton, buckinghamshire
Here the average job is £3.70 - £4.80 it includes a lot of dead mileage as you can clear in a estate area and your next job may be in the centre or across the other side, or ifs its a out of town job say Northampton 20 miles away Skyline charge £25 but it will take me 40 miles. On average i do 150-200 miles a day but my earnings and no way close but on the other hand the Hackneys working the station wait average 1 hour for a job and its average £5/10-15+ and jobs like Northampton where we charge £25 they'll charge £40+.

I know drivers who make same money i do but only doing 50 miles a day and mostly just parked up in the station que while we are driving from one side of mk to the other then getting a job where we dropped the last one off while we are nearly in the centre.

Just want some advice from drivers from anywhere who went from Private to Hackney or the other way around just on their opinions on why they chose the other side insead of the other,


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 Post subject: Re: Milton keynes HC
PostPosted: Fri Sep 20, 2019 10:50 am 
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Joined: Sat Apr 01, 2006 11:47 pm
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Location: Stamford Britains prettiest town till SKDC ruined it
grandad wrote:
rayggb wrote:
I would suggest getting your name about as a wheelchair taxi and you will find there is a decent amount of wheelchair work,the population is getting older.hospital appointments,clinics,OAP homes.i get calls every day from the surrounding areas all peed off that they can't get a wheelchair taxi.

There is only one wheelchair taxi here and it doesn't get used that often because nearly all the people who need one use the volunteer service.



which is why I stopped doing wheelchair work :wink:

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 Post subject: Re: Milton keynes HC
PostPosted: Fri Sep 20, 2019 9:16 pm 
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Joined: Tue Apr 29, 2008 4:06 pm
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Location: Twixt Heaven and Hell, but nearest Hell
Forget the rank and forget paying a base for work.... get your own

ranks are flooded and, as you know, bases will take any hack from anywhere for rents,,,

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 Post subject: Re: Milton keynes HC
PostPosted: Sat Sep 21, 2019 3:07 pm 
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Joined: Wed Sep 03, 2003 7:30 pm
Posts: 53921
Location: 1066 Country
Quote:
Here the average job is £3.70 - £4.80 it includes a lot of dead mileage as you can clear in a estate area and your next job may be in the centre or across the other side,

Clearly your data set up is rubbish.

Has anyone, maybe you, asked the office why they expect drivers to run miles for jobs like that?

Not only does it make the job not viable, it also keeps punters waiting.

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