Taxi Driver Online

Well my first post here so first better be polite and say Hello.......

Just been and applied for my Private Hire licence which I've been informed should take about 4 to 6 weeks for CRB check to come back (annoying really because I know i've never done anyting wrong!!!
I'm going to plate my own car one I get the driving licence back, I was quite supprised at the cost of insurance which the best quote i've had up to now is 2900 tpft!!!!! my private insuance on same car cost me 360 quid, some difference there.

well if anyone can give me any advice both on insurance and any general matters it will e greatly apreciated

cheers

Barry

Good luck Barry, hope you enjoy your new job. Insurance is so expensive for taxi/PH but it's worth getting a policy that will give you NCB (lots of drivers go for weekly insurance but dont get the NCB) for example you could get it for £42 pw with us, but you'd pay that for ever! Lots of companies wont insure you till you've had your badge for a year.

Dont get disheartend in your first few weeks, you'll struggle till you get in the swing of how things work/where the work is at a certain time of day etc.
Try making a note of good regular jobs that come out every day/week and be cheerful with your customers, have a chat with them (it pay's)
Dont be taken for a mug by the base staff, but also do the odd favour to help them out.
Dont get in the habit of knocking off the 10/20p's, they mount up!!
Dont take anyone who look's dodgy and get cash up front for any out of towners which may be suspect. If you get asked to go out of town and you think refusal may damage your health (it happens!) say you have a job in 15 min and cant do it or tell them your not allowed out of town at this time of night except from a telephone booking (i'm talking of fares you pick up from your town center offices at night when it's mad busy).

Remember that you can still make it pay with lots of little jobs with follow on's rather than one long job that takes an hour to do. As long as you got a bum on a seat your making money!! (the first mile usually pays about a pound more than the second, so job numbers do count).

Always answer the "been busy mate" "been on long" "had a good night" with "only been on 1/2hr" (dont let anyone know youve got 200 quid in your pocket)
Get a meter fitted.
Keep your car sparkling clean.
Dont be taken for a mug by some tart in a short skirt who ony has £5 for a £10 fare!!


lots more advise around, listen to the other drivers.

check your spelling befor you post

is there any certain types of meter to go for or avoid, i've been looking on ebay and there rangeing from 15 to 175 quid

Barry

Funny, but we've never really had a proper discussion on the merits of the various meters.

However, make sure your council doesn't have any specific requirements as regards meters - the most obvious is the calendar meter which changes the rates for you at the appropriate time instead of the driver changing it manually (stops the driver cheating) - some meters don't support this function.

But you defo need a meter, do you? Private hire tend not to use meters, but your LA will probably either say you MUST or say you MUST NOT fit one - I don't think it's normally an option.

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Taxi Driver Online
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I've checked the paperwork from my local authority and it says you may have a meter if you wish to but it must be an approved type and be calibrated and sealed by them, but it doesnt have a list of approved meters.....
The benifits I thought of having a meter would be the punter can see the fare going up and then hasnt got the exceuse when you tell him at the end its a tenner and he's only got a fiver

Try Westminster insurance you should get it cheaper than you have been quoted GOOD LUCK

The CRB check will take that long whether you are Mr Atilla the Hun, or Mr Squeeky Clean.

Insurance will cost you a fortune, but you know that. Still it's worth looking at TDO's links page, and spend a day ringing around. It will be time well spent.

As for the trade, well please ignore the doom-mongers. The trade is a good one, and if you can find a decent operator, in a decent area, then you should do alright.

Not set the world on fire, but do alright.

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IDFIMH

Exactly!
And you dont have to judge any waiting time either!
Mine's a HAC (metro?) with 5 tarrifs and full accounts and i love it. we also have to be checked by the council and sealed (PH and Hackney) but as the council cant set PH rates all they do is check it tick's over on the mile.

Two questions:

1 - Who sets the rates that your meter uses?

2 - How does the way the council tests your meter differ from the HC method?

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Taxi Driver Online
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The company set the rate's for the drivers (after discussing it with us)
IE
T1 2.20/1.30 5am to midnight, 10p min waiting time
T2 3.30/2.10 midnight to 5am, 15p min waiting time
T3 4.40/2.60 Bank Hol's etc, 20p min waiting time
I take my meter to the local installer, tell him what i want on it and he sorts it.
Then i'm supposed to take it to our test centre pay my £12 fee and they drive the measured mile to check it only ticks over on the mile and not before and then they seal it.
They dont check the rate on the meter at all, and only do 1 run on T1 they dont bother checking the tickover on the other tarrifs.

But they do on the hacks!
We have a 60/40 split on who has meters and who doesnt, also lots of drivers drive on their own operators license, not the company one.
So i can drive on my own License and charge my rate's for my own private work (different from the company's rate).

The problem arises when, being PH i got pulled a few months ago for a spot check (happens every couple of months here) and was told to get my meter sealed (we'd had a tarrif change a few weeks earlier and i hadn't had it re-sealed)
I asked if i have my own License which i have, then i can charge my own rate's which he had to agree with.
So i said what if my rate was 2.10 for 9/10ths of a mile, or for that matter 2.30 for the mile.(normally 2.20), (because there's no legislation for PH rate's) he then couldnt check it over the mile. he had to agree. so anyone with their own license who can take bookings of their own and not soley from the base dont have to have their meter checked because they can say whatever it ticks over at, is correct!
However i'm a bit of a rebel and other drivers just comply to avoid confrontation.
BTW it's set at the correct rate for the company, i just dont like all the £12 he's robbng off everyone!

I know this is going off thread, but further to above, Door sign's. We have to show the Name, Address and telephone number of the Company we operate from.
Now the Company supply the sign's and most of us use magnetic's, but they're to large for the doors (overlap trim, blow off etc) so we cut them down, he get's all annoyed (ex copper) because mine didnt show the address, so when i got pulled he tried to suspend me until i got the sign's changed, i wrote the address on in black marker pen whilst he stood there, but he wouldnt budge "it must be printed on, so your suspended" when i whipped out my License conditions it clearly states that the address must be shown, which i pionted out it now was! it doesnt say "shown, and in times roman, written in blood" or anything it just says "shown" so i upset him again when he had to agree. Even the coppers with him couldnt belive his attitude.

I've got a feeling he reads this Forum. so Hi Phil, happy new year!! ha ha

Sounds like a bit of a nonsense - if they take the view that they can't set PH rates then it seems a bit silly that they then make you have your meter sealed if you have one, but then they don't even check it properly!

When you say it's 60/40, are you talking about PH generally, or do you mean as regards your operator - ie do some cars in your office have meters, while others don't?

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Taxi Driver Online
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Do you therefore have two different rate cards?

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IDFIMH

Try and get the best motor you can afford. Then dress nicely and you will earn more money than if you don't.

Might not happen over night, but the right people will remember you.

Ollie

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Happy to be legit.