Taxi Driver Online

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And, yes, it really is called Nearby Richmond Taxis

Not sure if it's because it's a *recent* rebranding, but doesn't seem the best name in terms of internet searches. Google Nearby Richmond and you get lots of links about stuff near, er, Richmond in Yorkshire.

Google Nearby Taxis and NE Fife taxi firms come up, at least for me, obviously

And there's also some kind of Nearby Taxis in the Wirral appears on the listings


'Free ride' campaign aims to get more taxi drivers on the road in South Shields to tackle shortage

https://www.shieldsgazette.com/business ... ad-3580916

A taxi firm has launched a new campaign to get more drivers on the road by wiping away start up costs to help tackle a shortage of cabbies.


Image: Shields Gazette

South Tyneside’s largest taxi and private hire operator, Nearby Richmond Taxis, based in South Shields, hopes the ‘Free Ride’ campaign will bring new and existing drivers into the trade.

The firm is among those suffering from a shortage of drivers, having lost cabbies who went on to find other employment during the pandemic when there was little demand for taxis.

Now life is getting back to normal, demand has risen, and there are not enough taxi drivers, meaning longer waits for customers, and strain on firms such as Nearby Richmond.

Starting out as a tax driver incurs multiple costs such as paying for license applications, enhanced DBS checks, and other credentials required.

These can often deter people from becoming a taxi driver if they don’t have the money to start out.

To combat the problem, Nearby is offering to pay for a medical, badge (on successful application with the council), vehicle test and on-site training to fast-track drivers to the necessary standard.

Gemma Errington, fleet driver manager at Nearby Richmond Taxis, hopes the ‘Free Ride’ initiative will encourage more people to seek a career as a taxi driver.

She said: "With the current shortage of drivers across the UK at the moment it's great to be able to offer something back to people wanting to get in to the taxi and private hire trade and by nearby Richmond assisting them with zero start up costs we're hoping to see more drivers joining us allowing us to cut down on customer wait times and overall providing a first class, local service.”

Gemma also explained how the company recently underwent a slight name change incorporating ‘Nearby’ into its brand name, which is part of the Nearby group including Nearby LA Taxis, Nearby Westoe Taxis and Nearby Eastcoast Taxis.

This means when a customer books a taxi with a Nearby brand, if one of the other nearby fleet name taxis is in the area it can take the fare.

For further information or to apply to the role email drivers@nearby-taxis.co.uk or ring 0191 2140220.


Image: Shields Gazette

Shows the value of correctly using capital letters, but they're not quite consistent in that regard throughout the whole article.

(Although the second 'nearby' in the sentence could arguably be capitalised as well, depending on how you read the word - it could mean Nearby as in the brand, or nearby as in 'in close proximity'. So maybe the lack of a capital in the second 'nearby' is in fact an error. Anyways...)

An absolute mess of a name/brand.

As for drivers coming into the trade, they will if they can see a good return in terms of wages/takings.

But if that was the case then I doubt 'free' gimmicks would be needed, and I also doubt existing drivers would have left.

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