Taxi Driver Online

Don't know why I bothered with this, which is all a bit stating the obvious.

And the operators quoted seem a bit at odds about the future of the trade, but I suppose the airport transfer market is still depressed because of lockdown, but the operator doesn't really seem to have considered that, or at least doesn't mention it.

And if he thinks the pricing of bookings well in advance is a particular problem, maybe he can set up a futures market in airport transfer fares

Oh to have such problems


Blackpool taxi services feeling the pinch as petrol prices soar to record highs

https://www.blackpoolgazette.co.uk/news ... rs-3603522

Petrol prices have reached record highs as the cost of oil continues to rise due to the war in Ukraine - and local businesses which rely on vehicles to get by are feeling the squeeze.

Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine the cost of petrol has soared, exceeding £1.52 per litre for the first time.

Figures from data firm Experian Catalist show the average cost of a litre of petrol at UK forecourts was 152.20p on Wednesday, March 2, up from 151.67p the day before.

The cost of diesel rose from 155.23p to a new high of 155.79p over the same period, while the cost of Brent crude oil reached a 10-year high of nearly 120 US dollars per barrel.

With further price hikes on the horizon, some Blackpool taxi companies have expressed concern about what the future holds.

Andrew McClelland, of Fairways Pegasus Travel, set up his airport taxi service in Blackpool 30 years ago. He said: "It has hit us particularly hard as we are only a small business with a few dozen cars.

"If things carry on as they are, we'll end up working for nothing.

"We take bookings well in advance, so it's very difficult to put prices up once you've given someone a quote and a confirmation.

"Previously, prices would rise and fall. Now, they go up and they don't come down.

"The job is very hard work now. I'd warn anybody coming into this business against it.

"I think probably within the next 10 years our company will cease to be, because people today will go about in their own cars. Airport taxi services are on their last legs."

Anthony Severyn, senior operator at Whiteside Taxis, said: "With the price of fuel going up, it is more costly for our drivers, but we don't have much control over that because the tariffs are controlled by the council.

"There's a fine line between not setting the cost too high and keeping our drivers happy and running business as usual.

"We don't know how high the pricess will rise. At the moment it's higher than it has been in the past few years, probably the highest it has ever been, and there's going to be changes with that, but we will just have to monitor it. That's the only thing we can do."

He added: "Business is generally steady, because people have to get from A to B regardless of fuel costs. Business is picking up after the Covid-19 lockdown, and despite the increase in fuel prices people still need to get to work, get to doctors appointments, get to the shops.

"It has not affected us too much, but if it goes on for too long and prices go out of control, that won't be good news for us. The bright side is we do still have a lot of eco-friendly cars."

Business owners are not the only ones airing their concerns.

One St Annes driver said: “I have got a vehicle, I use it all the time, and you’ve got to consider – do I need a car? Should I use it as much as I have done in the past?”

Another driver said: “It is a great concern because making ends meet tends to cost a lot more.”

'Crunch point' as taxi driver forced to absorb losses from fuel price rise

https://www.wiltshirelive.co.uk/news/wi ... ed-6772633

Fixed rates, queues at cheap forecourts and increasing fuel prices is a recipe for disaster for local taxi drivers


Image: Paul Carter/WiltshireLive

A Wiltshire taxi driver fears local businesses could go bust as fuel prices reach record-breaking highs and tariffs remain fixed.

Wiltshire petrol prices are rising above the increasing national average amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, as the UK is hit with the biggest petrol hike in 18 years.

The price of petrol and diesel is soaring due to fears of shortages as Russia, the world's second-biggest producer of crude oil invades Ukraine, reports The Mirror.

With fuel costs forecast to continue to increase and with taxi drivers operating with fixed tariffs, the burden can be on them to absorb the loss.

Fixed tariffs mean taxis are absorbing monetary losses

Founder of Melksham taxi company, and industry member of 20 years, Paul Carter has shared fears of the impact rising fuel costs will have on industry sole-traders as a "crunch point" fast approaches.

He said: "The expenses are more now than they were a week ago, which are more than they were a month ago and we can't put our prices up - so it's definitely having an impact.

"As a sole-trader, it means I take home less at the end of the day and along with all the other costs of living prices going up, very soon, there's going to be a crunch point, where you're not physically bringing in enough to cover your bills.

"This could even benefit the larger companies because if sole-traders start to go out of business , they can take the extra customers on board, increasing their customer base and ultimately their income."

Motorists avoiding expensive pumps causing supply issues

While some forecourts run by supermarket giants are able to keep prices low locally, this is creating issues in supply as motorists avoid the expensive pumps.

Queues are forming at cheap service stations, which are then running out of fuel - forcing motorists to the alternative forecourts.

Paul told WiltshireLive: "At the moment, it's still something we can absorb - it's sustainable in the short term but come back and talk to us in a months time and we could all be pulling our hair out."

At the start of the pandemic, Diesel was less than £1 per litre in Melksham - now it's £1.70 per litre which shows a 70 per cent increase in two years, while supply and demand issues increased Paul's cost of filling up by £35.

"I fill up more than once a week, and that's a massive difference," the local taxi driver said.

While some forecourts run by supermarket giants are able to keep prices low locally, this is creating issues in supply as motorists avoid the expensive pumps.

Queues are forming at cheap service stations, which are then running out of fuel - forcing motorists to the alternative forecourts.

Paul told WiltshireLive: "At the moment, it's still something we can absorb - it's sustainable in the short term but come back and talk to us in a months time and we could all be pulling our hair out."

At the start of the pandemic, Diesel was less than £1 per litre in Melksham - now it's £1.70 per litre which shows a 70 per cent increase in two years, while supply and demand issues increased Paul's cost of filling up by £35.

"I fill up more than once a week, and that's a massive difference," the local taxi driver said.

Double edged sword

Wiltshire Council granted a 2.5 per cent increase in metre rates for taxi drivers in January, the first in six years, the affect of which is "long gone at this stage," according to Paul.

Paul reveals industry members have started lobbying the council, who ultimately have to agree an increase, to put prices up - however concern lies with how this will impact their customer base

"If we do, it will make it less attractive for customers to use us - it's a double edged sword," he said.

Adding: "There's a really real risk here, if this continues over the next three or four months, it's really going to start hitting home."

To support your local taxi companies through this challenging time for the industry, simply things like respecting bookings and being ready on time can go a long way, Paul said.


Image: Paul Carter/WiltshireLive

Diesel less than £1 per litre at start of lockdown?

What was that? 99.9p?

And by 'supply and demand issues' he presumably means he's getting more work?

Maybe Whitesides drivers would be better off if they didn't do this -

Recent twitter postings :

Indeed - a lot of this will just mean that some in the trade are simply doing less discounting, so to that extent fixed council tariffs and the like aren't an issue

Well give them an estimate then.

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IDFIMH