Taxi Driver Online

This reads like the typical PR spiel for expanding taxi operations, kind of thing, but with an airport angle and also an overseas dimension.

Certainly sounds fantastic as portrayed, but with 80 drivers across several UK airports, it hardly sounds like a threat to Uber or Addison Lee

(And I say that as someone with next to no entrepreneurial inclination or ability )

But read between the lines and it's little more than the kind of issues that anyone new to the trade will soon find out about, and try to find solutions to them.

But made to sound a lot more complex and interesting


How a Luton entrepreneur turned an airport taxi idea into a multi-million-pound investment

https://www.lutontoday.co.uk/business/h ... nt-5473696

A man from Luton has secured a multi-million-pound investment after building an airport taxi firm that now operates across the UK and the Middle East.


Image: Luton Today

Wajid Hussain, 46, says he saw a gap in the market after travelling to and from Luton airport.

The founder, who has lived in the town for 26 years, trained as an IT developer and used his skills to create software before pivoting into the taxi business.

He said: "There's uncertainty in airport transfers, like no flight monitoring, unsuitable vehicles that passengers get. When we did our customer survey, we found these are the problems in airport transfer.

Wajid started 1ST Airport Taxis in 2016, and a decade on, he has around 80 full-time drivers working at all the London airports, including Luton.

​He explained: “We started building a system in 2016, which can accommodate all these problems. We basically created a solution, and we keep on building this technology."

​The company uses flight tracking and real-time communication to cut down passenger waiting times, especially for business travellers. They have also focused on employing drivers with ‘expert knowledge’ of the airports.

Wajid said: “Airport travellers are very, very informed, and they want us to be too. For example, we recently invested in WhatsApp communication, and we started giving notifications there."

The business has expanded internationally into the UAE and Saudi Arabia after he saw challenges with Middle Eastern travel.

He explained: “Basically, we've seen the gap in the UAE, especially from the people flying from the UK. I have to travel a lot in the Middle East, so I didn't find any reliable transport there.

“Mostly, we found the issues of communication and customer service."

1ST Airport Taxis secured a £2.5 million Saudi investment to go towards technology and operations there.

Despite major challenges during the pandemic, including personal sacrifices, the company has continued to grow.

To any budding business owner, he said: "It’s very hard to start your business, but you should have a unique idea. Find a problem and build a solution. That’s the key.

"Solution is very important. And I've seen there are so many gaps in Luton, they can start new businesses in Luton. There are so many opportunities."

Certainly a 'busy'-looking website. But not much different to other providers in this particular sector.

And, as usual, I was curious as to whether the company actually 'employs' drivers.

So had a look at the links at the bottom of the page to 'Careers' and 'Become a Chauffer Partner'. And someone's obviously linked to the wrong pages

https://www.1stairporttaxis.co.uk/

so the British kalinick then !

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lack of modern legislation is the iceberg sinking the titanic of the transport sector