Taxi Driver Online

Thats the amount my meter was engaged last night. 26.8%

I understand people find this unpalatable but I have the figures in % of the consecutive year on year drop in takings, if you dont like it dont read it!

2004 seen a drop of 8.5% over the same night in 2003

2005 there was a drop of 21.5% over the same night in 2004

2006 there was a drop of 28.8% over the same night in 2005

So the same night in 2006 plummets 49% compared to the night in 2003, it gets worse if you make an allowance for the fare increases!

The diesel last night was only 92p less than I paid in 2003.


Now despite the fact that the general opinion is that these things should never be talked about I think it merits some attention.

Maybe it's a world cup thing, but this seems to be getting more common, it cant just be me because when I sat for 48 minutes waiting for my £4 fare last night I was in the middle of a load of other guys who also had to rank for at least 48 minutes so I would think their engaged time was similar to mine, so maybe you should count your blessings Bob,you say your day shift are only engaged 50% of the time, my shift last night was worth £4.21 net per hour, wow!!

I don’t believe I said I was operating at 50% Stu. I believe I said the taxi was idle for more than 50% of any shift. This has been a fact for a long time now. I do not believe it is down to the cost of a fare. It costs £1 to go a couple of bus stops up the road in a bus nowadays. Transport is no longer cheap. Drink is no longer cheap. People are only coming in to town once or twice a month now.

I believe it is down to the fact there are too many taxis.

One might argue that there are not enough taxis on during the weekend nights, but this is not true either. With the exception of a couple of hours on each of these Friday and Saturday nights, taxis are sitting about with no work.
At the peak times, taxis with radios are running about doing private hire work i.e. picking up company radio work, leaving customers standing on ranks to freeze. They in turn complain, and then more taxis are put on. The whole structure needs re- thinking.

But getting back to the fact (not argument) your takings are down. I would not disagree. This is why I am so agin discounts on the big contract conglomerates. They can well afford paying the full tariff.

When I get a chance to see a lawyer friend of mine I intend to ask about this so called competition act (providing it costs no money) and will find out if us sticking together would contravene that act, I don’t believe we will contravene it. I will respond in the other thread when I have an answer.

Maybe it's a world cup thing.

so maybe if you got yourselves a decent footy team you might be better off ?

I wonder who will be to blame when the World Cup is finished?

You, Ali and Mr Taylor.

You, Ali and Mr Taylor.

I think everyone down there is getting a wee bit over sensitive about this sort of thing

But getting back to the fact (not argument) your takings are down. I would not disagree. This is why I am so agin discounts on the big contract conglomerates. They can well afford paying the full tariff.

When I get a chance to see a lawyer friend of mine I intend to ask about this so called competition act (providing it costs no money) and will find out if us sticking together would contravene that act, I don’t believe we will contravene it. I will respond in the other thread when I have an answer.

When I get a chance to see a lawyer friend of mine I intend to ask about this so called competition act (providing it costs no money) and will find out if us sticking together would contravene that act, I don’t believe we will contravene it. I will respond in the other thread when I have an answer.