Taxi Driver Online

Any one have any idea on how the taxi trade does ina recession anyone working when the last one happened in the early nineties????

Does the trade hold up or does one side do better than the other(HC&PH)
i would imagine we would see an oil price drop but will Mr Brown drop the tax on fuel.

When money is tight, people cut back on non essential spending.
Our trade tends to get hit more than others.
Some areas will be worse hit than others but a general drop in incomes across the board is likely.
Taxi and PHC will both be affected.

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http://wingsoverscotland.com/ http://www.newsnetscotland.com/

You can imagine an oil price drop if you like, but it's not going to happen. I predict £1:20 a litre for diesel by the early spring.

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Former taxi driver

It was grim, but I'm still alive to tell the tale.

The way I look at it is that drivers normally earn the money they need to live on, even in the bad times. So it may mean a few hours more, but that's better than the dole IMO.

What often happens is part-timers work a bit longer, and those on the building suddenly become cab drivers when the bricks stop going up.

That said many of my customers aren't working any way i.e. old dears, folks on social, single mums etc so a slow-down shouldn't really effect them as they haven't had a fast-up, so to speak.

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IDFIMH

Was there a recession in the early 90's?

I did'nt realise

I worked the last resession as a driver, rather than an operater as I am now and from my experience then I found the following to be true, from a drivers perspective.

Guys with good jobs who were being made redundant turned to the taxi/ph trade to earn a bit of cash to tied them over and although many only intended to do this short term many are still in the trade.

So what happens when there are a glut of drivers? operators can be more picky for one, and secondly charge more by way of cuicut fee or commissions.

So my advice would be in this situation, to stay clear of operators who charge a flat fee and lean towards those who charge based on the amount of work they give you. As although both will keep taking on drivers regardless the former could just take your weekly fee and give you very little work in return.

At least with the latter you are not paying them for sitting around doing nothing.

Regards.

Eric

Can't say I noticed either

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Why don't you get a proper job???

Fascinating times. For me a recession means that the boot is on my foot and not the drivers. I can be picky and get rid of drivers who cause me and my company trouble.

The corporate market took a dive in 91 during the first gulf war but major accounts we loyal to us.

Interestingly in first week of 2008 we had three ex-drivers ring up asking if we had any jobs going. A sure sign the economy is taking a dive.

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A member of the Hire or Reward Industry

You would make a smashing London Taxi driver Eric, sign up!

Oh yes.

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IDFIMH

And theres one on now especially in this part of the world BUT it is a differant kind of recession its not the sort where thousands of people are losing their jobs but the sort where millions of people stop spending money because they are frightened by rising bills and the fact that their houses arent gaining £20000 a year in value to cover their borrowings

Same one as in the 90's edders

GBC wrote:



Can ya earn 100% on all the jobs you do yourself and 20% each off 10 drivers, keep all the best paying jobs for yourself and drive an S Class?

Great put me down for one of those very attractive black box's you drive, same colour as the lenses in my shades, I simply MUST look cool as well as rake it in.

Regards Eric

It was grim down here on both sides and there was half the cars on the roads.

It would therefore be twice as grim this time around.

I'm not sure things this year will be as bad as the 90s. Then everyone was losing their houses. Think I knew a dozen or so cab drivers who did.

This slowing down will be a case of folks frightened to spend the money they have.

I suppose a case of the Scottish disease coming down here.

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IDFIMH