Taxi driving questions
Discussion
If you work as a cabbie - say you go through a company - are you paid a %age or hourly rate ? Or do you pay for the referrals ?
Do they provide a car or do some let you provide your own - if latter what's H&R insurance likely to cost for someone who's 30 on a standard econobox saloon.
Is it a bit of a "boys club" or can anyone get into it with reasonable local knowledge (let's ignore Hackney carriages). I'll check the local council website for any further issues.
Do companies want you take on preplanned shifts or can you be totally independent ("i have to go out for 2 hrs but I can do 5 hrs this evening") eg. to fit around other jobs.
Do they provide a car or do some let you provide your own - if latter what's H&R insurance likely to cost for someone who's 30 on a standard econobox saloon.
Is it a bit of a "boys club" or can anyone get into it with reasonable local knowledge (let's ignore Hackney carriages). I'll check the local council website for any further issues.
Do companies want you take on preplanned shifts or can you be totally independent ("i have to go out for 2 hrs but I can do 5 hrs this evening") eg. to fit around other jobs.
john_p said:
If you work as a cabbie - say you go through a company - are you paid a %age or hourly rate ? Or do you pay for the referrals ?
Can be %, hourly or rent.john_p said:
Do they provide a car or do some let you provide your own - if latter what's H&R insurance likely to cost for someone who's 30 on a standard econobox saloon.
You have the choice of supply or rent. If you rent then the insurance should be inclusive. If you buy best get a quote, but be aware that Hire and reward insurance can be quite expensive.john_p said:
Is it a bit of a "boys club" or can anyone get into it with reasonable local knowledge (let's ignore Hackney carriages). I'll check the local council website for any further issues.
It's much like most jobs you enter into.john_p said:
Do companies want you take on preplanned shifts or can you be totally independent ("i have to go out for 2 hrs but I can do 5 hrs this evening") eg. to fit around other jobs.
It all depends on the company. My advice is to first get into the job on a part-time basis driving a company car, then if you don't like it you haven't lost out too much.A few companies I know of around here (Manchester) will supply a car, meter and radio for between £150-£200 per week.
Everything you "take" is then yours to keep but obviously you have to insure and fuel it.
A friend of mine also has a fleet of cars (late plate Vectras) that he rents to self employed taxi drivers for £150 per week, fully maintained.
They then go and drive for whoever they want to. Most of the cars he rents are fitted with taxi radio, sat nav, extra interior lights, etc.
I know that he usually rents a car to the same two drivers every week. One will do the day shift and the other will do a night shift so the car is (almost) constantly running.
Not sure (in that case) how the driver(s) then works it with the company regarding earnings.
You can also get "pay as you go" (for want of a better term) Private Hire insurance, which I seem to recall my friend telling me averaged about £30 per week for a typical driver.
Typical driver being mid 40's, clean licence and 18st. ex-doorman
)
Hope some of that helps.
Everything you "take" is then yours to keep but obviously you have to insure and fuel it.
A friend of mine also has a fleet of cars (late plate Vectras) that he rents to self employed taxi drivers for £150 per week, fully maintained.
They then go and drive for whoever they want to. Most of the cars he rents are fitted with taxi radio, sat nav, extra interior lights, etc.
I know that he usually rents a car to the same two drivers every week. One will do the day shift and the other will do a night shift so the car is (almost) constantly running.
Not sure (in that case) how the driver(s) then works it with the company regarding earnings.
You can also get "pay as you go" (for want of a better term) Private Hire insurance, which I seem to recall my friend telling me averaged about £30 per week for a typical driver.
Typical driver being mid 40's, clean licence and 18st. ex-doorman
)Hope some of that helps.
Edited by Nolar Dog on Friday 9th January 11:23
Nolar Dog said:
A few companies I know of around here (Manchester) will supply a car, meter and radio for between £150-£200 per week.
Everything you "take" is then yours to keep but obviously you have to insure and fuel it.
Seems quite hefty? But I guess the mileage is high. Can people make £150ish a day doing it then?Everything you "take" is then yours to keep but obviously you have to insure and fuel it.
ZR1Cliff has covered pretty much everything.
Cost of renting a vehicle can vary depending where you are.
I pay most of my drivers an hourly rate but have one who is on a percentage (40%)of takings - I supply a fully maintained and fuelled car and a mobile phone (we don't use radios because of the area). My hourly rate drivers are on fixed shifts but the percentage driver can please himself when he works - as long as I have an idea of his pattern a week in advance.
Hire and reward insurance for your car should be about £1500pa, then you have to have it plated,either Hackney or Private Hire. This means you have to have the vehicle MOT'd every year and a local council taxi test every six months(effectively an MOT every six months) plus you yourself need to be badged - medical, driving test, enhanced CRB check which costs about £200 all in. The plate for the car maybe another £100pa.
Mail me if I can help further.
Cost of renting a vehicle can vary depending where you are.
I pay most of my drivers an hourly rate but have one who is on a percentage (40%)of takings - I supply a fully maintained and fuelled car and a mobile phone (we don't use radios because of the area). My hourly rate drivers are on fixed shifts but the percentage driver can please himself when he works - as long as I have an idea of his pattern a week in advance.
Hire and reward insurance for your car should be about £1500pa, then you have to have it plated,either Hackney or Private Hire. This means you have to have the vehicle MOT'd every year and a local council taxi test every six months(effectively an MOT every six months) plus you yourself need to be badged - medical, driving test, enhanced CRB check which costs about £200 all in. The plate for the car maybe another £100pa.
Mail me if I can help further.
john_p said:
Nolar Dog said:
A few companies I know of around here (Manchester) will supply a car, meter and radio for between £150-£200 per week.
Everything you "take" is then yours to keep but obviously you have to insure and fuel it.
Seems quite hefty? But I guess the mileage is high. Can people make £150ish a day doing it then?Everything you "take" is then yours to keep but obviously you have to insure and fuel it.
Then you have the rest of the week.
john_p said:
Thanks all.
I'm also quite near a few airports so could maybe consider limo type work. Is that likely to make more money (the effect of the credit crunch on businesses notwithstanding!)
In my opinion no. Get yourself a decent clean newish car - Saab 9-5, 407SW, Vectra, Mondeo in a neutral colour, e.g. silver and don't waste your money on a blacked out windows Merc/Beemer.I'm also quite near a few airports so could maybe consider limo type work. Is that likely to make more money (the effect of the credit crunch on businesses notwithstanding!)
Taxiing is not immune from recession either. Anyone who tells you it's a licence to print money hasn't a clue. Our weekend trade has fallen off a cliff. Instead of going out clubbing, most people are staying in with three bottles of Shiraz from Tesco for £10 and a curry/chinky. Personally I'm not too upset by this, because the sort of pissed up chav you get in your cab at 2am is not the sort of trade we want/need. Because of this we don't get the pukers - if that happens, you cab is off the road for the rst of the night and the smell never goes away - ever! And it is a really horrible job to clear it up.
That said, if you are prepared to put in the hours you can earn a decent income, but remember you will be working when all your mates aren't and they will be working when you aren't.
I was a MiniCab driver for a big London Co in the late 80s. I used to work Mon to Thurs nights in my own Vauxhall Cavalier and as the money was so good I never worked the busy but troublesome weekends.
So I owned my own car and paid my own insurance whilst the Co would do their own version of the MOT on my car. I had to pay rent for the radio, which was around £50 but this cost could be negated if you earnt more than a certain amount of account work. I was paid weekly a % of the account work and kept all the cash jobs and tips. Back then I used to make about £100/120 a night before expenses which was not bad in 1988.
I left before Black Monday and the start of the recession which meant that most of my mates had to work 7 nights a week in order to earn nowhere near what I used to get.
I went back to being a Van Courier, which was better as there were no passengers to deal with.
So I owned my own car and paid my own insurance whilst the Co would do their own version of the MOT on my car. I had to pay rent for the radio, which was around £50 but this cost could be negated if you earnt more than a certain amount of account work. I was paid weekly a % of the account work and kept all the cash jobs and tips. Back then I used to make about £100/120 a night before expenses which was not bad in 1988.
I left before Black Monday and the start of the recession which meant that most of my mates had to work 7 nights a week in order to earn nowhere near what I used to get.
I went back to being a Van Courier, which was better as there were no passengers to deal with.
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