What Taxi Operator to Work for?

Picking your taxi operator

Picking the best taxi operator to work for is only possible by speaking to other drivers and getting opinions. Otherwise it is a shot in the dark. You could try using the internet to find local taxi forums in your area but to be honest there is not a lot of info out there. There is nothing wrong with shooting in the dark, you have no commitment to the operator so if you don’t like the way they work you can move on to the next company - one thing to keep in mind is that you will have to get the radio fitted/ removed by each operator so it’s not quite as simple as just walking away; but it’s not far off. So get chatting to drivers, we usually love talking anyway so most will be glad to help you out. You may also want to become an operator yourself so you can take your own work. More on this in a future post.

Bad operators

When I talk about bad operators there can be a million reasons why they are bad. The most common thing to look out for is what is known as ‘feeding.’ This is where the phone operators give preferential treatment to friends or people who pay them a backhander; dishing out all the best work to them. Never touch a company who operate like this. Another thing you might want to avoid as a new driver is an operator who uses only radios to dish out jobs, you really want a job management system like ‘Autocab’ – you may have learn to use the in car computer terminal but it is so much easier than radio in the long run and importantly feeding can be traced and therefore less likely to happen. Make sure the operator spends money on advertising; some will take your settle money and spend little to nothing on advertising; so you will get no work. Most other problems with your operator boil down to a personality clash; by which I mean that they are often run unreasonable morons! The good thing is you only have to see them for 5 minutes a week.

Costs associated with your operator

If you have your own car you will have to pay a weekly settle to the operator, this is the rental fee you pay for the radio and all the jobs that come through it, it pays for advertising and the wages of the phone operators (not to mention a big chunk for the owner). It varies a lot; average is around £70-£120 it can be much more though. If you rent a car from the operator you will have to pay rental, again, lots of variation but average is around £200 per week. The operator may offer you insurance if you own a car, on the whole it’s not worth it. In my case the operator wanted £70 a week insurance; I found it myself for about £40pw.

Check out this for some skilled taxi driving

Not sure if im working this weekend because i am sick as a dog, if im off i will try and get another guide on the blog. In the meantime enjoy this video!

The Taxi Medical

Another step in the process of your applications the taxi medical, it is advisable to do this early on because if for some reason you fail you will not be allowed to drive so don’t go buying a brand new jag just yet!

The price of this group 2 medical varies wildly I have heard figures from £28 to over £200 so if you can, shop around. You don’t always have to go to your own doctor but some councils will insist you see a specific GP. If you do pay £200; i would full expect the girl in the pic to be doing your examination. Book early as you can wait 2-3 weeks+ sometimes. The appointment should take around 30 mins, including time spent reading crappy knitting magazines from the 90s in the waiting room.

Basically how it works is like this; you get a form from your council (Click here and read the post to see your councils website and contact info) You need to then find a doctor who can do a taxi drivers medical. Take the form to him/her when you attend your appointment. If all goes well (or not) you hand over your cash, he slips it in his back pocket and takes his wife for a slap up meal that evening. You should then have a form authorising you as fit to drive; keep hold of this as you will have show it to the council in order to get your licence.

The medical test will start by you peeing into a glass so don’t empty the tank before your appointment – This is a test for diabetes. You will then have your sight and your hearing tested. Next your blood pressure and heart beat will be checked. You will be asked all sorts of questions relating to the tests, have you ever had this and that etc. If you want to see a medical form and read more details of whats involved click here (pdf file).

If you don’t pass your medical you will need to discuss your options with your GP, it may be something that can be resolved or it may not. I can only wish you luck.

All Quiet on the Cab Front

Been working a lot this week but it has been quiet, its getting towards the end of the month and things always slow down for us taxi driver the further it gets from pay day. Thats one of the hardest parts of the job; having the beans to stay out there when the going is slow.
It has given me time to think about the blog anyway so i am currently writing a guide on how to plan your working week; good/bad times to work etc. Hopefully you will be able to use this information to improve your profit. One thing to keep in mind though; when you do start working on the cabs dont worry if your earnings dont seem to be what you expected. It takes a few weeks to build up a real efficiency at the job, you will get faster with the computer/radio/sat nav etc and you will start to memorise common routes.
My apologies for not updating the blog in a few days, i will post up another guide very soon... promise!

Taxi Driving Test

The DSA Taxi Test is an increasingly common requirement of Local Councils and it’s just another hoop you have to jump through if you want your badge. The Taxi driving test was first introduced in 1999. The DSA recommend that you take Instruction and read up on the content of the test before you take it. You can sit the test as many times as you like but if you fail you will have to wait at least 3 days before re-sitting. The test lasts around 40 mins, the standard they expect is in the test is higher than that of the learner drivers test. Just like in the Learner test you will have to read a plate from 20 metres before the driving begins. If you fail the sight part you cannot drive but you can go on to the wheelchair section of the test where applicable.

During the driving section of the test you will be examined on:
1) Awareness and anticipation.
2) Correct use of speed.
3) An emergency stop, not all tests will include this.
4) Effective planning of prevailing road and traffic conditions.
5) A manoeuvre involving reversing.
6) Hackney Carriage/Private Hire Car related exercise.

Some tests will include a wheelchair exercise depending on if you have wheelchair accessible vehicle. It basically involves you proving via practical demonstration that you can safely install the wheelchair in the car.

If you pass the tests you will be issued with certificates which you will need to produce to the council before your licences is issued. The test costs around £60.

You will find a lot of detailed information on the test and how to book it at the transport office website: http://www.transportoffice.gov.uk/crt/taxiproviders/taxiproviders.htm

Street Knowledge Test outside London

[NEW GUIDE JUST FOR LONDON - CLICK HERE]
The Street Knowledge Test Outside of London (goto paragraph 2 for London). Not all LAs will require you to take this exam so you will need to call your council and check if you need to do it (most councils have some form of practical test now), I also recommend you ask what the waiting list is like to sit the taxi test. It can be a few weeks in places; so your best booking it soon. There is more to taking the knowledge test than just memorising routes from A to B… Read on.

Pretty much everyone knows that the London’s test, also known as ‘The Knowledge’ is the hardest. Compared to any other UK council it is a league for its own. I hope to cover the subject further in the future [Article Now Written - Click Here]. For anyone wanting to be a London cabbie i can recommend the learning program: 'Become A London Taxi Driver' Look for their DVD called 'How to be a London Taxi Driver' - it contains all the extra info London drivers will need and is highly regarded by many taxi drivers.



After, or indeed before booking your test you will need to revise, if your 100% confident you know your area well I would still advise doing a bit of revision. If you’re not great on local geography you will need to put in a fair bit of study. Your council will be able to provide you with a syllabus of what is contained on the test.

Common things you will find on the syllabus are:

1)A list of routes you will be expected to memorise. You will be expected to write down every street that connects the starting point to the destination. In most cases if you can’t remember a road name they will accept a landmark like a pub or a church etc. Often you will only need to memorise main roads.
2)A list of locations; estates, pubs, train stations etc. You will be expected to know the names of the roads these are on.
3)Taxi Bye-laws. Example question: Can hackney carriage and private hire vehicles form ranks?
4)Highway code.
5)Disability awareness.

Here is an example of Halton councils syllabus if you wish to see example questions: http://www2.halton.gov.uk/pdfs/business/knowledgetestsyllabus

The Knowledge Practice:

To pass the knowledge you will need an up to date ‘fold out’ A-Z Map, they are huge and very detailed. You may also want to buy a normal book type A-Z map for when you pass. You can get cheap maps from www.amazon.co.uk I put the map on a wall and use highlighter pens to highlight the best routes. I found the best routes by using Google maps, or Microsoft MapPoint 2006. Then it was just a case of spending some time each day going through the routes and testing my memory of them – One Important point to mention is that the route you choose does not have to exactly match the councils test answers but it has to be pretty close to it, so you won’t fail for choosing a slightly different way.
Get a copy of the highway code. You could dig out your old copy but I recommend you buy a new one as it is updated all the time. Give it a good read, maybe keep a copy in the toilet, it makes great bathroom literature :)
Get on the councils website or call them to obtain a copy of Taxi Bye-laws and information on how best to be of service to disabled customers. They normally give you all this info on your first interview anyway.

That about covers it for now, remember to practice as much as you can. Test your memory every day and look at the map every day. Passing the knowledge is not quite as daunting as it sounds, some councils are not super strict with the test and they may give you hints if you need help. Most people will pass on the second sitting of the test. Best of luck!

Change of Direction for the Taxi Blog

Whilst I was out working tonight I had a bit of a think about the Blog and I came to the decision that from now I would punctuate the factual information with a bit of commentary about my working life, the reason for this is that I hope to add a bit more dimension to this guide and give you a better idea of the working life of a taxi driver, if it doesn't work out I will just delete the posts and go back to the facts and you can call me a cock.

Friday the 13th 2:40 am, I’m just in from work. Lazy bugger that I am; I wanted to work until 3 but I made my money early so I chose to get an early dart... After all, I’m worth it :)
Bit of a funny night, really enjoyed most of it, I had loads of great customers - the best was a group of pissed young girls and the one in the front insisted on doing all of the gear changes for me. I was just shouting out the gears and she was selecting them. It was like having an automatic for a while; I even gave her a discount for doing some of the work! As the night wore on I ended up working in one of the more rough neighbourhoods because that's where the work was. I didn't have any trouble at all; everyone was a good laugh but I had one scum bag that left me feeling angry. After telling me his wife stabbed him on Valentine’s Day I was giggling to myself for a while but he then started bragging about a recent compensation claim he had won for £325,000... He was not lying either because he was telling me the daily/monthly interest he was making and it all added up. The thing that really got up my nose was that he had faked the claim, and the nature of the claim was that he had been abused as a child. I know some people lay it on thick with whiplash claims but this is in a league of its own and quite sickening.
But you know what? …I’m not going to let him bring me down. This night was so typical; it again proved to me that 99% of people are decent folk. People all too often focus on the negative in life and they lose sight of the reality that most people are ok.
If you like the blog please subscribe (on the right), email me or leave a comment. Thanks for reading.

Getting prepared for you application

The application process and all that it requires can be compared to cooking a fry-up; you don’t want to pop your toast down before you have even got the bacon out the fridge. You want everything to be ready at the same time so this is why you need to plan. To be honest it took me about 9 weeks when I could have done it in less than 6. But you live and learn.
To get an idea of where and whom it is best to work for and info on salary and conditions etc you need to speak to local drivers; get a taxi to the supermarket, or ask on the way home from the pub etc, and for gods sake tip the poor bugger. ;)

As a guide; the application takes from 6-8 weeks. The best approach is to try to book everything ASAP, don’t wait for your CRB to come back before you book the medical, book them all now and you won’t waste any time.

Your first step is to call your local council and arrange an appointment to meet with the licensing department, you may have to wait about 2 weeks for the appointment so book early. In this initial appointment you will be asked to bring a valid full UK driving licence (with paper counterpart). A passport or birth certificate. And money for your CRB (Criminal record check), street knowledge test, DVLA mandate etc (see earlier posts for more details). Your CRB will take 6 weeks (less if you’re lucky) to come back. In the meantime there are other things you can do, read on.

If all goes well with your first appointment you should call or visit the licensing department again to arrange a date for your street knowledge test. You should also get on the internet and order a large fold out map of your city. Get them from Amazon.co.uk or similar as they are very pricey in the shops. I will do more on the knowledge soon. You will need a small A-Z book for your city and a 'fold out map' (again A-Z) for revising your street knowledge.

Also try and arrange for your medical at the same time. I saved £45 just by calling around, my doctor wanted £90, I phoned a few and got it down to £60 but in the end one of the councils licensing officers advised me on a doc that could do it for £45 – bargain.

Check there is no customer service courses you have to attend, the council didn’t tell me I had to go on one until I went to collect my plate so I had to wait another 3 weeks t work.

You now need to be thinking about a car and insurance, I will go into more detail as this is a blog all of its own. If you’re a Hack then you will be renting so your insurance and vehicle will be taken care of by the cab plate holder. I would also recommend renting a settle car for Private hire drivers. At least for the first 4-8 weeks, it gives you a chance to see if you like the job before making any financial commitments, insurance will be part of the rental cost. It also gives you time to shop around for a better deal if you want to buy. Most taxi companies should be able to offer you settle cars. Prices vary a lot i've heard they range from £150 up to £300 but to be honest with you i have never used them (wish i had starting out though) The company i work for charges £200 for a Skoda Octavia, that is about average. I will get more info on this and make it a future blog.

If you've read this far you deserve a cuppa so go and put the kettle on.

The weekend approaches

Just finishing off my next blog post now and then, once again, i will fall silent for the weekend.Fingers crossed it will be a busy one. I will try and make another post on Monday because im off work as it is St Patrick's day on Tuesday so there is money to be made or brain cells to be destroyed depending on what side of the bar you are standing.
Dont drink to much folks - specially not if your getting into my cab, remember: £30 if your sick in the back! Oh, and i would like to add that it is not me in the pic... he's much better looking.

How about this for your first plate?

More on the variation of running costs for different councils

Ok, as I have said in previous posts you will be surrounded by several LA’s. The one you live in may not be the best to work in; annoying but true. Several things can differ between LA’s, you should review all the information before making a decision.
The main things to consider are:

Taxi Insurance
Prices can vary dramatically. E.g my 1st year in Liverpool was £1800, my friends 1st year in a neighbouring area was £950. Same Insurance company, same car (Octavia 08)… we even live in the same postcode and we where both private hire drivers BUT we are plated by different councils! That’s a massive saving on the cost of running your business. You will also have to start again with your no claims, taxi insurance is not like normal insurance so you can’t use your NCD.. Some companies will honour it tho – which saves you a packet and lets you use your NCD on a private car at the same time.

Plates
The price of plates and associated costs vary from LA to LA.

Work
The amount of work available can vary greatly from LA to LA. For example in neighbouring LA Knowsley the population is lower than Liverpool, they don’t have a city centre as developed as Liverpool so Hackney drivers in Knowsley don’t have as much work as Liverpool drivers. Plus a lot of people come from neighbouring LA’s to drink in Liverpool so there are a lot of long fares for Liverpool black cab drivers. In the world of Private hire, one of the neighbouring councils firms dominates Liverpool – Yes, they pay cheaper running costs because they are not based in Liverpool but they work mainly in Liverpool and the firm advertises heavily so there is more work for drivers. So being a Liverpool driver is not a great choice when you add the extra insurance costs for Liverpool and the domination of PH (Private Hire) from external LA’s you realise Being a Hack (Hackney cab driver) in Liverpool is the way to go or you could work for a neighbouring authority as a PH driver. A lot of cabbies won’t agree with this on moral grounds and to be honest it’s not what I would choose to do, but in the cold light of day I’m just trying to tell you how best to make money.

De-restriction
If your LA has De-restricted Hackney cabs in your area then the work volume point above can be disregarded, depending on how recently de-restriction took place will dictate the volume of work available, It is impossible for me to guess. The end result of De-restriction though is not enough work to go around – aka saturation. If your council has de-restricted it MAY be worth looking outside your LA of residence. Only 26.8% Of UK authorities have restricted hackney numbers, I hope you are part of the lucky minority. For full stats on de-restriction click here: http://taxi-driver.co.uk/quota.html

Working as a Taxi Driver FAQ

Thanks to the good chaps at www.taxi-driver.co.uk for granting me permission to post their great Working as a Taxi Driver FAQ here. The following information was posted by 'TDO'on the taxi driver online forum Thu Oct 06, 2005.

Taxi Driver Online FAQ – New to the trade?

Please note that the following is for guidance only, and is provided without obligation. If in doubt, seek professional advice.


What’s the difference between a taxi, hackney carriage and private hire vehicle?

A hackney carriage can pick up passengers from the streets, either at a taxi rank or by being hailed elsewhere. A private hire vehicle (PHV) can only undertake work that has been pre-booked, usually by telephone. In the bigger towns and cities hackney carriages tend to be London-style ‘black cabs’, but they can also be standard saloon cars such as the Ford Mondeo and Vauxhall Vectra, particularly in smaller towns and more rural areas. However, PHVs are almost always saloon cars. But an increasing trend for both hackney carriages and PHVs is the use of people carriers, minibuses and van-conversions, but these are always limited to seating eight passengers.

The term ‘taxi’ is often used instead of hackney carriage, particularly in government documents and legislation. However, some local authorities use the term loosely to refer to both hackney carriages and PHVs. In everyday use the word taxi is also used in this way, and this is also common in press reporting, hence there is often some confusion over the issue. PHVs can also be called mincabs, particularly in London, but this term has little official basis, thus PHV is more technically correct.

However, this FAQ will hereafter use the term taxi to mean a hackney carriage and its use does not also include PHVs.

How do I become a driver?

You will need to get a driver’s license (badge) from your relevant licensing authority. With around 400 UK LAs issuing licenses, practices vary greatly. In London, gaining the famous taxi driver’s ‘green badge’ requires around 3 years of rigorous study of the ‘knowledge’. Other authorities require little more than filling in a form and handing over a fee, typically £100 or so. However, there are many authorities requiring a knowledge test (which may be quite simple or reasonably stringent), while an increasing amount specify the passing of a special driving test. Medicals are also required by many, and you may have to pass a test on the relevant rules or attend a disability awareness course. Your local authority’s licensing department will be able to tell you the precise procedures, and many have sections on their websites outlining the applicable process.

The above applies to both taxi and PHV drivers, but in general it is more difficult to get a taxi driver’s badge than a PHV one. However, this is not a hard and fast rule, since to obtain a taxi badge in one area may be little more than a form-filling exercise, while being granted a PHV badge in another area may require the passing of ‘knowledge’ and driving tests.

Drivers must also be ‘fit and proper’, which basically means that they must be of good character. But again LAs vary considerably on how they apply this test in practice. For example, convicted killers and ‘career criminals’ have been granted badges in some areas, whereas in others breaches of the licensing rules have been deemed sufficient to suspend drivers’ badges. Likewise, a clean driving license is not required by all LAs, but each differs on how they approach previous convictions, penalty points etc.

Should I run my own vehicle?

In general terms you will usually be better off running your own vehicle, whether taxi or PH, but there are certain scenarios when it might be appropriate to drive a vehicle belonging to someone else.

If you are new to the trade, it might be a good idea to rent a vehicle from someone else or work for them under some kind of commission or wage basis. One reason for this is that you might well very quickly find out that the job is not for you, and if you have bought a vehicle, plated and insured it and kitted it out with a meter and roofsign, then you could end up losing a reasonable amount of money if you bail out of the trade fairly quickly. Driving for someone else, at least in the initial stages, gives you the chance to discover whether you will be suited to the job, and also gives you time to get a feel for the economics of car ownership and suchlike.

To that extent, some drivers prefer not to own their own vehicle. For example, they may find that paying an office a fixed fee for pre-booked work works out prohibitively expensive for a one-driver car, thus if they drive a car with multi-drivers then the costs are effectively being shared. Likewise, some drivers may be unable to finance the purchase of their own vehicle anyway. Many despatch offices rent vehicles to drivers under these circumstances, and this can often be much like the driver running his own vehicle, but paying a rental to a despatch office rather than repayments on HP (say).

In areas where taxi numbers are restricted, you will have to pay a premium for the license as well as buying the vehicle if you want to operate a taxi, and this premium can vary from hundreds of pounds to tens of thousands. Thus to that extent drivers might prefer to drive for someone else or perhaps go down the PH route. However, buying a plate can certainly be a good investment in the long run, but it should be borne in mind that LAs can remove restrictions on taxi numbers at any time, which would render the plate worthless. Thus buying a plate is a risky business.

What kind of office is best?

Working as a taxi driver you will find offices vary enormously in organisation and size. Some may own all the vehicles that they operate, whereas a more common scenario is for other people to own the vehicles and pay the office a rental to provide them with work. While in the latter case the drivers may own the cars, there are other scenarios such as a multi-owner who has nothing to do with management or ownership of the office that his vehicles work from. By the same token, despatch offices may have a mixture of office-owned vehicles and others owned by individual drivers or fleet-owners. Similarly, individual owners may drive their vehicles themselves, or may also hire drivers to cover other shifts.

Offices can vary from a handful of cars to several hundred. While there are no hard and fast rules, larger offices tend to be more professionally run (they have presumably not become big without reason), while smaller offices can be more relaxed and flexible (although this might reasonably be interpreted as meaning indisciplined and unprofessional!). In larger cities offices tend to be big anyway, and smaller operations are less common. In small towns clearly fleets will be of a limited size. However, both large and small offices can be cliquey, and ‘feeding’ of preferred drivers is common in the trade.

While there are advantages to both the big and small environment when you are finding your feet, the best advice is probably to ‘suck it and see’. Of course, while if you intend driving a taxi you will normally have the option of working the streets and avoiding despatch offices, if you are taking the private hire route you will normally have no option but to start with an office. However, you could decide to start on your own, but this is a difficult option, particularly in the cities, and getting sufficient work to make a living while starting from scratch can be difficult. On the other hand, if you are taking the taxi route then you can rely on the street work while building up a pre-booked clientele. This is also now facilitated by the widespread use of mobile phones by individual drivers.

How much will I earn?

Earnings in the UK trade vary enormously, and at the extremes there are drivers working regularly for an hourly equivalent less than the National Minimum Wage, while it’s claimed that London black cab drivers are capable of earning a six figure sum (this is probably the gross figure), but the vast bulk of drivers earn nothing like that.

However, there are several pointers that can give some guidance towards how earnings will vary, but quantifying these things is effectively impossible.

An important initial factor is the difficulty associated with entering the trade. Thus if there are a number of significant hurdles to be negotiated before being awarded a driver’s badge (such as a driving test and stringent knowledge test) then this will ultimately mean less drivers in the trade and thus greater earnings. So don’t despair if there’s a lot of hassle involved in getting a badge, since in the long run the rewards are likely to be better.

Another factor is working conditions; thus the more unpalatable they are then the more you are likely to earn. Therefore drivers in bigger cities with difficult driving conditions and more unpleasant passengers are likely to earn more. Similarly, late at night, with often abusive and threatening drunks, is the most lucrative time in the trade. The unsocial hours aspect also comes into play here, and night drivers in general (and particularly weekend drivers) tend to earn more.

In areas with restricted taxi numbers, earnings depend on whether or not the driver is also a proprietor – the proprietor will tend to earn a better rate for the job, and will also probably hire other drivers to augment his earnings (this does not necessarily depend on restricted numbers, however). Thus buying a plate may be financially advantageous in the long run but, as mentioned above, this could turn out to be disastrous if the relevant LA derestricts taxi numbers in the short run.

Thus there is no straightforward answer to the earnings question. However, there’s no doubt that many drivers earn a reasonable income, but this may entail long hours and permanent night and/or weekend work. It should certainly be said that no driver will earn a fortune working office hours, Monday to Friday.


What is the best car for the job?

Again this is a difficult question to answer, but you should first check that your preferred vehicle meets the standard specified by your local authority, and these specifications can vary enormously.

As regards taxis, some authorities specify purpose-built cabs, ie the traditional London black taxi. Others merely specify that it has to be wheelchair-accessible, thus a new breed of alternative vehicles such as the ‘Eurotaxi’ are now common in some parts of the UK. If you can choose any wheelchair accessible vehicle, then you may find the alternative vehicles attractive, since they are cheaper to buy, use much less fuel and are more driver-friendly. On the other hand, many ‘traditionalist’ taxi drivers prefer the London-style cabs, particularly for their famously tight turning circle and better build quality (despite many complaints over reliability), and they have a proven long-term pedigree.

If you can run any vehicle as a taxi then the vast majority of drivers operate standard saloon cars such as the Ford Mondeo and Vauxhall Vectra, as do private hire drivers. You should check the specification details required by your local authority, since you may end up buying a vehicle that you cannot use. For example, some local authorities specify age limits for vehicles, and some smaller vehicles like the Vauxhall Astra may be allowed by some authorities but not others. Vehicles may have to be a standard colour, and disputes have arisen because vehicles have not been the correct shade. Some multi-seat vehicles such as the Vauxhall Zafira may be allowed to seat six passengers by some authorities but can only be used as an estate car (ie seating four) by others.

People carriers and minibus-style vehicles are becoming increasingly popular with both sides of the trade (where permitted), but while fares may be higher and the work more lucrative, running costs are higher and more passengers often means more trouble. Starting with a more mainstream vehicle can be a good idea while you find your feet.

As regards specific models, to a large extent trade preferences reflect the private car market, thus cars like the Ford Mondeo and Vauxhall Vectra are commonplace. However, other cars like the Skoda Octavia and Superb are increasingly popular in the trade, given their relative cheapness, build quality and reliability. Of course, as with cars generally, there are numerous factors to consider – for example, the Skoda Superb is very roomy, while the Octavia is tightish for interior space but has a much larger boot, and its hatchback configuration can prove useful with lots of luggage.

Working as a taxi driver, large mileages will be covered by vehicles in the trade, diesel-powered vehicles clearly have an advantage regarding long-term costs. However, both modern petrol and diesel engines can easily cover 200,000 miles without major problems, but regular maintenance (particularly oil changes) is obviously essential given the mileages covered.

_________________
Taxi Driver Online
www.taxi-driver.co.uk

Some taxi drivers are... strange!

Differences in Local Councils or Licensing Authorities (LA’s)

You are probably surrounded by several LA’s depending on where you are in the country and how big your area is. LA’s can run taxi services in very different ways; So this subject should be your first port of call when doing your research. It may benefit you to work outside the council you live in (although some councils don’t allow this). Average time to get your licence is 5-8 weeks, up to 3 years for London hackney drivers. I will go more into detail on how different LA’s work and how you can capitalise on those differences in my next blog.

Your local council, also called licensing authority are the ones who will test you, check you and police you (and annoy the hell out of you at times). They give you your plate (if you are private hire) and badge and ultimately your right to work as a taxi driver.

As I have said; every Licensing authority works in a different way and the best place to find out how they work is the your local councils website. If you don’t know the web address of your licensing authority you can google it or click the link for a list of all the councils in the UK: http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Dl1/Directories/Localcouncils/index.htm

I will run through the basics requirements of your average council.

-Minimum age 21
-Licence held for at least 12 months
-MOT – This is normally an MOT specific to Taxis and can be every 6 months if your car is over 5 years old. If you plan on renting time on a hackney cab the owner should look after the MOT.
-Passport or other ID
-Drivers Licence – Got points? I will cover this in another post.
-CRB Check (Criminal records Bureau) I will cover this more in future blogs, especially for prospective drivers that have a record for whatever reason.
-Medical – The council will give you a list of doctors approved for doing these checks when you apply. (Again more on this in future blogs for drivers with medical conditions and those who don’t want to be shafted by some greedy doctors charging extortionate fees.
-Fees, Fees, Fees!!! For all of the above, everyone will charge you for everything but that’s just the way it goes.

Here are some other requirements more and more councils are introducing:

-Street knowledge test
-DVLA Mandate check
-Driving Test
-Being able to break dance. (only kidding).

As a Guide: Here is a list of fees for Hackney and Private Hire drivers in my area (Liverpool).

-Hackney carriage vehicle licence renewal: £120
-Private hire vehicle licence with plate: £130
-Street knowledge test booking fee: £20
-Drivers licence new: £6
-Drivers licence renewal: £26
-DVLA Mandate: £5
-Criminal Records Disclosure: £43.

Becoming a Taxi Driver in your area requires planning

So you want to know - How do i become a taxi driver? People go on the cabs for many different reasons. Maybe you don’t have a choice, a lot of people turn to taxi driving when they are made redundant and they need an income fast. Maybe you want to be your own boss and choose your own working hours (to quote just about every driving instructor advert ever made).

Whatever your reasons there are a lot of important things to consider before you begin the process of becoming a cab driver. If you launch yourself into this career without any advice or planning it can be a nightmare; bad choices can mean losing money, getting into debt, working for a companies that rip you off, accountants that charge the earth and don’t deliver, people trying to sell you stuff you don’t need, just to mention a few pitfalls. I found out the hard way.

The reason I have decided to post all this on the interweb is to help other newbie drivers avoid all this hassle and misery. With this blog I hope I can help new drivers avoid the problems I have had. I have made cab driving work for me now but when I was a newbie I thought I could do the street knowledge, get my badge and make money – plain sailing all the way. Trust me when I say it is nowhere near that straight forward. It’s not as hard as some people think but it is not easy either. Read through the rest of the blog as i go more in depth.

Recent downtime

Apologies to readers for the recent downtime, i was transferring this domain from our old providers UK2.net. They made the process as painful as possible... so i wont be recommending them! Normal service is resumed. Nice to be back.... ahh! :)

Taxi driver wages? Is it dangerous? - 2 frequent questions.

I want to get these questions out of the way early on in the blog. Because these where the questions i had in my mind a lot. In fact, being asked these questions has inspired me to write an FAQ (frequently asked questions) for the site, if you have any questions please comment or get in touch with me and maybe i can include your questions in the future FAQ.

Taxi driver wages can vary from 4 figures to six figures; it all depends on the hours you put in and where you work and if your Private hire or Hackney and your business running costs - Your best bet is to ask a local taxi driver, but they may be reluctant to tell you.

Is driving a taxi dangerous? Well it depends on where you are in the country, you know your area best. If you live in a Gotham city you can expect to run into taxi danger. And don't expect Batman to come to your rescue or the police for that mater - most police officers are 'unenthusiastic' about helping taxi drivers in my experience. Luckily your fellow drivers look out for each other; it's an unwritten rule. But bad areas are often the ones that pay the best. I work in an area that is in the somewhere in middle and in the last year i have had 1 threatening customer - he was high as a kite. The bad ones are usually drugged up to the eye balls. I've had lots of rude customers but on the whole people are good - and that's coming from a pessimist.

Next Blog:

- Just tell me how to become a cab driver already! Well i'm sorry waffle but a lot of folks want this basic info :)

Working as a taxi driver: The (Very) Basics.

Working as a taxi driver involves picking passengers up from one location and dropping them off at another for payment. The fee or Fare is dictated either by a meter that can be seen by the customer or my mileage recorded by the drivers tripometer and checked against a mileage to price conversion chart normally pre-set by the Local council or Licensing authority.

Hackney cabs can be hailed off the street, Private hire or minicabs must be pre-booked by the customer by phone, text, email or via a website. Hackney drivers normally rent time in the cab. Private hire drivers often own the vehicle but can also rent from the operator who takes the bookings.

Most taxi drivers are self employed. The job involves customer interaction in that the driver must establish where the customer needs to go. All other communication is optional! It is handy for drivers to know the area that they work in.

It helps if you are ok with basic maths, are friendly and polite. An experienced driver with good local knowledge. Able to stay cool when dealing with aggressive road situations or passengers. There are no formal qualifications to become a taxi driver but each Local authority has its own requirements that drivers must meet.

I told you it was basic

Welcome to How to Become a Taxi Driver

Intro

This is my first ever blog on the subject of becoming a cab driver, in fact it’s my first blog full stop. My name is Karl and i am a taxi driver in Liverpool. Firstly I will point out that my spelling and grammar are *carp* so if you are offended by either, I suggest you look away now. Also if you came here looking for political correctness you may be disappointed! The point of this blog is not to impress you with my masterful use of English, or my good manners but to provide some useful info on how to become a licensed taxi driver.

My Background

I used to work as an IT Professional for the NHS. I got tired of working the 9-5 and of all the meaningless, ego driven office politics that go with it, not to mention menopausal women throwing their formidable weight around like angry silverback gorillas feuding for dominance over the pack (often called a ‘department’ in the NHS)… And metrosexual men (I call them kittens) who act as the egar to please servants to these silverbacks. I decided that for better or worse (and the sake of my sanity) I would be the master of my own destiny. I would make my own money and be my own boss, I would choose my hours and answer to no one. Hell, If I wanted to go to work wearing comfy pants and running shoes I damn well would. So I put my monkey suit in the cupboard for up and coming funerals and hit the road.