Becoming
A Taxi Driver Help
Help and information for peple who want to become a taxi driver.
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.
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.
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