Becoming a taxi driver to pay off all my debts and avoid bankruptcy, my diary

F inal thought before bed

Just the point you mention on going second hand.....personally i would nt touch e bay(Only because its going to be integral to your earnings and there is a few lemons put on e bay) ..... but Skodas freefall in depreciation yet they are built on the Audi A4 and VW Passat technology so a 3 year old full service history Octavia could be the way to go as they are a quality car that just happens to lack the VW or Audi badge on the front

A three year old will go a long way to minimising start up costs but on balance the cars going to be your bread and butter so i guess its you first major decision in your new business:D

I was a private hire driver for about 12 years in Liverpool, also did an earlier stint in Preston. Earnings can vary a great deal area to area.

In Preston I had to put my daily earnings into a jar and empty the jar once a week as the earnings were so low. That company took 50% commission plus 5% for oil (their car). I don't think I've ever met meaner people. A lot of time was spent in the office waiting for work and they objected to me bringing in a thermos as there was a coffee vending machine there.

After my divorce I took it up again in Liverpool, ideal job for a Saturday parent with kids 70 miles away. Earnings increased by a factor of 4 or more. It's all settle cars here for private hire, rent the car and radio every week and what you take is yours. Owner drivers just rent the radio.

I've talked to a lot of private hire drivers in various parts of the country. With the exception of London I'd be dubious about doing private hire where there are no settle cars but only commission (usually 50% with company cars), it often means not much work there.

Taxi work will expose and amplify every weakness you have. The dishonest cheat their work colleagues by lying about where they are (long bonneting) but that's more difficult with a computerised system. The undisciplined ones like me sometimes took too much time off and next thing it's 18+ hour shifts to pay the settle. Happened often after a brill weekend with the kids. If you have a problem with betting shops don't even bother trying taxi work until that is sorted. Spending on mars bars/pies/cola can spiral if not careful.

For the motor, Fords can't be beat when it comes to miles per quid. The companies here buy 4 year old reps cars from auctions and run them till they're too old to plate (9 years here). Half a million miles is water off a ducks back for those Fords. The only other car I'd consider would be a Merc. I have met owner drivers who started with Skodas/Ladas and even a 4 door Fiesta but within a year or 2 they'd upgraded. You're going to be spending more time in the car than you spend in bed, keep that in mind when buying.

It might be safer not to be an owner driver at first, use the firms cars until you suss out the game. Be aware that your first few months might well be grim.

Check carefully the rules and regs for cars. I've heard of a car not getting a plate because that council stipulated a certain colour and the respray was not quite to specs. Skint owner, no plate, bummer.

If the firm has lots of company cars, you are more likely to keep working if your car is off the road for a time.

I do miss the job sometimes but old injuries flare up after an hour or two of driving.

Another bit of good advice when you start taxi-ing, be nice to the desk operator!
The nicer you are to the person who dispatches the jobs, the better they will be!
Cheers
Jillica x