Taxi Driver Salaries

az2wp0sye65487

Quick question,

Not wanting to ask anyone to completely open up their personal life on here but I was just wondering what the average weekly/monthly wage is for a taxi driver?

Would it be worth getting into? I've seen a lot of conversations on here about there being money to be made, and also no money to be made, but there are very few people actually saying exactly how much money they are making at it.

Any opinions would be appreciated.

Thanks.

ballooba

I'd imagine it varies a lot. Seems fiercely competitive too.

Spook_ie

You can earn anything between Zero and Fifty euros an hour, but you'll earn zero much more often than fifty...

jimmycrackcorm

There was a report in the papers a couple of years ago that the revenue were investigating taxi drivers because they were all reporting earnings of €11000 pa.

Sizzler

jimmycrackcorm wrote: »

There was a report in the papers a couple of years ago that the revenue were investigating taxi drivers because they were all reporting earnings of €11000 pa.

They must have got their quarterly results mixed up with there annuals

nialler

You should be looking to earn anywhere from €800 to €1200 per week (that's around 60 hours), everything from oil to tissues can be written off hence the €11k per year salary. If you're willing to work hard (not necessarily nights at the weekend) you can make some money, this is what my mates tell me anyway (3 who are taxi drivers). Do the AM work run, do the PM home run, analyse the hours where there's most requirement for taxis, footy matches, gaa matches, concerts etc, rainy days.

Tipsy Mac

I'd say a nice living can be earned if you know what your doing, you only have to look at the taxi fleet to see some are clearly making alot more than others.

ballooba

Tipsy Mac wrote: »

I'd say a nice living can be earned if you know what your doing, you only have to look at the taxi fleet to see some are clearly making alot more than others.

And for all the giving out the taxi drivers do, they wouldn't be doing it if they weren't making money.

green123

sure its a cash in hand business.
who is to know how much they earn.
no matter how good a week they have, they wouldnt be telling the revenue the full story.
so they would be paying very little tax

S.I.R

just like any semi-legal job you can make plenty of money... adverage wage is 45 pre tax. But if your good you'll have a S class merc in no time :rolleyes:

Tim Robbins

S.I.R wrote: »

just like any semi-legal job you can make plenty of money... adverage wage is 45 pre tax. But if your good you'll have a S class merc in no time :rolleyes:

The last Taxi driver to divulge this info to me said it was about 60K a year that was a few years back before the fairs went home.

My Sister works in finance and a Taxi Driver was once asking her for advice.
He said he just got affordable housing and was asking her about pensions etc. He then said he had a few properties abroad. I would imagine there are many such anecdotes i.e. make out they don't make that much but then they do.

rebel.ranter

Tipsy Mac wrote: »

I'd say a nice living can be earned if you know what your doing, you only have to look at the taxi fleet to see some are clearly making alot more than others.

Some of these guys with the Lexus & S-Class Mercs are working to fund the car, some are the old school guys that probably "saved" wiselyin the past.

I'd say judging from the people I know to be taxi drivers that there is a decent living to be made out of it, you woudl have to put in the hours, choose your caer type wisely. One of the beauties of the job is that pay is directly related to effort, the more you do the more you get.

(CH3)2CHOH

I know a Taxi driver who is making 1200+ euro per weekend. He's only doing Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights.

iMax

(CH3)2CHOH wrote: »

I know a Taxi driver who is making 1200+ euro per weekend. He's only doing Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights.

He's either lying to you (highly likely) or working approx hours per night (basically a full week).

I was a taxi driver for three years & have just sold my plate & car because it's now too hard to make a living. When I started there were 11,500 drivers (in Dublin), there's now over 23,000, (over 41,000 in Ireland).

My first year I was making about 170-180 per shift (10/11 hours). Out of this I took 500 expenses before anything, this was my petrol, insurance, maintenance, holiday pay, phone etc. I was with the biggest radio company in the country.

Year two was great, I made between 220 & 260 per shift (10-12 hours) a combination of working hard, finally getting to know the best shifts/pickup areas & routes. I increased expenses by 10% this year. I paid nearly 5000 in income tax on year one.

Year three I started out along the same basis as year two, but something happened in the marketplace & it changed drastically. I started to lose money about three months in. Over the final period of about nine months I was working over 12 hours a day six days a week (very dangerous) & lucky to come home with about €160 /180 a shift. I was left €2700 in debt because I had to keep paying the mortgage but I wasn't making enough to put money away for expenses, so my credit card debt built up. I've been forced to return to PAYE sell the car & plate. I had to borrow 3000 to contribute to my taxes for last year, so I'm in debt yet again.

The taxi business was great & I loved it, but it's a totally different beast to three short years ago. I'm sticking with PAYE now. Out of six friends who are full time taxi drivers, three of us have left the industry in the last six months. Two others are trying to get out & one isn't sure what to do, but thinks he will leave it. I get taxis a lot for work & it's the same story all the time, it's not a "moan". The business is in severe downturn. On "party Friday" - the Friday night two weeks before Christmas, typically the busiest night of the year, I left the house at six & returned at 11.30 with just €70 in my pocket. The rank on stephens Green was around to Hume street (illegal) & dawson street was around to the green

arybvtcw0eolkf

(CH3)2CHOH wrote: »

I know a Taxi driver who is making 1200+ euro per weekend. He's only doing Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights.

Tell your friend he's a spoofer, you don't want to lose a friend by calling him anything close to the truth!.

And a taxi driver's income IS NOT directly related to his/her effort or the hour's they put in.

A PAYE worker would have to be crazy to leave a job to work as a taxi driver, at least in Dublin - and from what I hear the rest of the country are suffering too.

A lot of things have changed in Ireland in the last number of year's, immigration has hit the taxi industry hard - and before someone says thats a racist comment, remember when YOUR job is out sourced to India the only difference between both is the taxi driver can see whose taking his business - YOU can't.

Another thing is the social scene has changed, young people aren't spending money like they used to. A sizable majority are up to their necks in mortage re-payments and have been hit hard by the interest rates rises in the last 12 months (something like 5 in total). So they're not out socialising and taking taxi's like they used to.

Realistically you can expect to earn €150- a day (+ or - depending on your luck). And thats putting in a looong day where you'll eat your lunch in the cab, worry about meeting running costs etc and then on the days your struggling - you'll listen to other driver's on the ranks spoof about how much their up that day.

Its a sh*t job, sh*t pay and even worse when you look at taking pension contributions out, mortage payments and protection, critical illness cover, VHI/BUPA payments etc..

And thats the truth of it.

Thing about taxi's is that they are far too expensive to be using regularly and so
many people would rather walk, cycle, get the bus, etc.

Although they are extremely convenient and available, the reality is that people would rather walk past a rank of 30 taxis than pay 20 quid to get anywhere.

And so more and more taxis spend an hour sitting idle.

If they were more affordable and people used them a lot more regularly, say twice a day, would taxi drivers earn more?

arybvtcw0eolkf

salonfire wrote: »

Thing about taxi's is that they are far too expensive to be using regularly and so
many people would rather walk, cycle, get the bus, etc.

Although they are extremely convenient and available, the reality is that people would rather walk past a rank of 30 taxis than pay 20 quid to get anywhere.

And so more and more taxis spend an hour sitting idle.

If they were more affordable and people used them a lot more regularly, say twice a day, would taxi drivers earn more?

People (esp. @ the weekends) make taxi's expensive.

If one person has to take a cab at a cost of €20 then yes that can be expensive, but at the weekends when a lot of journeys are done with 3 or 4 passengers and one person insists on paying the entire fare he/she has no reason to complain of the cost.

How much would you reduce that €20 fare to make it more affordable?. (honest question). How about letting commercial driver's ie taxi driver's, truck and van deliveries etc use agri-diesel and pass on the savings to the customers - we'd all benefit from that. From cheaper taxi's to cheaper groceries on our tables.

But the OP's question re. is it worth giving taxing a try.

Well my advice would be - don't leave secure employment for it. Don't invest in a new car - or big loans. And very important - DON'T LISTEN TO SPOOFERS.

arybvtcw0eolkf

(CH3)2CHOH wrote: »

I know a Taxi driver who is making 1200+ euro per weekend. He's only doing Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights.

Thats €400- per night - consistantly and if he does ten hour shifts that works out at €40 per hour! .. Your taxi driver friend is a downright liar.

(Or armed with a shotgun!).

az2wp0sye65487

Hi,

Thanks to everyone who commented. I was actually thinking of getting a SPSV licence and buying a new car (not brand new, just new to me) as I am currently driving a 1.2 hatchback.

I've been doing an office job for the past 2 years and I'm honestly getting fed up of being stuck in the same place all day every day.

I enjoy driving a lot and would even just 'go for a drive' in the evenings or at weekends when i'm not up to anything else. Just thought I might aswell make some money while i'm out and about.

I've gotten the application form, and am awaiting a Tax Clearance Cert from Revenue to complete the application. I was toying with the idea of doing some part-time evening / weekend work to get a feel for it and see if its worth my while. I would obviously stay in the 9 to 5 PAYE job aswell just in case it turns out not to be my thing, or if there turns out to be no money in it at all.

But I'm now getting the impression that its an industry in decline....

I've been looking at different Taxi-specific forums and websites and the general opinion from them all seems to be leaning towards this belief.

However, having a mortgage to pay starting this year, any extra income would be a big plus. Does anyone think that I'm crazy or could I actually make a go of it?

iMax

Only you can make up your own mind stevie, but as an ex driver I'd say don't do it. My details are up there for all to see. I loved it at the start & hated it at the end.

You'd probably make more (regular) income delivering pizzas if you really wanted/had to. With a new mortgage I'd look at cutting back in other areas to maximise savings & then enjoy your new property.

Paj

well steviecakes if you enjoy driving and are looking for a business with loads and loads of work and interesting times, how about becoming a driving instructor?

sure it requires a lot of work to increase the level of your own driving and to be able to teach others and remain calm, but its rewarding and interesting

prospect

Mairt wrote: »

Thats €400- per night - consistantly and if he does ten hour shifts that works out at €40 per hour! .

Not even including expenses,...

If he is claiming his take home is €1200, then he'd have to be making around €60 per hour, every hour......

Fuel, Tax, Insurance, Repayments, Consumables (tyres etc), Union, Meters & Plates, etc.

ballooba

Paj wrote: »

well steviecakes if you enjoy driving and are looking for a business with loads and loads of work and interesting times, how about becoming a driving instructor?

sure it requires a lot of work to increase the level of your own driving and to be able to teach others and remain calm, but its rewarding and interesting

Now THAT is the business to be getting into. Wait until the RSA introduce their new regs. There will be buckets of business.

az2wp0sye65487

I don't think I'd be into that to be honest. I like the idea of doing my own hours/being my own boss. And you wouldn't be doing a whole lot of driving yourself as an instructor.

gaz wac

Hi Steve,

Id say go for it !! My bro in law was like you, sitting around doing nothing at the weekends / evening, after 9 to 5 so he got a plate, extra cash comes in very handy for child care, broken washing machine, extra spending money etc!!

ninty9er

Mairt wrote: »

Thats €400- per night - consistantly and if he does ten hour shifts that works out at €40 per hour! .. Your taxi driver friend is a downright liar.

(Or armed with a shotgun!).

I wouldn't exactly say that. If he's working the 12-6 Shift on a Saturday, Sunday and Monday Morning with student nights thrown in, I'd say you could clear €65k a year no bother. a 4-5 minute journey will cost somewhere in the region of €6-€7 at that time of night depending on traffic lights etc.

And you can be sure no taxi driver who knows what he's doing is operating without a fuel card so the fuel costs will be lower than you average punter.
I know a taxi driver who's been driving 5 years and has never once sat waiting at a rank. Between bookings and people calling him, he's constantly busy. His kids could be waiting for an hour before they see him if they call after a night out on the town. The most money is to be had when there are no taxis to be got. It's about maximising income and minimising expenses (i.e don't be driving around wasting diesel at 2pm on a Monday when nobody wants a taxi, but be sure to be out from around 10pm on Thursday and head to bed at around 7 on Friday morning)

az2wp0sye65487

ninty9er wrote: »

I wouldn't exactly say that. If he's working the 12-6 Shift on a Saturday, Sunday and Monday Morning with student nights thrown in, I'd say you could clear €65k a year no bother. a 4-5 minute journey will cost somewhere in the region of €6-€7 at that time of night depending on traffic lights etc.

And you can be sure no taxi driver who knows what he's doing is operating without a fuel card so the fuel costs will be lower than you average punter.
I know a taxi driver who's been driving 5 years and has never once sat waiting at a rank. Between bookings and people calling him, he's constantly busy. His kids could be waiting for an hour before they see him if they call after a night out on the town. The most money is to be had when there are no taxis to be got. It's about maximising income and minimising expenses (i.e don't be driving around wasting diesel at 2pm on a Monday when nobody wants a taxi, but be sure to be out from around 10pm on Thursday and head to bed at around 7 on Friday morning)

So ninty9er you reckon that if you're willing to work un-social hours and weekends then there is a few quid to be had?

Iago

I know 3 taxi drivers (one of whom is my dad) and 2 guys that used to drive but left the business.

The 3 who are still working are making good regular money, but what they all have in common is that they are older and their families have grown and left the house. They have low/no mortgage and therefore taking home €600-€800 a week is plenty for them.

On the other hand two of my friends who have young families, and large mortgages have both gone back to PAYE as the hours required to make that kind of money meant they were spending little or no time with their wives and children.

In short I think it's a job for an older demographic who can afford to have a bad week every once in a while, but I wouldn't like to be depending on it to pay my mortgage!

Killme00

(CH3)2CHOH wrote: »

I know a Taxi driver who is making 1200+ euro per weekend. He's only doing Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights.

He prob spends more time plaing poker than driving so €1200 would be about right, but he aint making it from the driving

az2wp0sye65487

As I said before I wouldn't be leaving the day job or anything, just doing it for an extra income. I know full-time drivers don't particularly like part-timmers as they feel they are taking away their business at the busiest times, but wouldn't that be the most sensible and financially-secure way of starting off? Keeping the day job in case the taxi income can't support me.

ballooba

Musa Brave Nitwit wrote: »

As I said before I wouldn't be leaving the day job or anything, just doing it for an extra income. I know full-time drivers don't particularly like part-timmers as they feel they are taking away their business at the busiest times, but wouldn't that be the most sensible and financially-secure way of starting off? Keeping the day job in case the taxi income can't support me.

The ideal situation is where there are lots of part time drivers to cover peak periods and the other periods are left for full time drivers. Maybe the licence should be structured that way. With peak time only licences.

ninty9er

Musa Brave Nitwit wrote: »

So ninty9er you reckon that if you're willing to work un-social hours and weekends then there is a few quid to be had?

Definitely. Or be ready to roll whenever there's rain teaming down in the city centre. If you're willing to work days like Christams Day evening and New Years Eve you could sweep about €60k a year on a 4 day/night week, taking 3/4 of the quieter summer weeks off. I'd suggest a self defence class as well though;)

Airports are always the forgotten goldmine too. Check out flight timetables and have a big (I mean massive) boot. The Yanks tip fairly well;)

My dad was a taxi driver 7-8 years back, but it just wasn't for him. He was using a shared car and got out when he found out what else it was being used for:(:(

Money paid the mortgage and bills when my mam was out of work for a while, but on top of his day job it was just too much of a drain too.

EDIT:

You don't say where you are, but if you're near a 3rd level institution of any sort, then you should get a "work mobile" to give out to students who'll definitely keep you busy from around 11 one or two nights a week. You need a decent, big, though not expensive car.

arybvtcw0eolkf

ninty9er wrote: »

I wouldn't exactly say that. If he's working the 12-6 Shift on a Saturday, Sunday and Monday Morning with student nights thrown in, I'd say you could clear €65k a year no bother. a 4-5 minute journey will cost somewhere in the region of €6-€7 at that time of night depending on traffic lights etc.

And you can be sure no taxi driver who knows what he's doing is operating without a fuel card so the fuel costs will be lower than you average punter.
I know a taxi driver who's been driving 5 years and has never once sat waiting at a rank. Between bookings and people calling him, he's constantly busy. His kids could be waiting for an hour before they see him if they call after a night out on the town. The most money is to be had when there are no taxis to be got. It's about maximising income and minimising expenses (i.e don't be driving around wasting diesel at 2pm on a Monday when nobody wants a taxi, but be sure to be out from around 10pm on Thursday and head to bed at around 7 on Friday morning)

The 'humour' and (to be proposed) 'I know it all' forum ftw.

:rolleyes:

I can only speak for Dublin but in this present climate there's no taxi driver here making anything near that money.

But from reading the 'Taxi Times' it would appear that all area's of the country are similarly effected.

arybvtcw0eolkf

ninty9er wrote: »

Airports are always the forgotten goldmine too. Check out flight timetables and have a big (I mean massive) boot. The Yanks tip fairly well;)

Again in Dublin.. There are a lot of airport hotels up here now, hardly worth taking the chance these days expecting the big fares.

And Yanks DON'T tip, or hardly ever.

replytohere2004

There are 2'000 more Taxis in Dublin than New York!

When the downturn comes, taxis will be among the first to be effected.

arybvtcw0eolkf

replytohere2004 wrote: »

There are 2'000 more Taxis in Dublin than New York!

When the downturn comes, taxis will be among the first to be effected.

Welcome to two years ago

Oh, now bankers aren't stupid people right - I mean they know how to make a buck, right?... Well try ask your bank for a loan to finance a taxi and they'll have security eject your very quickly then they'll fall around the floor laughing.

OP, by all mean's give it a go. But if someone asks you about the business, be honest with them and don't let them leave a secure job to get into the business without some honest answer's, because believe me there's a huge amount of lads bullsh*tting about their earnings.

Lord Nikon

I work shift, and like to drive, I've just sent in my Tax Clearance Form. Won't be working in the big smoke either, so weekends might be prime pickin's where I am. I'm off 3-4 days a weeks anyway, and like to drive too.

Sure, you need to put in the hours, but you get to choose your own hours.

arybvtcw0eolkf

OP another suggestion if you like to drive and want to earn a few quid..

Deliver curry's, and this is no messing. You'll be busier and make more money at least on Friday nights, then you can go taxing from 1am (when the take away closes).

MercMad

The other things that strike me is that the amount of hours you feel you will work are simply the amount of hours you are prepared to hang around waiting for business. You could decide to do a 60 hour week but only end up driving for half that time, therefore you cant really calculate the hourly rate without experience of being in the right place at the right time.

No doubt it can be done, but nobody is going to give you that info. You have to invest your own time trying to find out.

Also if doing it part time to supplement your income, you will obviously end up paying alot of it on tax !

sohappy

take a look at the evening herald taxi section any day and see the amount of taxis for sale/rent, this might give a clue as to the state of the industry,


(far off hills are greener, an all that,)

az2wp0sye65487

Mairt wrote: »

OP, by all mean's give it a go. But if someone asks you about the business, be honest with them and don't let them leave a secure job to get into the business without some honest answer's, because believe me there's a huge amount of lads bullsh*tting about their earnings.

Mairt, I agree that a lot of people are bullsh*tting about their earnings. Thats another reason why I think I should find out for myself. Everyone on here have given me a lot of things to think about, but really you never know exactly how something will work out until you try it for yourself.

(CH3)2CHOH

I know nobody seems to belive the 400euro a night figure but I do. But to clarify, that was gross not net.

He gave up a 50k (shift work) job after driving part time for 6 months.

He is operating a 7 seater in a good sized town in the midlands that had 7(now 9) other taxis, he is still the only 7 seater.

He got in at the right time, got the right customer base and is full every night of regulars. He's a nice guy and people actually like him.

A 5 minute journey at 3 euros a head is 18 euro ( 3x6=18).

He was saying every night untill 4am he has a 1 hr job list.

And he offered me 250 euro per night to cover his holidays, which of course I declined cause there is no way I'd work for just 250 a night.


A final note.

The last time I was in Dublin Airport the taxi rank had several Lexus Jeeps, Big Mercs and a X5.

How are those drivers paying for those cars if there is no money to be made.

Good drivers/business people make good money.
Bad drivers/business people make feck all.

iMax

(CH3)2CHOH wrote: »

He gave up a 50k (shift work) job after driving part time for 6 months.

So now he's down 50k per year

(CH3)2CHOH wrote: »

He is operating a 7 seater in a good sized town in the midlands that had 7(now 9) other taxis, he is still the only 7 seater.

So he has a USP, when someone else puts on another 7 seater, he's got 100% competition

(CH3)2CHOH wrote: »

A 5 minute journey at 3 euros a head is 18 euro ( 3x6=18).

That's illegal, you can only charge what's on the meter, night time €4.10 plus call out fee if applicable of €2, approx 5 minutes, maybe €7/€8

(CH3)2CHOH wrote: »

He was saying every night untill 4am he has a 1 hr job list.

So that's 3-4am covered then

(CH3)2CHOH wrote: »

And he offered me 250 euro per night to cover his holidays, which of course I declined cause there is no way I'd work for just 250 a night.

You're right, time off is worth twice time working

(CH3)2CHOH wrote: »

A final note.

The last time I was in Dublin Airport the taxi rank had several Lexus Jeeps, Big Mercs and a X5.

How are those drivers paying for those cars if there is no money to be made.

They're mostly double jobbing. Some are in the business years & don't have mortgage payments etc so are able to afford a better car.

(CH3)2CHOH wrote: »

Good drivers/business people make good money.
Bad drivers/business people make feck all.

Not true I'm afraid. It's a free for all out there. I've been cut up several times by more aggressive drivers crossing in front of me to pick up a fare. You'll scramble for what you can get.

bcmf

OP.
I am driving a taxi 6yrs now.My advice to you is if you have big repayments of any kind then dont give up your guarenteed day job.To those lads whose say that they are making €1000 plus a week they may be telling the truth but I doubt it and even if they are the running costs of the car would probably average over 400 a week (wear and tear,huge fuel costs).The reality ,in Dublin anyway,is that at peak times there will always be 2-3 taxis in front of you and 1 behind you willing to cut your hand off for a fare.Add in the fact that it is nearly impossible to get onto any rank in Dublin so you end up driving around burning fuel.
DONT BELIEVE THE HYPE!!!!!!!!!!!!
Its a **** job with **** hours and you earn every bloody cent (thats if they pay you.......)

(CH3)2CHOH

iMax wrote: »

So now he's down 50k per year



So he has a USP, when someone else puts on another 7 seater, he's got 100% competition





That's illegal, you can only charge what's on the meter, night time €4.10 plus call out fee if applicable of €2, approx 5 minutes, maybe €7/€8



So that's 3-4am covered then



You're right, time off is worth twice time working




They're mostly double jobbing. Some are in the business years & don't have mortgage payments etc so are able to afford a better car.



Not true I'm afraid. It's a free for all out there. I've been cut up several times by more aggressive drivers crossing in front of me to pick up a fare. You'll scramble for what you can get.

How's he down 50k per year, he gave up one job and now is earning more ???

And if nobody puts in a 7 seater it status quo. It's still working for him ATM

It might be illegal, but people are more than happy to do it.

It's noy 3-4am covered, from 9pm till 4am he has bookings 1 hr in advance.

of course I'm right:rolleyes:

Dosn't matter how they can afford it, they are making the money. So is my mate because he is good at his job. He saw the opening and took it and now he's benifiting from it.

Maybe in Dublin, but as I said, this is an area with only 9 taxi's.

az2wp0sye65487

bcmf wrote: »

OP.
I am driving a taxi 6yrs now.My advice to you is if you have big repayments of any kind then dont give up your guarenteed day job.To those lads whose say that they are making €1000 plus a week they may be telling the truth but I doubt it and even if they are the running costs of the car would probably average over 400 a week (wear and tear,huge fuel costs).The reality ,in Dublin anyway,is that at peak times there will always be 2-3 taxis in front of you and 1 behind you willing to cut your hand off for a fare.Add in the fact that it is nearly impossible to get onto any rank in Dublin so you end up driving around burning fuel.
DONT BELIEVE THE HYPE!!!!!!!!!!!!
Its a **** job with **** hours and you earn every bloody cent (thats if they pay you.......)

Thanks bcmf. What would you reckon about keeping the guaranteed day job and taxi-ing at weekends?

Spook_ie

ballooba wrote: »

And for all the giving out the taxi drivers do, they wouldn't be doing it if they weren't making money.

Yeah just like the lads in BurgerKing and MacDonalds.......

Spook_ie

(CH3)2CHOH wrote: »

I know a Taxi driver who is making 1200+ euro per weekend. He's only doing Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights.

He's lying, for those nights alone he should be on at least 1800+, trust me I'm a taxi driver and I know

Spook_ie

Musa Brave Nitwit wrote: »

Hi,

Thanks to everyone who commented. I was actually thinking of getting a SPSV licence and buying a new car (not brand new, just new to me) as I am currently driving a 1.2 hatchback.

I've been doing an office job for the past 2 years and I'm honestly getting fed up of being stuck in the same place all day every day.

I enjoy driving a lot and would even just 'go for a drive' in the evenings or at weekends when i'm not up to anything else. Just thought I might aswell make some money while i'm out and about.

I've gotten the application form, and am awaiting a Tax Clearance Cert from Revenue to complete the application. I was toying with the idea of doing some part-time evening / weekend work to get a feel for it and see if its worth my while. I would obviously stay in the 9 to 5 PAYE job aswell just in case it turns out not to be my thing, or if there turns out to be no money in it at all.

But I'm now getting the impression that its an industry in decline....

I've been looking at different Taxi-specific forums and websites and the general opinion from them all seems to be leaning towards this belief.

However, having a mortgage to pay starting this year, any extra income would be a big plus. Does anyone think that I'm crazy or could I actually make a go of it?

Honest opinion ( ignore my posts about takings except for the zero to fifty ) if you just need money for helping out the mortgage, get a job behind a bar at least when they leave you won't be the one driving the pukers home...

Spook_ie

gaz wac wrote: »

Hi Steve,

Id say go for it !! My bro in law was like you, sitting around doing nothing at the weekends / evening, after 9 to 5 so he got a plate, extra cash comes in very handy for child care, broken washing machine, extra spending money etc!!

And then you wonder why the full time taxi drivers are complaining.....

az2wp0sye65487

Hi Spook_ie,

Don't think i'd be a good bar man. Thanks for the suggestion tho! Someone else mentioned delivering curry/pizzas. Thats not a bad idea. that'd be cash in hand type of work too and could provide the extra income. the thing about taxi driving though for me is the fact that you can be your own boss. i mean, you're not out driving at the moment if you're posting here, so that must be a decision you've made not to go out. Maybe you prefer night work etc. But you get to decide for yourself when you go out or stay in. it just feels like more freedom.

I have to admit tho, since I've started thinking about this, I've been paying close attention to other taxis on the roads whenever I'm out and about - and there are a hell of a lot of them on the roads.

Think i might do some research, take a trip into town tonight or tomorrow night if i'm not going out and cruise around for a while. See just how many taxis there are at night time too.