Taxi Industry in chaos

oisindoyle

LOL LOL Ive watched from afar and laughed .Ive seen many a thread on here ,but yours is fantastic .You obviously get off on it which is great ,but make sure you use a tissue

TaxiManMartin

lickmyballs wrote: »

Your an absolute wanker !

For telling it like it is?

Im afraid some of you guys are coming across as anything but gentlemen here. I really hate that some of you conspire to give the rest of us a bad name. You represent everything that is wrong with the trade.

Has anyone decided to take up my offer of posting each others accounts yet? Didnt think so. I've also got a friend who has agreed to let me post his too, if even one of you posts yours first.

the boss of me

TaxiManMartin wrote: »

I've also got a friend

More frigging porkies....

mikemac

I drive a moped :pac:
And I don't realy like driving so I'll never become a taxi driver.

I know only one tip so I'll just chip in.
In our rural area we have one business that employs many staff on late nights and that's the local hotel and the niteclub. Only one place now.

So the staff are entitled to a taxi home, employer pays.
But what happened was staff would finish at 3am or 4am but the taxi drivers wouldn't bother to collect them until all their pickup fares were done.
We were guranteed business in a way so that meant hooooours of waiting for a cab home. Not ideal when you are supposed to report for breakfast shift at 8am!
Remember, this ain't Dublin and instead about 14,000 taxi's you have 15 for the entire area.

So one group of three drivers guranteed to give staff priority and get us home.
And they would work on credit. They would record the staff fares and then submit an invoice at the end of the month.
Hotel management loved this and it meant less petty cash and they could monitor it.

In return, the three drivers got first call on all hotel business. This was huge! The only hotel in the area and over 60 weddings a year. Plus taxi runs for residents into town. And golf club trips was a real money spinner to the taxi drivers.
This won't work in a city though.

I'm not a driver and I have no idea what average earnings are or if TaxiManMartin is giving accurate earning figures.
But I do admire a guy who instead of sitting on rank complaining, takes the time to think of an opportunity.
Maybe you will too

lickmyballs

mikemac wrote: »

I drive a moped :pac:
And I don't realy like driving so I'll never become a taxi driver.

I know only one tip so I'll just chip in.
In our rural area we have one business that employs many staff on late nights and that's the local hotel and the niteclub. Only one place now.

So the staff are entitled to a taxi home, employer pays.
But what happened was staff would finish at 3am or 4am but the taxi drivers wouldn't bother to collect them until all their pickup fares were done.
We were guranteed business in a way so that meant hooooours of waiting for a cab home. Not ideal when you are supposed to report for breakfast shift at 8am!
Remember, this ain't Dublin and instead about 14,000 taxi's you have 15 for the entire area.

So one group of three drivers guranteed to give staff priority and get us home.
And they would work on credit. They would record the staff fares and then submit an invoice at the end of the month.
Hotel management loved this and it meant less petty cash and they could monitor it.

In return, the three drivers got first call on all hotel business. This was huge! The only hotel in the area and over 60 weddings a year. Plus taxi runs for residents into town. And golf club trips was a real money spinner to the taxi drivers.
This won't work in a city though.

I'm not a driver and I have no idea what average earnings are or if TaxiManMartin is giving accurate earning figures.
But I do admire a guy who instead of sitting on rank complaining, takes the time to think of an opportunity.
Maybe you will too

Your dead right ! it wouldn't work in Dublin mate ,don't mind this eejit with his mates and himself operating a little taxi co-op ,its all crap believe me !the taxi game is over in Dublin anyway ,I worked last night and from 8pm - 4am I had 100 euro gross thats not taking overheads into account ,don't forget thats a bank holiday SUNDAY I'm sacrificing too ! where were you last night ? probably having a few jars or with your family maybe ? well if you did ,I'm glad you did ....and thats where I shoulda been ,instead I was driving around Dublin looking for work, picking up people you wouldn't look at in the street for fear that they'd kill you for your few bob.I honestly don't understand why people hate taxi drivers on these forums .....the majority of taxi drivers are post deregulation so we didn't make you walk home at 4am in the pissing rain ,and the majority are hardworking honest family men just trying to get on in life ,its piss ants like taximanmartin that we don't need right now,just sticking the knife in and kicking a man when he's down .

oisindoyle

lickmyballs wrote: »

Look ****head........ I'll post my last two years balancing statements tomorrow when I have access to a scanner, your a ****ing idiot...... and I will wanna see yours too ! by the way just out of interest who does your tax ? it wouldn't be the NTDU by any chance ? if so I can't wait til' you get an audit

You're worse to pay any notice ,,hes a troll uses different names on here ,,,IGNORE him completely,,,,

The_Cable_Guy

I've reported the offending poster to the mods for supplying information that can be used for the purpose of tax evasion.

And hosting such information also presents a risk to the forum as that is aiding tax evasion.

I don't post often but I do respect the rule of law.

A troll he may be but encouraging others to break the law is simply not on, and I don't care who or what he is.

samsham

TaxiManMartin wrote: »

For telling it like it is?

Im afraid some of you guys are coming across as anything but gentlemen here. I really hate that some of you conspire to give the rest of us a bad name. You represent everything that is wrong with the trade.

Has anyone decided to take up my offer of posting each others accounts yet? Didnt think so. I've also got a friend who has agreed to let me post his too, if even one of you posts yours first.

thought you were are leader in the industry, not a follower. You know you haven't the balls to post your accounts. Asking other to do so is your way of avoiding it. Your the one bragging nobody else. As for giving the industry a bad name. Most of the people repulsed by your bragging here are not drivers. Your boring me now with this obvious bull****e. Your also paying PRSI for the guy you have driving during the day and Tax. In simply you boasting about operating in the black market, just like the leaches signing on the dole and working. Your no better than them , no matter what way you want to dress it up, then to suggest you have public opinion on your side. Are you that thick you cant see you not being supported here.

TaxiManMartin

lickmyballs wrote: »

And there lies the proof...... you know **** all about taxi driving, slow or fast will not make much difference to the fare ,not unless you drive under 21km per hour ,which if you drive at that speed you'll be pulled over on suspicion of drink driving.

your a complete BELLEND

example :

so if you drive at 20km an hour for 2 hours a night how far do you drive? How much do you earn for it?

and if you drive 40km an hour for the same amount of time how far do you drive? How much do you arn for it?

I guess you wont be making much money driving if you're that bad in the maths department. You're better off finding something else. You might give out the wrong change if you cant do maths.

TaxiManMartin

The_Cable_Guy wrote: »

I've reported the offending poster to the mods for supplying information that can be used for the purpose of tax evasion.

And hosting such information also presents a risk to the forum as that is aiding tax evasion.

I don't post often but I do respect the rule of law.

A troll he may be but encouraging others to break the law is simply not on, and I don't care who or what he is.

Where have i supplied any information that would be used for the purpose of tax evasion?
All i have done is explain what al of us drivers do with our taxes.
You know what we do with our taxes Everybody knows the tax situation with taxis.

TaxiManMartin

samsham wrote: »

thought you were are leader in the industry, not a follower. You know you haven't the balls to post your accounts. Asking other to do so is your way of avoiding it. Your the one bragging nobody else. As for giving the industry a bad name. Most of the people repulsed by your bragging here are not drivers. Your boring me now with this obvious bull****e. Your also paying PRSI for the guy you have driving during the day and Tax. In simply you boasting about operating in the black market, just like the leaches signing on the dole and working. Your no better than them , no matter what way you want to dress it up, then to suggest you have public opinion on your side. Are you that thick you cant see you not being supported here.

Im obviosly hitting nerves. Good. The truth hurts.

I only see my fellow taxi drivers squirming here. Look, im not telling anything the general public dont already know here.

When someone else here posts their accounts i will post mine. I have made that clear. It was someone pretending there was no money to be made in taxiing who suggested but then backed out. I expect none of you to post because it will show that you actually do make a good living despite your tears.

I dont need to pay employers PRSI for the guy who rents my taxi. The amount he pays me in rent is added to my income and taxed accordingly.
Your still grasping at straws guys.

One of you post your accounts and i'll post mine. Its that easy to see who is telling lies.

samsham

what on earths name are you talking about. how do you drive at 20k an hour. that's jogging speed. An average job takes 10 minutes. In fact a lot of complaints against drivers are for speeding, never heard of one for going a a snails pace. I asked you this before. Are you really a taxi driver because I have my doubts. you seem to know nothing about the subject.

TaxiManMartin

samsham wrote: »

what on earths name are you talking about. how do you drive at 20k an hour. that's jogging speed. An average job takes 10 minutes. In fact a lot of complaints against drivers are for speeding, never heard of one for going a a snails pace. I asked you this before. Are you really a taxi driver because I have my doubts. you seem to know nothing about the subject.

Thankyou. You are making exactly my original point baout driving speed. Im glad at least you get it. I had to simplify it for that guy to understand. If you readback through the thread you can see what he was replying too.

samsham

http://taxieire.lefora.com/2009/06/02/revenue-and-the-taxi-regulator-might-be-interested/page1/

Calina

lickmyballs is now banned from Commuting and Transport.

Again, if you've a point worth making, you can make it civilly and constructively. Resorting to abuse and name calling and I won't give one toss what your point is.

HydeRoad

I deliberately withdrew from boards because nobody seems interested in actual, logical debate, but rather just any opportunity to wind people up. But I will raise one point here, and then quietly withdraw again.

TaxiManMartin may well be earning all the millions he says he is. He would have to be a miracle worker, to be earning four times on a Saturday what everyone else would claim to have been average earnings four years ago before all this collapse of the industry. But he may well be doing it. If he can't or won't prove it, then you are wasting your time arguing with him.

The point he doesn't make, and nobody else has either, is that such earnings are impossible across the whole industry.

Think of the taxi industry as a big bowl of rice. TaxiManMartin has become very profficient at scooping himself up an enormous helping of rice. Good luck to him. But there is nowhere near enough rice in the bowl for everyone to take such a helping. The rice will run out long before everyone has even had two grains of it.

The taxi industry, no matter how thriving it could possibly be, is finite. There is a line somewhere, that is impossible to quantify accurately, beyond which there will simply be no more customers. Once everyone in the country has been fed, there will be no more business for breakfasts until the following morning. The same with taxis. When everyone has got where they want to go, there is no more business.

Now how many taxis does it take to get everyone in Ireland where they want to go, and still offer the living the drivers demand? That is hard to quantify too. Take that figure, and double it. Now everyone earns half what they might expect. Double it again. Now everyone starts having enormous difficulties.

Within that oversupplied industry, there are of course going to be particularly gifted, successful, or just plain lucky people, who earn above the going rate, and who get themselves through. Similarly, there will be people who make no effort at all, and will be the first to fall by the wayside.

But stuck in the middle, are a very large number of hardworking individuals, who do not have the gift or the luck of the top few, and who have to share out the bowl of rice the best they can. That means everyone gets an equal share, which is not enough to get by. Or it means some grab more than their share, and others get none at all. But there isn't another bowl of rice.

With things like discounts, etc. you might increase the business a little. But you won't increase it enough to make the difference required to get all the taximen back on their feet. It remains the case, regardless how well some individuals are doing, that there are too many taxis. How you cut that number down is another argument. Who do you cut, and who do you keep?

You cannot simply tell them all to try harder. If every one of the forty-something thousand psv licence holders in the country started trying to do what TaxiManMartin says he is doing, then he would find business as hard as anyone else. He is only particularly successful because of the lack of success of others. That is hard business. But it doesn't excuse the horrendous situation others find themselves in.

I left the taxi business. I thought it was a good business investment four years ago when I started. And it was at the time. I didn't reckon on people on the social welfare being given grants to compete with me, with no proper training whatsoever. I didn't reckon with the vast amount of illegality that would be let grow within the industry. And I didn't reckon with a taxi regulator who would simply take her hands off the wheel, and let the industry freefall into oblivion. No matter how much any one individual is making, nobody could say the taxi industry is a good investment at the moment.

I left in February. I made a social welfare claim in February. I still have had no money. I have been living on thin air for four whole months. No income whatsoever. I am damned if I stay in the industry. I am damned if I get out. Market forces dictate that it should find it's own level. It can only find it's level if people drop out. They cannot drop out if they are going to end up in my situation. So the industry cannot find it's true level. And is being destroyed because of that.

In every business in the world, you will find particularly aggressive people, who are able and willing to grab as much as possible for themselves. They will then look down their noses at others who were not as successful. It doesn't make for a very pleasant environment. It depends on your life outlook.

Do you believe in a life where it's every man for himself, survival of the fittest? Or do you believe in help thy neighbour? In life, we are blessed with both outlooks. And never the twain shall meet.

murphaph

In business it is indeed survival of the fittest. It seems (time and again) that the biggest mistake made by so many taxi drivers is that they have failed to realise that they are entering into and plying their trade in....a business.

Terrontress

samsham wrote: »

http://taxieire.lefora.com/2009/06/02/revenue-and-the-taxi-regulator-might-be-interested/page1/

What are all those links you are posting? I can't get them to work!

HydeRoad

murphaph wrote: »

In business it is indeed survival of the fittest. It seems (time and again) that the biggest mistake made by so many taxi drivers is that they have failed to realise that they are entering into and plying their trade in....a business.

Business is good. Business is healthy. An industry absolutely rife with illegality is not good or healthy. It will take somebody other than the current administration to do anything about it. If anybody could or would.

trellheim

After a few bevs in Doheny and Nesbitts last Friday I decided to walk down to Dawson St at 1 AM


After standing amazed for a few minutes at the corner of the Green and Dawson St
Here was the Situation:

Dawson St Rank : From Cafe En Seine full back to the Corner, and about 20 taxis backed up in that lane on the Green round the corner waiting to get onto the rank.

Stephens Green Rank :
Rank was full
The relief rank at the other side : full
the dubious no real reality centre rank : full
the traffic lane back behind that rank : full nearly round the other side of the green.

Of course the non-taxi vehicles stuck trying to get to that part of the green were completely blocked and couldn't get through at all [ and going mental ]


No coppers to be seen.

Completely mental.

murphaph

I feel for the motorists delayed I really do but it's better than in the bad old days when it was ranks full of people and no taxis to be seen.

james116

murphaph wrote: »

I feel for the motorists delayed I really do but it's better than in the bad old days when it was ranks full of people and no taxis to be seen.

what u have to remember that in those days they was no late nite dart or luas and and only a few nite links so they would be lines of people.

dinky earnshaw

Congratulations your the worlds greatest taxi driver 600 for a saturday night!!!!!!!!!!!
Its not actually possible is it? come on now tell the truth. 4 x 15e jobs are going to take you at LEAST 10 mins each. Leaving you with only 5mins between each job. So regardless of where you drop off ie tallagth or swords your a few minutes away from your next pick up. How are you doing your leaflet drop ??? from a 747. You can if your lucky get a run of luck and maybe make 40 an hour for 2 maybe 3 hours once in a blue moon. But your talking complete nonsense with 600 a night. Never have i ever heard another driver claim that and trust me I know a fair amount of spoofers what your claiming cant be done its impossible. Im driving 7 years with what was a great radio company and never even got close to averaging that amount.
Your a s**t stirrer admit it then get lost.

TaxiManMartin

dinky earnshaw wrote: »

Congratulations your the worlds greatest taxi driver 600 for a saturday night!!!!!!!!!!!

Its not actually possible is it? come on now tell the truth. 4 x 15e jobs are going to take you at LEAST 10 mins each. Leaving you with only 5mins between each job. So regardless of where you drop off ie tallagth or swords your a few minutes away from your next pick up. How are you doing your leaflet drop ??? from a 747. You can if your lucky get a run of luck and maybe make 40 an hour for 2 maybe 3 hours once in a blue moon. But your talking complete nonsense with 600 a night. Never have i ever heard another driver claim that and trust me I know a fair amount of spoofers what your claiming cant be done its impossible. Im driving 7 years with what was a great radio company and never even got close to averaging that amount.
Your a s**t stirrer admit it then get lost.

Read what i said about the leaflet drops again. We dont use a 747, we pay someone to do these. I can get close enough to €600 on a Saturday night only. Usually a nice bit over €500. Fridays average about €300. Weeknights average about €30 per hour.

Maybe you should find another business and let the better taxi drivers compete. Obviously you arent much good at it. There is no room for laziness in the business. Those who think money should fall into their lap without competing will become extinct. Welcome to the real world. The regulator is not going to bar entry .... ever, so its time for people to run their car properly like a business or just leave.

There should be a taxi driver school. Maybe some people here who claim to be on the breadline could go and learn how to make some money.

Carawaystick

samsham wrote: »

When our Government should be protecting jobs

I see where you went wrong there. Taxi driving is a business not a job.

Taxipete29

TaxiManMartin wrote: »

Read what i said about the leaflet drops again. We dont use a 747, we pay someone to do these. I can get close enough to €600 on a Saturday night only. Usually a nice bit over €500. Fridays average about €300. Weeknights average about €30 per hour.

Maybe you should find another business and let the better taxi drivers compete. Obviously you arent much good at it. There is no room for laziness in the business. Those who think money should fall into their lap without competing will become extinct. Welcome to the real world. The regulator is not going to bar entry .... ever, so its time for people to run their car properly like a business or just leave.

There should be a taxi driver school. Maybe some people here who claim to be on the breadline could go and learn how to make some money.

I want to see you respond to Hyde Roads posts. Is the reason you didnt reply is you know he is right???

dinky earnshaw

TaxiManMartin wrote: »

Read what i said about the leaflet drops again. We dont use a 747, we pay someone to do these. I can get close enough to €600 on a Saturday night only. Usually a nice bit over €500. Fridays average about €300. Weeknights average about €30 per hour.

Maybe you should find another business and let the better taxi drivers compete. Obviously you arent much good at it. There is no room for laziness in the business. Those who think money should fall into their lap without competing will become extinct. Welcome to the real world. The regulator is not going to bar entry .... ever, so its time for people to run their car properly like a business or just leave.

There should be a taxi driver school. Maybe some people here who claim to be on the breadline could go and learn how to make some money.

Trust me I work hard and smart I know how and where to get the jobs Ive cards and mates who pass on work when its there and i work a radio offering discounts that advertises constantly. Regardless of all this I have never ever come close to averaging that amount why? because its not physically possible unless Martin you have your metre rigged.

Tell us all how you physically manage to pull that amount given the time constraints.

samsham

Carawaystick wrote: »

I see where you went wrong there. Taxi driving is a business not a job.

I am a bit lost here, whats this point about? 27,000 people own taxis.
The taxi regulators figures say 45,000 are licensed to drive taxis.
Its a job what ever way you look at it, for those who own taxis
and for those who drive them. 2,000 people left the industry in
2008 because it's a superb job with great opportunity to make a
fortune. As for taximan martin. He was deprived of attention when
young and is now a compulsive attention seeked and never drove a
taxi in his life.

murphaph

A friend of mine's father drives a taxi and we often used him to get into town (before I recently left for germany). He always maintained that there was good money in it and scoffed at the lads sitting parked at the ranks and said they were amateurs. That was the guy's opinion so don't shoot the messenger. Maybe Martin isn't so far from the truth as some would like to believe.

Terrontress

Could it be possible that the bleating from the other taxi drivers and the unions have put a downer on the majority of drivers out there? By constantly stating there is no work it becomes a self fulfilling prophecy as they stop looking for it and just sit on ranks complaining.

Those who remain positive and go and seek out the work are getting it and making money on it.

I think that is the gist of what Martin is saying although Hyde Road is correct in saying that if everyone took the same approach, there would not be enough work to go round.

Still, you can't blame the man who grabs it with both hands.