Becoming a Taxi Driver

Quitelife

Finishing up on redundancey from company, considering becoming a taxi driver with lump sum , buy reasonable car circa 30K…do 40/50 hours a week grind out 5/600 a week rather than going back to office work for final ten years of my working life, any thoughts ? .

Montage of Feck

Vinyl seat are a must...

Mister Vain

I think most of them rent the car. It can take up to 3 months to get the license. Insurance can be anything up to 5 grand.

howyanow

If it were me thinking of becoming a taxi driver,Id first look into the private transfer/tour side of the business.See if you can be a driver for a company that does this and see of you like it.Id imagine its a nicer safer job.

Ted222

Chauffeur work would be more pleasant and less stress

pgj2015

Don't work nights as a taxi driver if you want to live up to your user name. 😉

hoodie6029

Get a van if you’re going to do it. Separate yourself from the fares. Added safety if you’re working nights. Wheelchair accessible van and you’ll never be short of work.

Though, this has been posted in after hours so should this thread be wrong answers only?

Practice saying these convincingly

‘These other drivers don’t understand what it’s like when you make your living from the road’

‘I don’t get paid for my holidays or when I’m sick’

‘The price of tyres, I tell ya!’

‘Cash or Revolut ok?’

thereiver

My friend was a taxi driver ,he would work from 8p till 2am ,this was before apps and smartphones existed,

the best money is made at night .Weekends , he would work 4 days a week .its long hours not an easy job.

Bobson Dugnutt

Coming up with new and innovative excuses for not taking card payments is an essential part of the role.

BrianD3

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122175958#Comment_122175958

All the animals come out at night

standardg60

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122175958#Comment_122175958

Would be true if their username was quietlife.

FazyLucker

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122176067#Comment_122176067

Damn, I knew somebody would have beaten me to it. I bet it could be quite the life ferrying drunk people home at 2-3am!! Search "Homer Simpson Taxicab conversations" or similar on YouTube?

downtheroad

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122175998#Comment_122175998

Those pesky card machines are broken so often. It's amazing how Revolut, Sumup, Square and all the others provide such shoddy hardware.

Oscar_Madison

I’d actually love to just do tours - a nice 8 seater minibus - off on day trips to the west of Ireland or Kerry every few days with high paying tourists doing their own private tour - it would be hard work but enjoyable too - but a standard taxi, absolutely no way- possibly if in a small rural town or village where everyone is known but definitely not in a city

Mister Vain

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122176886#Comment_122176886

I drove a minibus before but I didn't like it. Everyone was talking behind my back.

JVince

A friend of min is a taxi driver - semi retirement from a senior accountancy role.

Loves it.

He does a lot of airport runs and also does Dublin city at the weekends - BUT, contracts himself to restaurants and bars for bringing their staff and some "vip" customers home.

Ted222

very intoxicated people???

pgj2015

It will suit some people but not others. if you like talking to strangers and people you will probably enjoy it, if not you will hate it. nights aren't worth it, paddy is a mess on a night out and he/she will take it out on you as some of them see you as their personal servant and a piece of dirt.

Hangdogroad

https://youtu.be/fQXezb6V2Xc?si=KAdjjQSi4ATrnlHN

...

enricoh

Know a lad does it in Dublin. Does well out of it I think. Said you have 2 seconds to decide on someone flagging you down n he is quite selective.

A lot of taxi drivers just do daytime now around me, hse work etc

McGrath5

Isn't there an additional grant available if you go with an EV? The point one poster made about the wheelchair accessible vehicle sounds like very solid advice. Try and get a regular line of work, i know of a few HSE residential units that use the same few lads and they are kept going 7 days a week. If you could do airport runs (assuming you're in Dublin) and other repeat day time work it could be a nice way to make a living. I wouldn't go near working the city centre at nighttime.

humberklog

Far better to rent one for 6 to 12 months to see if you're into it.

Do your 60 runs a week on Free Now and see how it goes.

Free Now prioritise taxis who do 60+ acceptances a week so if you do that you've a better chance at keeping local and out of town.

Del2005

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122175998#Comment_122175998

Coming up with new and innovative ways to give free rides is what they are doing if they don't take cards. They have to by law except cards, so if they don't you just walk off or as usually happens the card machine suddenly works.

BalboBiggins

Do you hate office work that much? Now with hybrid work you could have a much more peaceful existence working from home a few days a week.

Quitelife

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122177759#Comment_122177759

Work i do is very micro managed and sales driven with a constant barrage of emails around that. Affecting my mental health

Have been offered redundancey with 8 years left to retirement and have Got to the stage of life where something straightforward with no bosses on your case even if i only make minimum wage and have to do a few extra hours would do me grand for 4 or 5 years till pension kicks in ..

Baba Yaga

did it for years on nights before the de-regulation(i was a cosy) yes i made good money,yes i was my own boss but you have to put in the hours and night work will mess up your home life in every way,if you can work days,rent the car and plate for a few months to see if its for you,some take to it,some dont as youll have to listen to every gobdaw under the sun and have the patience of a saint to put up with them and the traffic! would i go back to it..? not in a fit!

AndrewJRenko

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122177201#Comment_122177201

All new taxi licences are going to wheelchair accessible vehicles afaik, to increase the number of such vehicles in the overall fleet.

The idea of renting temporarily sounds like a good idea to decide whether it's really for you, but you sink a sh1tload of cash into a business.

Some basic office admin role is another good option too.