Taxis in Glasgow

Cooper_11 said:
Yes, I get that.
And Black Hackney Taxis in Glasgow, like taxis in all U.K. local authorities, have a taximeter installed that calculate the fare by distance AND time. But that’s not my point.
My point is, there are no ‘hidden extras’. The fare is right there on the taximeter in front of the passengers’s view. Fully transparent. Not hidden.
If you think there’s something about that that’s hidden, then you and I have a different understanding of the word hidden.
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When someone gets in my car and they know destination I can give them more or less the price they’ll pay. That fare should be the same every time they do it going forward. If it is significantly different then they can query it

In a Hack your fare can vary significantly depending on traffic etc.

Why are Taxi enforcers not chasing the PH drivers? I know in Paisley the police are happy to put punters in PH cars in New Street area when dancing comes out to get the streets empty as quick as possible. I’ve been sitting waiting on hire and been approached by police to take people
 
No.8MK2 said:
When someone gets in my car and they know destination I can give them more or less the price they’ll pay. That fare should be the same every time they do it going forward. If it is significantly different then they can query it

In a Hack your fare can vary significantly depending on traffic etc.

Why are Taxi enforcers not chasing the PH drivers? I know in Paisley the police are happy to put punters in PH cars in New Street area when dancing comes out to get the streets empty as quick as possible. I’ve been sitting waiting on hire and been approached by police to take people
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The Enforcement Unit in Glasgow simply can’t cope with the tsunami of pirating going on at the weekend.
I also think they are powerless to challenge the growing number of out-of-town Private Hire cars that you alluded to in your last post. I can’t say I’ve seen Renfrewshire PH cars pirating on a big scale., It’s the guys who’ve been licensed by South Lanarkshire (Rutherglen & Cambuslang) who have absolutely no intention of servicing that Licensing Authority. They are simply bypassing all the regulations put in place by Glasgow City Council.
They get the ‘radio’ and rear screen GlasgoCabs sticker and work the city as though licensed by Glasgow.
They are pirating literally everywhere on a Saturday night and they don’t care who’s watching them. As far as the police are concerned it’s low level crime and helps to clear the streets. By all accounts it’s going on in cities all over the UK and is a constant topic in taxi forums and online taxi magazines.
 
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Robert Marshall said:
No one mentioned profit, I have driven hackneys and you would make a real good living
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So 100k minus outgoings?

I’m genuinely interested, I’ve been driving PH for a year now and would go and do the Topo test if the difference in earning was anywhere near what you’re indicating.
 
BIGBRIANTO1 said:
Mate you are doing a good job trying to defend private hire but have you never seen them all over Glasgow pirating. Different licensing authorities. You can’t get a Renfrewshire private to take you back from Glasgow for the low 20s as the can make more with less fuel running around Paisley or similar. Been driving hacks for 25 years now and I just don’t go out the Glasgow boundary any more. Can’t be bothered arguing with people who say a Renfrewshire cab is only low 20s home but they can’t get one so will I go for that . Why would I as from central station to say shettelston is about £15 less fuel and a pick up straight away rather than running back from Renfrewshire empty.
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You’re one of those ones are you B-D

As a customer I’ve been waiting in that queue at central for half an hour before, only for the driver to come round and say “nah a don’t go tae ________ mate” …

When a taxi knocks you back the steward kicks you out the queue. I just go and get a private, having wasted half an hour. The next time I don’t bother waiting on a hack at all. I go straight to the privates, and so do my mates who live inside the boundary.

You might be within your rights to knock back a job outside the boundary but the guys that are out there making selfish decisions, cherry picking jobs, being stuck in the 90’s refusing to take card payments and seriously overcharging are just chasing money away from the trade long term.

Your competition is Uber, privates, even the bus and train. It might not affect you at that moment because you jump away with your hire to Shettleston (and because there is a shortage just now) but over time it eats away at your business.

Uber is a fairly new company. If they are doing 100k jobs a month at an average of £10 a pop thats a £12m a year / potentially £8k per Taxi slice of the market that has been lost to them.
 
SGerro8 said:
So 100k minus outgoings?

I’m genuinely interested, I’ve been driving PH for a year now and would go and do the Topo test if the difference in earning was anywhere near what you’re indicating.
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I waited 4 months for a topo slot mate so if you’re even considering it, get your application in asap.
 
Oranje said:
You’re one of those ones are you B-D

As a customer I’ve been waiting in that queue at central for half an hour before, only for the driver to come round and say “nah a don’t go tae ________ mate” …

When a taxi knocks you back the steward kicks you out the queue. I just go and get a private, having wasted half an hour. The next time I don’t bother waiting on a hack at all. I go straight to the privates, and so do my mates who live inside the boundary.

You might be within your rights to knock back a job outside the boundary but the guys that are out there making selfish decisions, cherry picking jobs, being stuck in the 90’s refusing to take card payments and seriously overcharging are just chasing money away from the trade long term.

Your competition is Uber, privates, even the bus and train. It might not affect you at that moment because you jump away with your hire to Shettleston (and because there is a shortage just now) but over time it eats away at your business.

Uber is a fairly new company. If they are doing 100k jobs a month at an average of £10 a pop thats a £12m a year / potentially £8k per Taxi slice of the market that has been lost to them.
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The steward shouldn’t kick you out mate he will try and get you one . Just don’t like charging fare and a half or whatever and getting pellets once they’re in taxi. Would rather just work in Glasgow
 
Plenty of taxis, but the rank around central is like the Wild West after midnight.

Unless it’s pishing down, I’d just walk down the Clydeside and over the bells bridge at the SEC
 
Robert Marshall said:
Where is that? I would buy that, can you PM me with the details
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You might very well get one that low but you will have to then fund a £70k not fit for pu
No.8MK2 said:
Utter nonsense!

Better phoning a private hire. Car will be there. You’ll be charged a fare on mileage alone. No hidden ‘extras’. You won’t be ripped off by unscrupulous drivers
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Hahahhaha unscrupulous drivers!!!
Just remember the money you spend on a private hire will be recirculated into someones arm or up there nose. Unscrupulous drivers
 
bluebeak said:
Nobody is selling at that price. :D You can make that working Friday and Saturday nights FFS.
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SGerro8 said:
So 100k minus outgoings?

I’m genuinely interested, I’ve been driving PH for a year now and would go and do the Topo test if the difference in earning was anywhere near what you’re indicating.
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Please mate dont listen to the nonsense being spouted here!
I am a Glasgow hackney driver and just back from Holyrood with a delegation of taxi drivers fighting to save our livelihoods.
Straight off the bat to become an operator you will need 1k for a £400 licence and £500 for SVQ. You also need to source a licence from a operator selling and price will depend on the individual driver ie retiring.
You then need to buy a taxi and there is currently a shortage in supply chain for 2nd hand cabs, so only available cab is a hybrid, that has a range of 60 miles and will cost in excess of 60k if buying cash or £76k finance and £860 a month thereafter, which nobody within trade would dare keep out of warranty as labour at £100 a hour and batteries costing 20k you can’t own these cabs out of warranty which means a constant hamster wheel of finance.
Currently for a trade with drivers supposedly making 100k a year your lucky if we have 100 of these vehicles in fleet.
Yes you can do ok on a Saturday night but you have to contend with abusive drunks being sick in your cab, refusing to pay resulting in trips to police station, being called robbing bastards and threatened with violence all in a nights work!
If there are taxi drivers earning 100k a year id suggest two things! They are either what we in the trade call “bullshitters” or spend life in taxi and i mean life because to break it down youd need to earn £200 a day Mon to Thursday and £400 Fri, Sat, Sunday doing mad mental hours but as I said they call them bullshitters
Need any help with anything just drop me a pm mate and ill help as much as I can.
 
Fifty Five said:
Please mate dont listen to the nonsense being spouted here!
I am a Glasgow hackney driver and just back from Holyrood with a delegation of taxi drivers fighting to save our livelihoods.
Straight off the bat to become an operator you will need 1k for a £400 licence and £500 for SVQ. You also need to source a licence from a operator selling and price will depend on the individual driver ie retiring.
You then need to buy a taxi and there is currently a shortage in supply chain for 2nd hand cabs, so only available cab is a hybrid, that has a range of 60 miles and will cost in excess of 60k if buying cash or £76k finance and £860 a month thereafter, which nobody within trade would dare keep out of warranty as labour at £100 a hour and batteries costing 20k you can’t own these cabs out of warranty which means a constant hamster wheel of finance.
Currently for a trade with drivers supposedly making 100k a year your lucky if we have 100 of these vehicles in fleet.
Yes you can do ok on a Saturday night but you have to contend with abusive drunks being sick in your cab, refusing to pay resulting in trips to police station, being called robbing bastards and threatened with violence all in a nights work!
If there are taxi drivers earning 100k a year id suggest two things! They are either what we in the trade call “bullshitters” or spend life in taxi and i mean life because to break it down youd need to earn £200 a day Mon to Thursday and £400 Fri, Sat, Sunday doing mad mental hours but as I said they call them bullshitters
Need any help with anything just drop me a pm mate and ill help as much as I can.
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To be clear!
I bought my taxi licence for £35k 15 years ago. If we are earning 100k a year why are licences being sold for 1k.
I smell reeking
 
Fifty Five said:
Please mate dont listen to the nonsense being spouted here!
I am a Glasgow hackney driver and just back from Holyrood with a delegation of taxi drivers fighting to save our livelihoods.
Straight off the bat to become an operator you will need 1k for a £400 licence and £500 for SVQ. You also need to source a licence from a operator selling and price will depend on the individual driver ie retiring.
You then need to buy a taxi and there is currently a shortage in supply chain for 2nd hand cabs, so only available cab is a hybrid, that has a range of 60 miles and will cost in excess of 60k if buying cash or £76k finance and £860 a month thereafter, which nobody within trade would dare keep out of warranty as labour at £100 a hour and batteries costing 20k you can’t own these cabs out of warranty which means a constant hamster wheel of finance.
Currently for a trade with drivers supposedly making 100k a year your lucky if we have 100 of these vehicles in fleet.
Yes you can do ok on a Saturday night but you have to contend with abusive drunks being sick in your cab, refusing to pay resulting in trips to police station, being called robbing bastards and threatened with violence all in a nights work!
If there are taxi drivers earning 100k a year id suggest two things! They are either what we in the trade call “bullshitters” or spend life in taxi and i mean life because to break it down youd need to earn £200 a day Mon to Thursday and £400 Fri, Sat, Sunday doing mad mental hours but as I said they call them bullshitters
Need any help with anything just drop me a pm mate and ill help as much as I can.
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Going by the way you post it’s not surprising you get threatened with violence

Can’t remember the last time anyone puked in my car

Can’t remember being accused of ripping someone off

Last time someone done a runner is well over two years ago

Ever thought maybe your the problem?
 
No.8MK2 said:
Going by the way you post it’s not surprising you get threatened with violence

Can’t remember the last time anyone puked in my car

Can’t remember being accused of ripping someone off

Last time someone done a runner is well over two years ago

Ever thought maybe your the
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No.8MK2 said:
Going by the way you post it’s not surprising you get threatened with violence

Can’t remember the last time anyone puked in my car

Can’t remember being accused of ripping someone off

Last time someone done a runner is well over two years ago

Ever thought maybe your the problem?
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15 years Ive never had a complaint made against me.
I no longer work nights, perhaps Im being fed bullshit by those who do?
Never been accused of ripping someone off, lucky you.
Someone done a runner!!!!!
Ever thought I was just trying being decent and trying to give the person a insight into trade that most don’t see including you by looks of it!
My main point to all was that we don’t earn £100k.
Or are you and if so why is nobody joining trade and why have I seen the value of my plate drop from £35k to 1k?
 
Fifty Five said:
15 years Ive never had a complaint made against me.
I no longer work nights, perhaps Im being fed bullshit by those who do?
Never been accused of ripping someone off, lucky you.
Someone done a runner!!!!!
Ever thought I was just trying being decent and trying to give the person a insight into trade that most don’t see including you by looks of it!
My main point to all was that we don’t earn £100k.
Or are you and if so why is nobody joining trade and why have I seen the value of my plate drop from £35k to 1k?
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15 years? Pfffft I’ve been doing it 25 years so don’t need you telling me what it’s all about
 
Fifty Five said:
15 years Ive never had a complaint made against me.
I no longer work nights, perhaps Im being fed bullshit by those who do?
Never been accused of ripping someone off, lucky you.
Someone done a runner!!!!!
Ever thought I was just trying being decent and trying to give the person a insight into trade that most don’t see including you by looks of it!
My main point to all was that we don’t earn £100k.
Or are you and if so why is nobody joining trade and why have I seen the value of my plate drop from £35k to 1k?
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If we are
No.8MK2 said:
15 years? Pfffft I’ve been doing it 25 years so don’t need you telling me what it’s all about
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What you talking about mate? Are you looking for an argument?
25 years ago think youd pay about £40k for plate, so why are they only 1k now or as mentioned earlier in post, someone can’t sell one at 10k.
Do you have a point to make dafty?
 
Fifty Five said:
Please mate dont listen to the nonsense being spouted here!
I am a Glasgow hackney driver and just back from Holyrood with a delegation of taxi drivers fighting to save our livelihoods.
Straight off the bat to become an operator you will need 1k for a £400 licence and £500 for SVQ. You also need to source a licence from a operator selling and price will depend on the individual driver ie retiring.
You then need to buy a taxi and there is currently a shortage in supply chain for 2nd hand cabs, so only available cab is a hybrid, that has a range of 60 miles and will cost in excess of 60k if buying cash or £76k finance and £860 a month thereafter, which nobody within trade would dare keep out of warranty as labour at £100 a hour and batteries costing 20k you can’t own these cabs out of warranty which means a constant hamster wheel of finance.
Currently for a trade with drivers supposedly making 100k a year your lucky if we have 100 of these vehicles in fleet.
Yes you can do ok on a Saturday night but you have to contend with abusive drunks being sick in your cab, refusing to pay resulting in trips to police station, being called robbing bastards and threatened with violence all in a nights work!
If there are taxi drivers earning 100k a year id suggest two things! They are either what we in the trade call “bullshitters” or spend life in taxi and i mean life because to break it down youd need to earn £200 a day Mon to Thursday and £400 Fri, Sat, Sunday doing mad mental hours but as I said they call them bullshitters
Need any help with anything just drop me a pm mate and ill help as much as I can.
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Having been a Hackney owner / driver since 1984 , this is the most accurate summation you’ll get .
 
Robert Marshall said:
If I was 25, I would buy one in a heartbeat, Licence plus top of range Taxi would set you back about £70K, and you could easily make £100K a year if you were willing to do the shifts
You would get 4/5 years out of the Taxi
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I’d love to know what your smoking, maybe they out of date £2 beers your selling are going to your head. 100k a year, geez fuckin peace!
 
A nod to Uber for getting me to the airport tonight after another pre-booked private hire cancelled because ‘it’s really busy because of the football’. Yes, that’s why I pre-booked!
 
Oranje said:
The ranks are queued up already and it’s only half 10.
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Usually get a queue just now from restaurants emptying, then later when pubs empty the the madness begins between 1 and 4... This is just what I've seen on my drunken adventures.
 
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Robert Marshall said:
I know someone who does £2K for four shiftsThur,Fri, Sat and Sun
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Again, I very much doubt that unless he’s doing 24 hour shifts.

Even if true, taking 2k in doesn’t come close to 100k a year when you take away the many outgoings.
 
Cooper_11 said:
@BillHastings, I'm not trying to be obtuse mate, but how do you know this? Did you hire a black hack and the driver turned his meter off whilst you were on the journey?
Or do you mean black hacks were sitting in non taxi rank locations with their hire lights switched off, waiting for an approach and quoting inflated fares (that could cost the driver his Taxi Driver's license and livelihood by the way. It's immoral and illegal, and just as bad as the Private Hire pirates that do it).
There's a difference between the hire light and the meter.
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Hire lights were on. 2am last Saturday night, Queen Street near George Square, tried to flag one down to go to Bishopbriggs, first guy said £40, we said no, tried another behind him and said exactly the same so just went for it, because we wanted up the road. Meter wasn’t on. Pals of ours left two hours earlier too and experienced the same, but was only £25 for them.
 
BillHastings said:
Hire lights were on. 2am last Saturday night, Queen Street near George Square, tried to flag one down to go to Bishopbriggs, first guy said £40, we said no, tried another behind him and said exactly the same so just went for it, because we wanted up the road. Meter wasn’t on. Pals of ours left two hours earlier too and experienced the same, but was only £25 for them.
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Because it is outside the boundary they can quote whatever price they like, you can either accept or knock it back.

I live just outside the boundary as well and have had maniacs quoting all sorts.

£40 for Bishopbriggs is lunacy. It’s a 4 mile journey so basically trying to charge you £10 a mile. What is going on out there!
 
Change the subject a bit
My son and his girlfriend and his mate and his wife were up for the game yesterday
They were in a taxi last night and another one crashed into theirs
 
SGerro8 said:
Again, I very much doubt that unless he’s doing 24 hour shifts.

Even if true, taking 2k in doesn’t come close to 100k a year when you take away the many outgoings.
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Am I missing something?

£2000 a week does equate to £100k a year
 
Robert Marshall said:
If I was 25, I would buy one in a heartbeat, Licence plus top of range Taxi would set you back about £70K, and you could easily make £100K a year if you were willing to do the shifts
You would get 4/5 years out of the Taxi
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isn’t this akin to someone saying running a pub is a goldmine, when they have no experience of running a pub?
 
Robert Marshall said:
Yes I do, 4 x15 hour shifts, has had to cut back because Tax now does three and batters in
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I don’t know what’s worse, the fact you believe him or the fact you’re on here spouting this shite. 1 15 hour shift and your making £500, I know many taxi drivers, black hack or private and I’ll tell you 100% of them will tell us you and him are talking absolute shite!

Also if you were making that you’d still be in the taxi game and not the louden.
 
Namouchi said:
I don’t know what’s worse, the fact you believe him or the fact you’re on here spouting this shite. 1 15 hour shift and your making £500, I know many taxi drivers, black hack or private and I’ll tell you 100% of them will tell us you and him are talking absolute shite!

Also if you were making that you’d still be in the taxi game and not the louden.
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I'm out of the Hackneys for 30 years when the Flagfall was 70p
No, I would still be in The Louden
But if I was 25, I would buy a Hackney
 
Namouchi said:
I don’t know what’s worse, the fact you believe him or the fact you’re on here spouting this shite. 1 15 hour shift and your making £500, I know many taxi drivers, black hack or private and I’ll tell you 100% of them will tell us you and him are talking absolute shite!

Also if you were making that you’d still be in the taxi game and not the louden.
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All I have read on here since we started back after shutdown is that people are being charged 20/30/ 40 Pound for a ten-minute Journey, so why is it impossible to earn £500 per 15-hour shift, works out at £33.33 per hour on average.

The last time I worked the Hogmanay night shift ( 1993 into 1994) I earned £300 for a 12-hour shift, are you seriously telling me with all these comments you cant earn £500 a shift when it is easier to find a tranny in a man's jail than a Taxi in Glasgow
That is why so many PH is poaching in the City
I have pals who stay in St Andrews and they need to wait an hour after the game to get a Cab because most of the drivers say they can make more money with the shorter hires. Maybe they are all lying
 
I’ve been in the taxi / private hire for over 30 years and it’s changed Glasgow city council over the last 14 years under snp have let it become corrupt because there is plates working from rutherglen and renfrewshire working in Glasgows east end and nothing is done too many brown envelopes
 
No.8MK2 said:
Am I missing something?

£2000 a week does equate to £100k a year
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He was saying you can make 100k a year.

I’m saying that at a push you may “take” 100k a year but when you minus the many outgoings your wage is nowhere near it
 
SGerro8 said:
He was saying you can make 100k a year.

I’m saying that at a push you may “take” 100k a year but when you minus the many outgoings your wage is nowhere near it
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That was based on a four day week. I’m sure you could put in another shift

I appreciate Hacks outgoings are higher than PH but I’d say my outgoings are no more than £20k a year

The thing about taxiing is you decide how much you want to earn.
 
Robert Marshall said:
All I have read on here since we started back after shutdown is that people are being charged 20/30/ 40 Pound for a ten-minute Journey, so why is it impossible to earn £500 per 15-hour shift, works out at £33.33 per hour on average.

The last time I worked the Hogmanay night shift ( 1993 into 1994) I earned £300 for a 12-hour shift, are you seriously telling me with all these comments you cant earn £500 a shift when it is easier to find a tranny in a man's jail than a Taxi in Glasgow
That is why so many PH is poaching in the City
I have pals who stay in St Andrews and they need to wait an hour after the game to get a Cab because most of the drivers say they can make more money with the shorter hires. Maybe they are all lying
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I done 17.5 hours yesterday and never got to £500, that’s a Saturday afternoon and night. PH admittedly.

You saying your pals hitting 34 quid an hour on Thursday afternoons?
 
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