In my years as a freelancer, I've seen countless businesses flounder and fail. Sometimes it's because the owner is inexperienced; sometimes it's because the market wasn't ready for the product; sometimes it seems simply to be a matter of luck. If you want to manipulate your own luck, though, there are some tricks you can use--little things that will make it easier for you to get your new small business off the ground and keep it there. In this new blog, I'll be sharing those tips and tricks with you and answering your questions on how to help yourself as much as possible.
If you've recently started a taxi business, you may be finding it hard to get going. It takes time for new taxi services to get traction if there is established competition in the area; even if you're the only taxi cab in a small town, there may not be enough people who need your service to keep you on the road.
To speed things up, you can sign up to an app-based taxi booking company. These companies use mobile apps to connect passengers with taxi drivers. What are the benefits?
Fares on Tap
If you register as a taxi driver on an app, then you connect to a wider range of potential fares than you can find on your own. You don't need to do any advertising or marketing to find passengers.
The app lists people who want to make specific journeys. When you see a suitable fare, you accept the job and do it. You can take advance fares and plan ahead. Or, if you find yourself with a couple of spare hours between jobs, you can look for immediate fares to fill the time and earn some extra cash.
Freedom to Choose
When you sign up to a booking app, you consider jobs as they come into the system. You don't, however, have to take jobs if you don't want to. You pick and choose when you work. You can make app bookings your main priority or use them for extra work between bookings you arrange yourself.
Typically, the only prerequisite here is that you turn up for any job you've accepted or, if you suddenly find you can't do a job after all, you cancel it according to the booking company's terms.
Payment Security
Every experienced taxi driver has stories about passengers who skipped on paying their fares; some have even been robbed by passengers. Booking apps tend to charge fixed fares, which they automatically take from passengers' accounts at the end of journeys. The booking company then pays you.
This increases your payment security and reduces risk. If you're not making general pick-ups, you don't even need to carry any cash in your cab.
If you're interested in signing up as a booking app taxi driver, check out app companies to see what's on offer. It's always a good idea to read driver terms and conditions before you join to make sure you understand exactly what you're getting and what will be expected of you.
Share16 October 2018
