The dos and don’ts and ins and outs of becoming a taxi driver
The path to becoming a taxi driver isn’t as simple as painting your vehicle black, placing an amber light on its roof and picking passengers right away. If you are thinking of becoming a taxi driver, there are lots of things to be considered, many of which are not immediately apparent.
In this article, we will be looking at some of the questions you should consider asking yourself and the factors that you need to consider before becoming a career taxi driver.
Public or Private?
The cab services industry has two major categories: private and public. Private cabs are taxis that only pick up clients with whom the cab company has reached an agreement with like minicab or airport pickup services. Public cabs, on the other hand, are taxis that anyone on the street can hail. These are also known as Hackney carriages, and they include the famous black cabs in London.
Outside of the United Kingdom’s capital, driving a cab will require that you have one of two types of taxi licenses – a private hire licence or a hackney carriage licence. Respective local councils around the nation issue both licenses. To acquire one, you need to be someone who works legally in the United Kingdom and have held a full Great Britain, Northern Ireland or European Union driving licence for no less than one year. Depending on your local authority’s requirements, you may also be required to undergo a character and background check (includes criminal records analysis from the DBS), optional medical examinations, enhanced driving exams, and knowledge tests.
The London Effect
In London, taxi service licenses are allotted by Transport for London. Acquiring a taxi licence in London is a bit more complicated than in other cities. In the capital, there are a few more hoops potential applicants have to jump through before receiving their licence. For instance, if you want to become a private hire licence holder, there is an age requirement (you must be over 21-years of age to get the licence) as well as extra fees to be paid. As part of your application, you will also be required to take a test known as the “topographical skills assessment.”
To be a licenced public cab driver and earn the right to drive one of the city’s famous black cabs, the application process is a bit more arduous. Once you’ve been licensed, you can choose to either learn a given suburban sector or the notorious All-London Knowledge, where you effectively memorise all the streets within a six-mile radius of Charing Cross. This is what sets Transport for London cab drivers apart – they have an intimate knowledge of all the road systems they ply, and, therefore, do not need satellite navigation.
Though there’s a turnover for new London-approved and UK cab drivers’ licenses, both the DVLA and Transport for London urge applicants to assess the labour market when driving to make sure that it makes financial sense. Transport for London is legally obliged to issue drivers licenses if they meet the statutory eligibility requirements despite how saturated the capital’s roads are.
Uber
Another option to becoming a cab driver in the UK is becoming an Uber driver. Driving for the taxi-hailing app company is by far less demanding and more flexible than driving a public or private cab. However, it does have its own frustrations – and there is a possibility that Uber could be banned from operating in London soon.
But until then, Uber is a great way to earn money if you have children or another job or some commitments that you have to workaround.
The thing about Uber is that it best suits drivers that have their own vehicles. Your vehicle has to be less than five years old for you to become an Uber driver. It is worth noting that the company offers discounts and finance deals on new cars. Despite that, you’ll still need to have a private hire vehicle licence, which you can get from your local council for £100. You’ll also need a smartphone and a stable internet connection for you to be able to pick up clients and fares and log the journeys you have made.
Insurance Matters
There are several other undertakings that you will have to consider when thinking of becoming a cab driver in the UK. For instance, you might be required to pay taxes and even get more equipment. However, once you have decided how you would like to work, one crucial thing you will need is insurance – and one that covers you adequately.
As a taxi driver, you will be covering a much higher mileage compared to other drivers that are on standard car insurance policies. Furthermore, you have more risks to worry about. As such, you need to find a policy that covers you properly. In most cases, insurers will also stipulate the minimum driver age, which is often 25 years.
Since public and private hire policies are different, make sure you consider the kind of taxi driver you’d like to be before looking for a policy. Even though public hires are riskier to insure than private ones, they generally involved more-experienced drivers and newer vehicles. As a result, most insurance companies look favourably upon them.
Another thing to note is that there are separate provisions for people carriers, MPVs, or minibuses due to the larger number of passengers they transport. If you own a fleet of taxis or are thinking of starting a taxi company, consider getting taxi fleet insurance. The savings and convenience of all-driver policies might be more attractive, especially when more drivers are added compared to single-vehicle or named driver insurance products.
Lastly, there are a couple of additional covers that are available for taxi drivers. The first one is public liability insurance. This cover comes as standard in a majority, if not all, policies. It protects you, the driver, from claims made by customers who’ve been injured or suffered any loss while travelling in your taxi. Check out this great taxi insurance comparison site.
Breakdown cover is another important cover. Since your car represents your livelihood, getting back behind the wheel after a technical hitch or accident is paramount. A personal use cover is another crucial cover to have if you drive your car when not working; this includes policies that cover unlimited mileage, especially if you work as a taxi driver fulltime.
