# Become a Taxi Driver



## JaySonic (Aug 25, 2016)

For members here who have seen Uber as a way to make some income, have you considered making the shift to driving a taxi?

I took a cab this morning at 7am to get home (big night!) and got chatting with the driver. He's a 25 year veteran and LOVES these new rideshare apps. Claims that running all three methods (radio call, UberTaxi, GoCatchTaxi), he gets more work more often, and as a result works far less than he used to.

He was explaining to be that the 25/15% pound of flesh that Uber/CG take from us does not apply to taxi, as the government requires them to use their calibrated, tested and approved meters. I think he said something about the apps charging him $2 for every job he takes. Was a bit hazy, his English wasn't the best and I was very, uh, tired but I'm sure these are the details

So who's considered jumping the fence and becoming a cabbie ? Renting a vehicle daily would also eliminate any maintenance, insurance, rego and other costs, and work seems to be non stop if you're running all three job stream technologies.


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## JaySonic (Aug 25, 2016)

And I don't know why taxi owners are whingeing about Uber. They could sell their plates and buy 20 LATE MODEL COROLLAS, rent them out to Uber drivers and make their money back on the plates in the first year Everything after that is cream. Insurance is less too.


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## joffie (Jan 31, 2016)

Most plate owners have already recovered the money by ripping off the customers over the years.

Love watching the old greek men complaining no money here no money there but be they were not complaining when they rented the cabs and enjoyed a cut of the cash jobs.


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## fields (Jul 11, 2016)

Jaysonic, the economics dont stack up.

Lease a cab five 12 hour dayshifts a week and you end up paying $550 or more. Lease a brand new car for Uber and you pay $300 for the entire week. That's $250 in your pocket already. If you do 5 nightshifts with a taxi, you could be pocketing $450.


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## JaySonic (Aug 25, 2016)

OK I see your point. Didn't know it was so expensive to hire a taxi as a day rate. 

My discussion this morning was with the driver and owner of the vehicle, so he was speaking from a position of paying no day rate (and probably getting a further 12 hour hire fee for when he's not on the road). That would make a big difference to having a good shot at it.


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## fields (Jul 11, 2016)

JaySonic said:


> OK I see your point. Didn't know it was so expensive to hire a taxi as a day rate.
> 
> My discussion this morning was with the driver and owner of the vehicle, so he was speaking from a position of paying no day rate (and probably getting a further 12 hour hire fee for when he's not on the road). That would make a big difference to having a good shot at it.


He would indeed be making more money than an Uber driver. But the guy driving it at night wouldn't.

The irony is the compensation proposed by the NSW govt would not go to the struggling night driver.


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## JaySonic (Aug 25, 2016)

Hey mate, I just read up on this compensation scheme. DISGUSTING! Why should the government be facilitating an industry bail out ? Its market competition, and if the taxi industry people are too stupid to stay in the game then why should they get handouts? 

There must be a lot of thick bastards out there. Every taxi driver already has a DAC, they can lease a car weekly for much less than a day rate for a taxi, and be ubering in a week maybe even less. 

Oh wait, that would mean they would have to be polite to pax. Guess theyre shit out of luck. 

The industry isn't dying, it's just shifting. Amazingly Ive spoken to taxis who havent even HEARD of uber, and look at me like im telling tall tales when I explain how it works.


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## ChortlingCrison (Mar 30, 2016)

JaySonic said:


> For members here who have seen Uber as a way to make some income, have you considered making the shift to driving a taxi?
> 
> I took a cab this morning at 7am to get home (big night!) and got chatting with the driver. He's a 25 year veteran and LOVES these new rideshare apps. Claims that running all three methods (radio call, UberTaxi, GoCatchTaxi), he gets more work more often, and as a result works far less than he used to.
> 
> ...


I think a good portion of the veteran ubers (who originally drove taxis) went back to that again. The newbie uber drivers are convinced that .85/mile will make them lots of money, and that uber doesn't really control them. Aside from being able to turn on and off the uber app, the driver has very little control.


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## dcc. (Jul 25, 2016)

General consensus; if driving full time drive a cab, if driving part time drive Uber and focus on peak hours.

Cabs will still make significantly more money over the course of a week given higher fares, peak tariffs, cab charges, bus lanes, tips (!!), lower running costs, rank and hail, cash-in-hand, etc etc etc.

Renting a cab is redundant because you are just giving away a significant % of your fares.



JaySonic said:


> Hey mate, I just read up on this compensation scheme. DISGUSTING! Why should the government be facilitating an industry bail out ? Its market competition, and if the taxi industry people are too stupid to stay in the game then why should they get handouts?


This is one of those "two sides of the coin" arguments where nobody sees the other side... Most of this forum says "we shouldn't bail them out because that's the nature of competition and it was their poor investment choice" - which is completely reasonable. The flip-side to this is that the government sold taxi licenses at exorbitant prices which, before Uber, guaranteed a return on investment which now no longer exists. Yes, this can be seen as an investment risk but you can also argue it's 1) not a reasonable outcome given the government's promised protection of the taxi industry or 2) it's not a investment but rather a purchase from the government which did not fulfil it's intended purpose. These are the exact same reasons we have 1) government guarantee on bank deposits and 2) consumer law to protect purchasers.

At the end of the day, it's two sides of a redundant argument. But it would be really, really nice if the conversation around it was a bit more insightful.

I'll stop ranting now... peace, amigos.


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## Ben Hall (Apr 15, 2016)

JaySonic said:


> Hey mate, I just read up on this compensation scheme. DISGUSTING! Why should the government be facilitating an industry bail out ? Its market competition, and if the taxi industry people are too stupid to stay in the game then why should they get handouts?
> 
> There must be a lot of thick bastards out there. Every taxi driver already has a DAC, they can lease a car weekly for much less than a day rate for a taxi, and be ubering in a week maybe even less.
> 
> ...


Taxi plate owners paid a high price to the govt to operate in a highly regulated and restricted market. as the govt changed the rules on them they deserve some compensation


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## Ben Hall (Apr 15, 2016)

JaySonic said:


> Hey mate, I just read up on this compensation scheme. DISGUSTING! Why should the government be facilitating an industry bail out ? Its market competition, and if the taxi industry people are too stupid to stay in the game then why should they get handouts?
> 
> There must be a lot of thick bastards out there. Every taxi driver already has a DAC, they can lease a car weekly for much less than a day rate for a taxi, and be ubering in a week maybe even less.
> 
> ...


why would you give up set fares plus fares and rank and hail work to go to uber for the pathetic rates and non regulated fees.
Uber can and do reduce the per km rate and their commission as it suits them. not a reliable long term set up for drivers.


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## fields (Jul 11, 2016)

Ben Hall said:


> Taxi plate owners paid a high price to the govt to operate in a highly regulated and restricted market. as the govt changed the rules on them they deserve some compensation


In NSW many taxi plates were actually given out for free. These plates were later sold and on sold for huge profits. These profits, except for stamp duty, did not go to the government, they went to the greedy plate holders who have been bleeding Sydney drivers and passengers dry for decades.

They deserve absolutely nothing!


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## Ben Hall (Apr 15, 2016)

fields said:


> In NSW many taxi plates were actually given out for free. These plates were later sold and on sold for huge profits. These profits, except for stamp duty, did not go to the government, they went to the greedy plate holders who have been bleeding Sydney drivers and passengers dry for decades.
> 
> They deserve absolutely nothing!


that was over 30 years ago and there were conditions.

Pre-1982, the good old days, a taxi owner could only own one plate and he had to earn at least 60% of his income from driving his own cab. He could supplement his income by bailing (renting) his cab out to accredited bailee drivers. If he decided to retire from the industry he could sell his plate, but only to a bailee.

New licences were issued for free by ballot exclusively to bailee drivers with 10 or more years' service who had signed up to the seniority list. However, this system was wound back over the next three years and then discontinued completely as the government opened the industry up to investors and multiple plate ownership. Hundreds of bailees on the list had their dream of one day becoming their own boss and the proud owner of a taxi plate shattered, whilst those who already were owners thought all their Christmases had come at once. And they had. The value of taxi plates exploded.


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## fields (Jul 11, 2016)

Ben Hall said:


> that was over 30 years ago and there were conditions.
> 
> Pre-1982, the good old days, a taxi owner could only own one plate and he had to earn at least 60% of his income from driving his own cab. He could supplement his income by bailing (renting) his cab out to accredited bailee drivers. If he decided to retire from the industry he could sell his plate, but only to a bailee.
> 
> New licences were issued for free by ballot exclusively to bailee drivers with 10 or more years' service who had signed up to the seniority list. However, this system was wound back over the next three years and then discontinued completely as the government opened the industry up to investors and multiple plate ownership. Hundreds of bailees on the list had their dream of one day becoming their own boss and the proud owner of a taxi plate shattered, whilst those who already were owners thought all their Christmases had come at once. And they had. The value of taxi plates exploded.


Correct!


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## Ben Hall (Apr 15, 2016)

fields said:


> Correct!


and the government were resposible for setting the prices of fares?


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## JaySonic (Aug 25, 2016)

Legion get 1.5 stars from Google reviewers.

Cabs will soon go the way of home delivered homogenized milk. A memory of times past.


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## Drivingthecattlehome (Sep 13, 2016)

JaySonic said:


> For members here who have seen Uber as a way to make some income, have you considered making the shift to driving a taxi?
> 
> I took a cab this morning at 7am to get home (big night!) and got chatting with the driver. He's a 25 year veteran and LOVES these new rideshare apps. Claims that running all three methods (radio call, UberTaxi, GoCatchTaxi), he gets more work more often, and as a result works far less than he used to.
> 
> ...


Maybe it would be an upgrade. More research and consideration required.


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## Lexkan (Jan 13, 2017)

Side by side. Uber against everyone: Taxis GoCatch Rydo Cabcharge and many more players


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## george manousaridis (Jan 27, 2017)

joffie said:


> Most plate owners have already recovered the money by ripping off the customers over the years.
> 
> Love watching the old greek men complaining no money here no money there but be they were not complaining when they rented the cabs and enjoyed a cut of the cash jobs.


Love it about the greek man....love it.....tight fisted qhinger....As i am greek too


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## yogi bear (Dec 25, 2015)

well the old greeks came here, worked hard in a job no one else would do providing a service often thankless, stuck at it, followed the rules the regulations, bought a plate, maybe bought two or three, ran a small fleet as a family business, security for the future, for their retirement, for their children even, then after decades of following the rules as set down by the government in comes Uber , blatantly breaking all the rules, bribing the right people in power, bulldozing over the regulations with a team of top shelf lawyers, absolutely decimating anyone operating in the legitimate industry, selling a line of hokey to both the pax and drivers about this all being about the service, when it was just about undercutting a regulated business in the end. final result the drivers, whether legal cabbies or illegal ubers, often the same people, are far far worse off now than ever, subsidizing the pax cheap fares out of their own pockets..

and now jimmy the greek, who might have had 3 plates worth 1,5 million that he though he was set for life with has net assets of 200,000

and rashmead, another new immigrant, that came here, followed the rules, thought working 70 hours a week would pay off in the long run, he borrowed 400K to buy a 500K plate, he's left with sweet FA for his last 10 years of 70 hours weeks..

you hear uber drivers whinging about being ducked over here, think about whats happened to some of these others having seen there 500k plates become next to worthless because of a blatently illegal startup co from san francisco.

all they really did wrong was work hard long hours , follow the rules, and buy into the business they were in.


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## Lexkan (Jan 13, 2017)

Hey hey to that


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## Terrychris (Dec 4, 2016)

Benefits in driving a Cab vs Uber is you can earn so much whilst on a pension driving a Cab ... You obviously dont declare all earnings .

Or you dont "Log in" just drive around City looking for street hails and declare zilch.
Negatives are drunks and fare evaders , people who just walk out if your cab without paying !

I heard day rental is as high as $155 for 12 hours 3am to 3pm .. Then LPG on top of that !
I remember getting into a Cab about 2 years ago with a middle aged Lebanese guy who had morgaged his house to buy a Sydney Taxi plate in 2011 for $425,000 !!!!!

Poor guy was driving a plate now wirth about 200k if he can sell it !!!


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## Lexkan (Jan 13, 2017)

Nothing can be described without throwing in a greek leb with few scams and government benefits. 

It makes you wandering


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## george manousaridis (Jan 27, 2017)

Lexkan said:


> Nothing can be described without throwing in a greek leb with few scams and government benefits.
> 
> It makes you wandering


love it....love it...TRUE!!!!Be alert when from Greeks Bearing Gifts


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## NeilWhite (Dec 8, 2016)

yogi bear said:


> well the old greeks came here, worked hard in a job no one else would do providing a service often thankless, stuck at it, followed the rules the regulations, bought a plate, maybe bought two or three, ran a small fleet as a family business, security for the future, for their retirement, for their children even, then after decades of following the rules as set down by the government in comes Uber , blatantly breaking all the rules, bribing the right people in power, bulldozing over the regulations with a team of top shelf lawyers, absolutely decimating anyone operating in the legitimate industry, selling a line of hokey to both the pax and drivers about this all being about the service, when it was just about undercutting a regulated business in the end. final result the drivers, whether legal cabbies or illegal ubers, often the same people, are far far worse off now than ever, subsidizing the pax cheap fares out of their own pockets..
> 
> and now jimmy the greek, who might have had 3 plates worth 1,5 million that he though he was set for life with has net assets of 200,000
> 
> ...


Unfortunately thats how the world works!!! Those people made a business decision, just like the millions of other people who invest money in a small business. Many many businesses go broke for a variety of reasons. Uber just happened to be their reason... Should we feel sorry for them? Yeah maybe... Should we compensate them for it? DEFINITELY NOT!!! Its just the way life is... Sometimes it works out and sometimes it doesn't!!!


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## Lexkan (Jan 13, 2017)

Definitely yes. Because it is government who kept plate numbers as they were. If deregulated before uber like New Zealand then it would be definitely no.


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## Lexkan (Jan 13, 2017)

Otherwise government would get sued for misleading


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## fields (Jul 11, 2016)

NeilWhite said:


> Unfortunately thats how the world works!!! Those people made a business decision, just like the millions of other people who invest money in a small business. Many many businesses go broke for a variety of reasons. Uber just happened to be their reason... Should we feel sorry for them? Yeah maybe... Should we compensate them for it? DEFINITELY NOT!!! Its just the way life is... Sometimes it works out and sometimes it doesn't!!!


I certainly dont see why I as an Uber driver have to start forking out $1 per ride as compensation for these taxi plate owners.


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## yogi bear (Dec 25, 2015)

fields said:


> I certainly dont see why I as an Uber driver have to start forking out $1 per ride as compensation for these taxi plate owners.


You don't, your passengers do, you wont even see the money. Uber will deduct it direct from their credit card.


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## fields (Jul 11, 2016)

yogi bear said:


> You don't, your passengers do, you wont even see the money. Uber will deduct it direct from their credit card.


You have no way of knowing whether Uber will increase rates by $1. More likely as with the 10% GST, it will come out of the driver's pocket.

Whereas taxi drivers will simply pocket the $1 surcharge, especially if the passenger pays cash.


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## Ubernaut (Sep 12, 2016)

The same Jimmy that refused to take me home because I was out of the way? Or the Jimmy, that put the meter on peak time during off-peak hours? Or the Jimmy that takes you from Mascot to Hurstville via Melbourne?

Cry me a river. You obviously do not believe in a FREE MARKET.

If the taxi industry and Jimmy the greek were so great, there would be no need for uber. They suck at what they do, the hords of complaints from consumers are testament. A failing industry/business needs to either shape up or disappear. Consumers have copped too much shit from the Taxi industry and its monopoly for far too long.


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## george manousaridis (Jan 27, 2017)

Ubernaut said:


> The same Jimmy that refused to take me home because I was out of the way? Or the Jimmy, that put the meter on peak time during off-peak hours? Or the Jimmy that takes you from Mascot to Hurstville via Melbourne?
> 
> Cry me a river. You obviously do not believe in a FREE MARKET.
> 
> If the taxi industry and Jimmy the greek were so great, there would be no need for uber. They suck at what they do, the hords of complaints from consumers are testament. A failing industry/business needs to either shape up or disappear. Consumers have copped too much shit from the Taxi industry and its monopoly for far too long.


I really love THIS ONE TOO!!!!Oh dear lord how we all forget about the past life.LOL what wrong with been on the dole,pension,disability ànd so on from the old DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SECURITY(OLD DSS)where everyon was making money,,from greeks...lebos....turks....croats....and so on.Remeber all the compo claims lol....whiplash.....lol....and whatever benefit one was on he could work for "CASH" meaning work the cab at night....hahaha sprung..Other things too but i dont want to get to excited here.I think i will leave it alone i dont want to say too much due to emotionally hurt anyone.


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## Ubernaut (Sep 12, 2016)

george manousaridis said:


> I really love THIS ONE TOO!!!!Oh dear lord how we all forget about the past life.LOL what wrong with been on the dole,pension,disability ànd so on from the old DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SECURITY(OLD DSS)where everyon was making money,,from greeks...lebos....turks....croats....and so on.Remeber all the compo claims lol....whiplash.....lol....and whatever benefit one was on he could work for "CASH" meaning work the cab at night....hahaha sprung..Other things too but i dont want to get to excited here.I think i will leave it alone i dont want to say too much due to emotionally hurt anyone.


*The Wog Boy: Car Crash Scene*


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## george manousaridis (Jan 27, 2017)

Ubernaut said:


> *The Wog Boy: Car Crash Scene*


Love it lol....BRILLIANT!!!!DONT FORGET THE GREEK MERCEDES AND THE KINGSWOOD!!!GreatUberCars4Classics!!!!SICK [email protected]!!!!


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## Ubernaut (Sep 12, 2016)

george manousaridis said:


> Love it lol....BRILLIANT!!!!DONT FORGET THE GREEK MERCEDES AND THE KINGSWOOD!!!GreatUberCars4Classics!!!!SICK [email protected]!!!!


Now theres an idea for uber. UberClassic, book a gas guzzler. lol


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## Jae Lee (Mar 20, 2016)

fields said:


> In NSW many taxi plates were actually given out for free. These plates were later sold and on sold for huge profits. These profits, except for stamp duty, did not go to the government, they went to the greedy plate holders who have been bleeding Sydney drivers and passengers dry for decades.
> 
> They deserve absolutely nothing!


Yes sir! yes!


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## Lexkan (Jan 13, 2017)

Racism ok?


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## Greninja005 (Feb 8, 2017)

Being a taxi driver would be less free, and you have to follow many trivial rules set by goverment...maybe you can split the difference...


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