Yes, things are still difficult on the financial front here in the UK. Many people have to be very careful when deciding what to spend their money on and how much they are prepared to spend. However, when it comes to paying for a taxi, is it all about the cost as far as fare-paying passengers are concerned?

We suggest to you as a taxi driver that it is not all just about how much a customer is charged. There are a number of things that are important to passengers who get in a taxi or private hire vehicle.

For instance, passengers would much rather get into a taxi or private hire vehicle that is lovely and clean and smells great rather than one that smells of sick from a passenger picked up the night before from a club having had one too many drinks. In fact, as a taxi driver, you may have preferred not to have picked up that passenger who was drunk as it may have meant that you had to take your taxi off the road for a few hours to clean it up that may have cost you lost revenue.

Reliability is another important thing as far as your passengers are concerned. If a passenger needs picking up at 3am to get them to the airport for 4am with the journey taking an hour for a flight leaving at 6.30am, it is no good getting to the customer’s home 30 minutes late. The amount of stress this could potentially cause your passenger could lead to you not being used by them again or being recommended by them to a friend or family member.

Little things like helping to carry luggage bags from the customer’s front door to your taxi and loading the suitcases in the boot of your taxi will be welcomed by your passengers. Parking as close as you can to the place they are going to is a good idea. Why not consider, on long journeys, offering your passengers a small bottle of still mineral water to drink especially in the hot weather that we are encountering at the moment.

Again, on long journeys such as airport transfers, consider stopping periodically at a service station as one or more of your passengers may wish to pop to the toilet.

We do hope that the above gives you food for thought in running your taxi service.