Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

Right, looking for some opinions people.

In my current capacity of Taxi Driver, I've been chatting to my new colleagues/competitors about how things are going. Apparently, and rather unsurprisingly, takings have been down since the beginning of the year when the recession really started to bite. Add in some of our drivers allegedly muddying the name of the company, and things could be a lot better.

So I had a cunning plan. We all drive for a Company called Streamline, who operate throughout north Kent. It's a fairly trusted brand, and one I feel I can work with. It is my intention to get some of the guys on side, we all chip in to a pot, and get flyers printed and distributed before the Summer Holidays advertising our airport runs, local services etc, splitting the cost between us. The Office don't seem too keen to advertise around the town, so I figure it's very much in our interests to do so.

But what if they say no to chipping in? I can well afford to have the stuff printed and distributed myself, but part of me has the bullish attitude that it won't just be me benefitting from the advertising, so why the feth should I shell out when they won't? Of course, the flipside is that I will of course benefit. Plus I might be able to blag with the office staff and agreed code on any airport runs gained through this, which would only be given out to the contributors. What do you reckon?

Should I just bite the bullett and get it done, or should I not give them anything for free? Really in a bit of a quandry.

N.B. I reckon I can get it all printed and distributed for £300, and our cheapest Airport run (to Gatwick) is £45. So even if only a handful respond for Airports, it will just take said handful to recoup my outlay should I have to do it on me todd.

I'm of the opinion that you shouldn't do anything for free. I would get your colleagues together and split the cost as evenly as possible and then split the runs evenly. The company can probably spare the flyer money, but are just being bullish about it all.

And what does this have to do with the rain falling in Spain?

G

IF they haven't advertised now, they probably won't.

I reckon if I use the promotion tag (having run it past the office first of course) then I will get a better response. I come up with a promotion reference (they don't need to know the Airport runs aren't any cheaper, do they? Not up on Advertising Standards) to be quoted. Then, the guys and girls in the office, when given the code, know to only farm it out to Drivers X, Y and Z who actually got off their fat arses to try and drum up even more business.

Timing is pretty critical right now, miss the Summer Hols, and we're pretty much boned!

I say go ahead and present the idea to whoever you have in mind. The worst they could do is say 'no'. Then, you could re-work the plan until you get enough people to go along with the project.

Best of luck. If I ever go to England, I will def. let you know so I can have someone show me around.

Whats your target market. When I am stuck downtown and need a cab because I've missed ye old bus I don't know cab A from cab B, just that there are a bunch parked at the building next door. Same for the ones I pick to and from the airport.

I do know some companies have connections with taxi entities or preferred taxi dudes.

Yeah. When I was in Seattle I couldnt tell one yellow taxi from the next, however the ones that caught my eye were the ones that were in convient locations and looked well kept even from a distance.

Nothing sucks more then paying to ride in a filthy cab.

That and what Frazzled said. Ft. Lewis hired a cab company that catered just to soldiers. Worked great for weekends out on the town partying and we always hooked the driver up if he was willing to stick around just for us.

Think me and my group tipped the guy $100 one night just for waiting around while we went from club to club so we wouldnt have to hail multiple cabs.

I really like this idea and think that it´s interesting. But except from the problem of dividing the costs, you MUST talk to your agency and see if they are fine with these " improvised adverts". If they get problems with tax-paying or something like this when advertising ( I don´t know, but I think there might be such burocratic problems ) you are the one who has to pay for any trouble coming up.

Ah, well you see. I have no real target market. I'll take anyone anywhere for a price (I am Han Solo!) but there are limitations.

In the UK, we have two classifications of what constitues a Taxi. First and best know of course, are Hackney Cabs. These guys have a full plate on their cars, are usually limited in type and colour of car to be used, and are authorised to sit on a Rank, tout for business, and be flagged down. In Royal Tunbridge Wells, there are exactly 99 Hackney Plates (to stop it being overpopulated like) and every single one is taken. My Favourite Foreigners Dad recently sold his Hackney plates for a colossal £7,000!

I, however operate in the other classification, namely Private Hire Vehicle. All my jobs (give or take a couple of cheeky ones) have to be Pre-Booked, either through me (once I have my own car and driver badge) or the Office, who then chuck them out to the next Driver in the area.

However, I do take pride in my wheels, and keep it clean, washing it 2-3 times a week (I use the Garage's pressure washer. Trust that more than the drive in type, which have proven most disappointing and wussy of late). In addition, it has a mini-valet one a week. Bunch of Polish guys, £10 and about 15 minutes, and I have one spangly clean vehicle both inside and out. Add in my own appearance (shaved, hair tied back, suited and booted are the company orders) and we are that little bit smarter than the other PHV firms out there!

I'm really hunting those lucrative Airport Jobs. If I get it right and this plan works, gone will be the one way fare. With any luck, I can get 3 Gatwicks a day, 2 there, 1 back, which tots up to a perfectly resonable £135 a day, which is more than enough for me to live on. Total score of course would be the 2 there 2 back deal, giving me a colossal daily earning of £190! So yeah. Thats what I'm aiming for.

I don't know man. On the positive if its a bust it doesn't sound like too much out of pocket.

I don't think we're really qualified to help with advice much more than you've been given.

But if the cab company is not supportive, are there better cab companies?

Is it wrong to make up your own adverts with a "Ask for Mad Doc Grostnik" emblazoned upon them? If the company and/or your co-workers aren't willing to come up with the funds for advertising, I wouldn't do it by youself.

It is at the moment. I'm not badged yet (doing the paper work just now. Well, not right now, obviously. I Don't have four arms. That you know of) so rather than paying the circuit fee, Streamline get 50% of me takings each week, and it's kind of frowned upon for a probie to arrange private jobs like that.

However, once I'm badged (next couple of months, depending on the Criminal Records Check) I can accept Private Jobs, as the company only takes £145 a week from me pocket, so me earning extra is neither here nor there to them, innit? But either way, if I plan to use Streamline as the driving ban, I really cannot give out my own number (causes tres mucho confusion!). Hence the simple idea of a reference. Probably RA491. Looks right for a reference, and is my initials and driver number!

Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:

However, once I'm badged (next couple of months, depending on the Criminal Records Check)

Er...that explains the phone call. I probably shouldn't have said, "yea not only is that guy a wife beater and voted for George Bush in the US election, but he's a terrorist, and a Tory!" Sorry.


(whats a Tory?)

Tory? You called me a Tory?

You unfeeling Bastard sir. I had nothing to do with Thatcherism! I was only born in 1980! Don't blame that old witch on me matey! (Tory is a Conservative voter in the UK. Can't remember why. I did know, but I fergot) Mind you, this is Royal Tunbridge Wells, the sort of place Blackadder was referring to when he mentioned votes, hatstands and blue ribbons.

If you are Han Solo.. why not turn the car into the Falcon?

In my opinion you're going about it completely the wrong way. You should be banding with your fellow taxi drivers to push the company for better marketing, not doing it for them. As a franchisee you have a right to make claim for things like that.

Besides, from working in an industry heavily associated with marketing and advertising I would surmise the amount of money you put in to advertise said taxi firm, would inevitably be rather significant compared to the amount of money you, single taxi driver of said firm, would get out of it. (edit: that's asuming you didn't convince the others to chip in and ended up fronting all the money yourself.)

Wait until I get my Mercedes. Then it will be renamed the Mercedes Falcon! Possibly complete with Fluffy Dice like.

This new company sounds suspicious and risky ><...

Is not new! Streamline have been going since the 1930's.

Sorry i meant this new choice you are deciding on ><

But since they are so old , and they havnt even thought of doing the ads before?

The marketing department sounds lazy :x

I almost want to say bite the bullet and eat the costs of making and distributing those flyers since in the long run you'll be making tons over what it cost to do so.

LunaHound wrote:The marketing department sounds lazy :x

I have to say, I don't know of many cab firms near me that are reluctant to advertise.

djphranq wrote:I almost want to say bite the bullet and eat the costs of making and distributing those flyers since in the long run you'll be making tons over what it cost to do so.

Yarr. However, my right wing side (which is only small. Confirmed Lefty Liberal me. Well, most of the time) is loathing that others who might refuse to help fund this venture, will share in the spoils. Hence the quandry. Guess it all depends on price. I have a fair few contacts in the printing world to help there!

How about personalised business cards? I admit they are highly illegal if you're not registered, but if you get a payasyougo phone and a pseudonym, surely you can snare a few, fat, regular airport users?

Please don't go adding to the companies' marketing budget out of your own pocket, i've fallen foul of that myself and nearly ended up getting arrested for it!

I have taken cabs within 2 different countries , and the difference are pretty agitating.

First we have cabs in Canada , we have to phone them , they come 10 mins later to arrive . Then they get dispatched to the next caller that is near.

Then we have cabs in asia , there are always 3-4 cabs in plain sight everywhere i go ( yes abit excessive if its applied in canada ) But generally i want a cab available near by and on the spot!

Cant they just have cabs on stand by in mall parking lots and such?

Hey, maybe just get a quote from your printing mates and put it to the management. Worst case scenario, they no. Maybe they'll recognise a good idea, the use of intiative and a damn good bloke. There's nowt to lose really!

LunaHound wrote:
I have taken cabs within 2 different countries , and the difference are pretty agitating.

First we have cabs in Canada , we have to phone them , they come 10 mins later to arrive . Then they get dispatched to the next caller that is near.

Then we have cabs in asia , there are always 3-4 cabs in plain sight everywhere i go ( yes abit excessive if its applied in canada ) But generally i want a cab available near by and on the spot!

Cant they just have cabs on stand by in mall parking lots and such?

10 minutes? Here you're lucky if they say less than half an hour. Really, ten minutes is perfectly reasonable.

In the event I need to use public transport calling a cab is usually last on my list, mainly because of the stupid prices.

Well it might be worth it if you can get 30 drivers in on it, its only a tenner each which for the potential earnings would be alot more.

If they won't agree to a tenner then they really are feth heads.

Where I used to live it was usually impossible to open the door in the morning because of the number of minicab cards shovelled through along with other junk mail.

Before you go ahead with this plan, ask your office manager if he will give you permission to use the company's name and details in your adverts.