I know a minicab driver in Swansea (No the West end of London, but that's where I live) who drives for a company (does not own the cab) and he reckons he only earns around £8k. I know another minicab driver who owns the cab (also Swansea), but drives for a company who tells me he earns £23k. And talking to a black cab driver in London, he told me that they should earn anything between £40K to £50k. But all of them put in long hours.
how much do you reckon a taxi driver makes?
- Thread starter cm1179
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Associate
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My dad was a taxi driver and they all earn a decent living HOWEVER you have to be willing to work long hours. My dad and all his brothers are taxi drivers. well my dad is ex taxi driver because he suffers from back problems due to workin long hours.
you can get around 500-1000 a week if you work 12+ hours a day, i know people that work 18 hours a day.
before 2005 if you was a black cab driver you could earn 800 a week with ease and only work aroun 8-10 hours. However there are many other taxi out there now the market is over saturated.
you can get around 500-1000 a week if you work 12+ hours a day, i know people that work 18 hours a day.
before 2005 if you was a black cab driver you could earn 800 a week with ease and only work aroun 8-10 hours. However there are many other taxi out there now the market is over saturated.
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Glasgow hackneys have lost major work recently, I worked there about 5 years ago.
I guess the best bet is private hire, which I assume is FOXTROTs area, Hackneys in glasgow used to make figures like that.
Your plate for a hack was 41k until recently, lost contracts making them in low 30k's.
just my 2 bobs worth.
Al
I guess the best bet is private hire, which I assume is FOXTROTs area, Hackneys in glasgow used to make figures like that.
Your plate for a hack was 41k until recently, lost contracts making them in low 30k's.
just my 2 bobs worth.
Al
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Think about it before you do !!!
What sort of hours do you want to work ?
A typical London Black cab driver working a 10 hour shift 5 days a week will turn over a Gross of around £1000 a week on average .
Now lets do a few calculations here ,
£1000 a week X 48 lets take four weels off for holidays and maintenance. £48,000
Most cab drivers will rent , i used to at £200 a week x52 = £10,400
Diesel round £200 a week £200 a week x48+ £9,600
The above costs are unavoidable and only averages costs but what most people work from .
SO
£48,000
£10,400 -
£ 9,600 -
------------
£28,000 Net Profit a year , on this a few other costs can come out but not to many . My tax bill and NI for the year was around £2500 ,
So £25,500 net a year /52 = £490 week or £2125 a month .
Ok that a living but you will find most of them work the sixth day and that is where you can earn the extra wonga , I would not expext much less than £450 to pass through my window on a Saturday night .
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Yes, its all about the VAT. Drivers are always told this job is £15 plus VAT ie add what ever you can get away with. They earn a fair wage so i'd say 40k less NI and VAT in London.
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Enough to buy a large share in Greggs.
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Probably a few quid considering most of them are tax and NI dodging douche bags.
It's long unsociable hours to get the decent wages, kiss good bye to all your weekends and any socialising with friends or family/GF.
Maybe I've just had one too many experiences with realising afterwards that taxi drivers have taken me the long way round, or with them trying to hustle me for extra fares when they know I'm expensing the fare anyway, and what have you.
Not worth it IMO a large percentage of my hires are regulars and we can be stripped of our badges for behaviour like that it's things like this that give the trade a bad name along with unroadworthy vehicles and bad manners there's no need were a public service
Not to worry, the internet killed my weekends and socialising skills years ago
.Seriously, there are some pretty large figures being bounded around for a job that any person of any age and intelligence level can do with little more than a driver's license.
10 hours doesn't even seem THAT long, especially when you consider that it isn't exactly hard manual labour, is it?
It's fri & sat night for the large figures, Finishing at like 5am.
It's extremely unsociable hours every single week.
yes it's easy but I don;t think you have thought about these unsociable hours. It's not like shift work where you only work x-out of Y, it;s those hours every week if you want the money.
You also need the capital and get the licenses from the councils. You need license for taxi ranks. No license and you can not pick up from the busy ranks like, train stations or clubbing ones.
It's also not guaranteed pay and has been a massive slump in the last couple of years, with less and less people going to pubs/clubs as well as a change in councils allowing far more taxis.
Next door neighbour was earning big bucks, started work on a massive extension, then the recession came and the extension had to go on hold, still earn't enough to live, but not what he used to.
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My boss's brother is a black cabbie in London. He goes round Park Lane every morning, gets a rich foreigner that just booked out of a hotel and needs going to Heathrow. That's 80 bucks. From Heathrow he drives someone back to Park Lane for another 80 bucks and go home. He'd be indoors before the morning traffic starts. He also has a fixed contract with a Turkish Industrialist who pays him ... you ready? .... 4k a month cash to drive his London based son around just on Friday nights from clubs back home. He owns a cabin on a Ski resort in the Alps and a nice 5 bedroom home in Majorca with a tennis court. All paid upfront. He is 39.
there are some very tempting figures in this thread. it's not a career i had serioulsy considered until the other day hence why i created the thread. i don't know if it's for me but i am having no luck on the job searching front and this was one thing that (with all due respect to cab drivers) i felt i could get straight into. the unsociable hours are something i don't think i could handle at this age but for a 10 hour shift the figures seem very rewarding
Reminds me of the Truck driver v Taxi driver thread.....
A few mates of mine drive Taxis & Minicabs, not one thinks he is in the better position than I am.
as an example, if his taxi won't start at the start of a shift, he's not earning.
me, if my truck won't start I've already clocked on and am being paid.
A tyre or breakdown for me won't wipe out my profit for the week, with an owner driver, the opposite is true.
I think I'll stick with HGV driving.
FWIW, I currently take home circa £600p/w but that includes 4 nights away in the truck over an average week of around 70 hours.
A few mates of mine drive Taxis & Minicabs, not one thinks he is in the better position than I am.
as an example, if his taxi won't start at the start of a shift, he's not earning.
me, if my truck won't start I've already clocked on and am being paid.
A tyre or breakdown for me won't wipe out my profit for the week, with an owner driver, the opposite is true.
I think I'll stick with HGV driving.
FWIW, I currently take home circa £600p/w but that includes 4 nights away in the truck over an average week of around 70 hours.
I know a few black cab drivers, its not the job it was 10 years ago, but they are all still nicking 200 quid a day and playing golf by 3pm.
Its getting the knowledge done thats a pain in the arse.
Dont confuse black london cabs wth mini cabs for earnings.
Its getting the knowledge done thats a pain in the arse.
Dont confuse black london cabs wth mini cabs for earnings.
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True enough.
A good London Black Cab driver can make decent money - tbh he needs a bloody medal to put up with London traffic all week! - I'm thinking more of the Stoke on Trent mini cab mob......
