So you’ve decided that a life as a private hire driver is the career path for you? With flexible working hours, the opportunity to meet people from all walks of life and attractive earning potential, it’s not surprising that more and more people are driving a taxi for a living. But if something is worth doing, it’s worth doing well – especially when performance is so intrinsically tied to your pay packet.

Here are a handful of taxi driver tips and tricks to ensure you get the most out of your new career, in both a personal sense and a financially rewarding one. You’ll notice that the better the service you’re able to deliver and the more you become aware of the ‘hacks’ inherent in the profession, the more you’ll earn and the better you’ll enjoy your working day.

  •       Drive safely

It should go without saying, but the number one requisite to become a successful private hire driver is impeccable road conduct. Be courteous to other drivers, follow the Highway Code to the tee and read up on taxi driver safety tips online to gain the most rounded understanding of your profession possible. Not only your livelihood depends on it – your life might too.

  •       Polish up your people skills

Just as those working in the hospitality industry make the lion’s share of their tips from ingratiating themselves to their customers, so too is the gift of the gab a great string to have to your bow when dealing with the general public. If someone is having a bad day, a well-placed joke or compliment can be just the tonic they need, while those in a jovial mood will already be more disposed to chat. 

  •       Read your customers closely

Having said that people skills are important, it’s equally vital to remember that not everyone who enters your cab will want to engage in conversation. In fact, the main reason that people take a cab is that they don’t want the fuss of dealing with public transport and are actively avoiding other humans, so know when it’s right to interact and when it’s best to simply watch the road.

  •       Get your timings right

The most lucrative times of the day to work are the weekday rush hours:

  • Mornings: 5am-8am as people go to work and the airport for business or leisure trips
  • Afternoons: 4pm-7pm at the other end of most people’s working day; and 
  • Evenings: 10pm-1am, when most late workers finish for the night, and the more active amongst us head home (or out!) 

Meanwhile, October to December is the best period to make money in the industry, since the colder temperatures, longer nights and general buzz in the run-up to Christmas make people more disposed to splashing the cash on a private hire journey. The other run ups to holiday seasons are also peak – springtime before Easter holidays, and June and July before the summer break.

Drive with Green Tomato Cars

At Green Tomato Cars, we make a point of looking after our fleet of drivers. As well as being able to choose the days and hours that suit you best, we’ll offer you a company car without a deposit and round-the-clock driver support. Any when it comes to maximising your earnings, we also charge and pay 100% premium on all fares between 6pm on the 24th December to 6am on the 27th December, and 6pm on the 31st December to 6am on the 2nd January (as well as a peak period uplift in driver pay for all rush hour times, listed above).

With that in mind, the festive season poses a real opportunity for you to make some serious spending money – especially if you work with Green Tomato Cars. If you’re interested in joining our team of professional drivers, fill out our online form or send us a copy of your CV to drivers@greentomatocars.com.temp.link and we’ll be in touch regarding your application. 

We always welcome new tomatoes to join our team – especially at the busiest time of the year – so we look forward to hearing from you soon.

For more information get in touch with us here.