Taxi and Man and Van

It is a well-known fact that you can make decent money by deriving your own vehicle. Depending on its nature and size you are able to provide various services. If you own a car you can always turn it into a taxi. Now this is not an easy business to join. First of all you will need to sacrifice the colour of your car and paint it yellow. There are countries where cabs are not required to be yellow so if you happen to operate in such a country then you are lucky and you will be able to save some money by not paying for a paint job. Next comes another legal matter. Most countries don’t allow freelancers when it comes to transporting people. After you obtain all the necessary licenses and pass all the mandatory tests to become a driver you will need to also join a company. Now you can found your own taxi company and be the only cab in it but you will most likely fail to do any good business. Joining a large taxi company might be the better option especially if you are new. They will make you part of their communication and logistics system. Dispatchers will give you addresses and you won’t have to rely only on people to hail you on the street. Furthermore you can talk to other drivers constantly and exchange experience and tips. Now the only drawback is that you will most likely have to give away a percentage of your earnings to the company while having to also maintain and refuel your car.

If you own a van, providing a man and van service is also a viable option. It has some things in common with being a cab driver but there are also a number of differences. You can be your own boss. You can field calls yourself and accept jobs without the need of a dispatcher. You can slowly grow your company and then try expanding by obtaining more vans and hiring more drivers and workers. Just like the business of transporting people you are better off finding loyal customers who always come back to you when in need. For this to happen, you need to separate yourself from your competitors. On top of the “must have” things such as efficiency, affordability and safety, you need to establish a friendly connection and get warm with your clients. This way they will look at your services as if a friend is doing them a favour. You can slowly start looking for ways to expand while still giving decent discounts to your most trusted clients. And remember – make yourself available on weekends and holidays too. The more convenient and flexible you are the more people this will attract. On regular business days people rarely have the opportunity to do any sort of moving or cleaning but this presents an excellent opportunity for you. You can work and they don’t have to – this will make you the company of choice for many people.

About the Author:

Kim Jacobs

Kim Jacobs is a removals coordinator with over 11 years of experience as part of the Get man and van team and other firms in the home and office relocation industry in London. Before joining our company, Kim has worked in various logistical and transportation companies and institutions such as Transport for London, The Removals Ombudsman, and has coordinated moving projects with some of the biggest suppliers of various goods such as IKEA, HomeBase, Amazon, Sainsbury's and others. While working as a chief removals coordinator, Kim also enjoys sharing her expertise with others through writing in our blog.