What’s Required to Drive Your Car as a Taxi?
If you’ve got a nice car, then you might have often wondered if there are any ways that you can put it to use to make some extra money for yourself. And the good news is that you can. People are always in need of lifts to places, especially on a Friday night and on the weekend when taxi drivers are an essential service to help people get home from a night out safely. If you don’t mind chatting to strangers and spending all your time driving around your city or town, you might want to consider the possibility of using your car as a taxi.
Uber or Your Own Firm?
When using your own car as a taxi, you have two different options. You can start your own independent taxi firm, or you can work as a self-employed taxi driver for a company like Uber. Many taxi drivers choose Uber since it’s a well-known firm and with a handy app that riders can download to book their car and pay online, it’s usually the first choice for anybody who needs a lift and you’re likely to get more business. On the other hand, your own taxi firm is likely to give you more freedom and you can employ other drivers to come and work for you, so there’s a lot to think about and weigh up before you decide.
Is Your Car Fit for The Job?
Before you get started, the first question to ask yourself is, is my car the right type for taxi driving? You don’t want to offer a taxi service in a 3-door car, for example, since this just isn’t convenient for passengers at all. And, your car should be fairly new, comfortable to drive and ride in, and have ample safety features for yourself and your passengers. If you want to drive a taxi for Uber, they have a list of cars that they will accept which is worth browsing to make sure that your vehicle is on there.
Do You Have the Right Insurance?
To use your car as a taxi, you’ll need to have the right insurance for the job. It’s illegal to drive your car as a taxi if you only have a regular car insurance policy, so you should use a comparison site like Quotezone.co.uk to compare taxi insurance quotes. All you need to do is enter details about yourself, your car and the work you expect to do and you can choose from taxi insurance quotes to find one that suits you best.
Are You Licensed?
Finally, you will need to apply for a license to drive as a taxi operator in the UK, whether you are setting up your own taxi firm or driving for Uber. You can usually do this through your local council or at Gov.uk.
Once you have all the above, you and your car are ready to get started offering a taxi service.
