Coming to the end of my Taxi career after 19 years but I still set myself the same high standards I did way back then. Your videos remind me to keep those standards up. Good luck Tom.
Ever since a woman genuinely complained to me about being cold whilst sitting outside a restaurant in Scotland in January I've learned not take complaints that seriously.
Working in hospitality, retail etc you learn it Had people order well-done garlic bread before. well-done like a steak. They complained about it being overdone.
I don't think i've ever complained about a taxi driver .. and you guys n gals ( london cabbies ) are top notch .. not only have you done the knowledge ... your prime aim is to keep the customer satisfied ie to get them from A to B in the shortest possible time .. Keep up the good work ..
Love the videos, Tom. I live and work in London and have always been fascinated by the cabbies and how it all works beyond actually getting a lift. Also, have you thought about making some advertising for your taxi tours on the folded-up seats? Just a little observation I had for ya! :) Keep up the great content!
Maybe Iv just had bad experiences with black cabs living in London Iv come across more rude drivers who wanted to mon for the whole journey about something I didn’t ask about, talking about how quick turn over is better maybe the last time I got in one (or nearly did) I had a lot of shopping went to get into a cab and when I said where I wanted he replied “ah that’s only 10 minutes down there” and looked annoyed I’d asked, if it’s only 10 minutes would be the easiest money of his life I rly didn’t get the issue, pissed me off so much haven’t used a black cab since
I sat there once not querying the driver. I asked to go to Bruton Street and ended up at Britten Street. I couldn't workout what the hell was going on but I sat there dutifully. Won't be doing that again!!
Just discovered your channel Tom - absolutely fascinating (and entertaining). You're a remarkable guy for one so young - have you thought of doing a book when you have some you time ?
The myth was started in the film industry by showing the "hero" saying "we passed that statue 10 minutes ago " thereby demonstrating how fearless and switched on he or she is .
Here's a scenario for you, Tom. I was in a cab in Melbourne, Australia, back to my hotel. The hotel was at a crossroad on the top right corner, and we were coming from the south. There was no right hand turn, so he stopped at the bottom left of the crossroads, and told me to walk, which was about 50 metres, crossing two roads, one quite busy, one quiet side street. I asked him if he would drive around, i.e. drive over the crossroad, make three right hand turns. He refused. Normally, I would happily walk it but it was raining heavily and at night. Is that a reasonable scenario to make an official complaint?
I've definitely been in taxies where the shortest route has been deliberately avoided, it happens exclusively at night too. I was 1.5 miles away from home via the quickest route. I asked the Taxi driver why he was taking the long way, he insisted it was the fastest. I checked on Google, he had actually taken me 2.9 miles. Almost twice the distance. This happened multiple times on the same route. So, it's blatantly obvious that sometimes you lot make money by going a longer route. Especially when a lack of calls are coming in.
I’m always happy to break down my routes to any passenger who might have a problem, as sometimes there might be multiple factors involved. Let’s say there’s 3 routes. 1 might be blocked, 1 may be heavy, 1 might be more ideal. Also some customers just want to be there in the quickest time. Sometimes google will suggest the M25 for Heathrow to Canary Wharf or further east. To the customer, the time might be a more important factor than the shortest/cheapest route (going through the middle of London). But then some people they interpret the traffic in central London as “bumping up the meter”. I love it when people tell me which direction they want to go. So long as it is legal and doesn’t require any banned turns I will happily take it.
Maybe you mean youve been in a uber and they've taken the longest route.. just because it says on Google maps doesn't mean thats going to be the correct route. As for customers telling directions... yes please feel free! So if the worse happens and there's a huge delay i can sit in my seat chuckling away to myself!
i know this is a bit unrelated but when you get payed by your customers. Do you keep all the money from that or does some go off to TFL? If so how much (Roughly) of the percentage goes?
All mine, I just need to pay my expenses, renew my badge with TfL every 3 years and pay my taxes. I cover all the expenses in this video; th-cam.com/video/gf848BhjOmA/w-d-xo.html
Do you know why, I pressed the button at a hotel on Waterloo road for a black cab, 5 minutes later he turned up, great idea and service, but he started the meter on £5, do you know why this would be, I didn’t question it and I also gave him a tip at the end, I was only going to Westminster abbey.
Yea he shouldn't have, although I have heard we can add £2.00 for app/phone bookings, not sure how true that is. I've had it before where I've hailed a cab on the app and the driver has arrived with his meter started long ago!
My 17 years experience is to talk people through the journey process. If going to The square mile warn customers in advance about the lack of access for cabs. Also inform them of The gridlock around Park Lane and Hyde Park Corner and the same going To Euston & Kings Cross. I inform them that the traffic is man made by the introduction of cycle lanes. People are generally understanding if you explain the process.
I find it hilarious that people think taxi drivers love to get stuck in traffic or take the long way. I think as a business, taxis are going to earn more if they can set you down earlier and pick up more jobs in a day. More starting fare surely is worth more than the idling time or extra mile 😂
Been in many black cabs that have gone around streets that they didn’t need to, slowed down for traffic lights, etc. Maybe a quiet day and need To do this to make more money. Still shite
You thought they were going down streets they didn’t need to, but maybe that was a short cut or a way of avoiding traffic? Regarding slowing up at traffic lights there are two possible reasons for this. 1 - If you squeeze through an amber light and then get caught on a box junction it’s a £80 fine 2. If you go through a red light it’s a fine and points on your licence. There’s really no point in a cabbie slowing down your journey to make an extra 60p when it’s in his interests to get as many passengers in and out as possible.
Yes exactly that Simon 😊 It's a catch 22 Max. I've had it where I'll be midway through my shift and a passenger asks to go to say Mayfair. If the Strand is blocked (because I've experienced it on a previous journey that day), I will inform the passenger that I will be going around this road, and they usually comply. The issue is that, if I sit in the traffic. People will moan. If I go wide to avoid the traffic. People will moan. I'm always out here to do the jobs as soon as possible, so I can get my money and go home as soon as possible. Some passengers have a level of trust and respect, other just think I'm out to con them. Also add in the fact that the meter works best if I can get on and off jobs as soon as possible rather than dragging it out.
I've lived in London, New York, Tokyo, Geneva, Berlin, Hong Kong and Singapore and their taxi service is sh1t compared to london. London has the best professional taxi service in the world by miles. no other city is even close. utter crap, especially HK
lloyd t depends on where they want to go and the person (drunk? Late night?, dodgy destination?). Most the time I don’t take it upfront You can’t always tell, sometimes the people who look the dodgiest can be the best/give the best tips 😂
lloyd t no rhyme or reason, while you’d assume they’d be fine, I’ve plenty of stories from older cabbies where it goes the other way. 99.9% of journeys are fine though
Do you want me to build you your own custom app so your fans can hire you at the click of a button, geo located, same as all apps - I can do this. You'd have huge days every day.
Coming to the end of my Taxi career after 19 years but I still set myself the same high standards I did way back then. Your videos remind me to keep those standards up. Good luck Tom.
Thanks Richard 👍🏻
19 years myself buddy in Edinburgh driving bus now know exactly what u mean
Ever since a woman genuinely complained to me about being cold whilst sitting outside a restaurant in Scotland in January I've learned not take complaints that seriously.
Let Cab Inspector deal with this idiot
Working in hospitality, retail etc you learn it Had people order well-done garlic bread before. well-done like a steak. They complained about it being overdone.
Quick as possible isn’t necessarily the shortest route!!!
Yep 👍🏻
I'd Never question a drivers route
Especially not a black cabbie its known how much road knowledge you guys have
I don't think i've ever complained about a taxi driver .. and you guys n gals ( london cabbies ) are top notch .. not only have you done the knowledge ... your prime aim is to keep the customer satisfied ie to get them from A to B in the shortest possible time ..
Keep up the good work ..
Wow, you really know your stuff and you care about your customers too. I hope they tip you well!
Exceptional - a comprehensive presentation and reassuring too. Thank you!
As a man I work with says "The most important fare for a taxi driver is the next fare".
Love the videos, Tom. I live and work in London and have always been fascinated by the cabbies and how it all works beyond actually getting a lift. Also, have you thought about making some advertising for your taxi tours on the folded-up seats? Just a little observation I had for ya! :) Keep up the great content!
Thanks MonsieurSte!
Great idea 👍🏻. I have, but it’s on that never end list of jobs that I never get done haha!
Such a nice guy.
A brilliant speech Tom, keep it up son.
Great Video, Tom. Can't imagine you get any complaints.
Waterloo - yes it is at platform level
Maybe Iv just had bad experiences with black cabs living in London Iv come across more rude drivers who wanted to mon for the whole journey about something I didn’t ask about, talking about how quick turn over is better maybe the last time I got in one (or nearly did) I had a lot of shopping went to get into a cab and when I said where I wanted he replied “ah that’s only 10 minutes down there” and looked annoyed I’d asked, if it’s only 10 minutes would be the easiest money of his life I rly didn’t get the issue, pissed me off so much haven’t used a black cab since
I had a complaint that her return home was €0.50 more than the taxi that took her to work. 😑
Good to here this stuff keep up the good work
I definitely wouldn't complain if I had a taxi driver as cute as you!
I sat there once not querying the driver. I asked to go to Bruton Street and ended up at Britten Street. I couldn't workout what the hell was going on but I sat there dutifully. Won't be doing that again!!
I like the phone calls that come in a 7pm on a Saturday night and they want a cab for 8 people as soon as possible 😂.. that’s simply not happening
Just discovered your channel Tom - absolutely fascinating (and entertaining). You're a remarkable guy for one so young - have you thought of doing a book when you have some you time ?
He has a book explaining the mechanics and his personal experience of doing the knowledge
The myth was started in the film industry by showing the "hero" saying "we passed that statue 10 minutes ago " thereby demonstrating how fearless and switched on he or she is .
Here's a scenario for you, Tom. I was in a cab in Melbourne, Australia, back to my hotel. The hotel was at a crossroad on the top right corner, and we were coming from the south. There was no right hand turn, so he stopped at the bottom left of the crossroads, and told me to walk, which was about 50 metres, crossing two roads, one quite busy, one quiet side street.
I asked him if he would drive around, i.e. drive over the crossroad, make three right hand turns. He refused.
Normally, I would happily walk it but it was raining heavily and at night.
Is that a reasonable scenario to make an official complaint?
brilliant channel. lucky i found it. subscribed at once..
I've definitely been in taxies where the shortest route has been deliberately avoided, it happens exclusively at night too.
I was 1.5 miles away from home via the quickest route. I asked the Taxi driver why he was taking the long way, he insisted it was the fastest.
I checked on Google, he had actually taken me 2.9 miles. Almost twice the distance. This happened multiple times on the same route.
So, it's blatantly obvious that sometimes you lot make money by going a longer route. Especially when a lack of calls are coming in.
Did you Google it walking distance route or car route, which can be longer distance due to one way systems nowadays.
I’m always happy to break down my routes to any passenger who might have a problem, as sometimes there might be multiple factors involved.
Let’s say there’s 3 routes. 1 might be blocked, 1 may be heavy, 1 might be more ideal.
Also some customers just want to be there in the quickest time. Sometimes google will suggest the M25 for Heathrow to Canary Wharf or further east. To the customer, the time might be a more important factor than the shortest/cheapest route (going through the middle of London). But then some people they interpret the traffic in central London as “bumping up the meter”.
I love it when people tell me which direction they want to go. So long as it is legal and doesn’t require any banned turns I will happily take it.
Maybe you mean youve been in a uber and they've taken the longest route.. just because it says on Google maps doesn't mean thats going to be the correct route. As for customers telling directions... yes please feel free! So if the worse happens and there's a huge delay i can sit in my seat chuckling away to myself!
One bad experience = you lot, over generalising much, you’ll always get a bad apple in a bunch doesn’t mean their all rotten
i know this is a bit unrelated but when you get payed by your customers. Do you keep all the money from that or does some go off to TFL? If so how much (Roughly) of the percentage goes?
All mine, I just need to pay my expenses, renew my badge with TfL every 3 years and pay my taxes.
I cover all the expenses in this video; th-cam.com/video/gf848BhjOmA/w-d-xo.html
what happened in situation where you drove the opposite direction due to a mistake?
Is there an app to summon a cab in London?
Dont deal with them , you dont need to take any of that ***** from riders Tom!!
Riders are for rollercoasters
Do you use taxis often? As in as a customer
Do you know why, I pressed the button at a hotel on Waterloo road for a black cab, 5 minutes later he turned up, great idea and service, but he started the meter on £5, do you know why this would be, I didn’t question it and I also gave him a tip at the end, I was only going to Westminster abbey.
Yea he shouldn't have, although I have heard we can add £2.00 for app/phone bookings, not sure how true that is.
I've had it before where I've hailed a cab on the app and the driver has arrived with his meter started long ago!
have you ever had a passenger where you've had to call an ambulance
Not yet! 😳
This seems more like advice on preventing getting complaints it doesn't really say how he deals with complaints
Dodgy customers who are drunk and switch personalities any advice before they don't pay and are aggressive
Go with your instincts , if you don’t like the look of em don’t take em , worked for me in nineteen years of cab driving
My 17 years experience is to talk people through the journey process.
If going to The square mile warn customers in advance about the lack of access for cabs. Also inform them of The gridlock around Park Lane and Hyde Park Corner and the same going To Euston & Kings Cross. I inform them that the traffic is man made by the introduction of cycle lanes.
People are generally understanding if you explain the process.
I agree with the principle of explaining but its never the cyclists or cycle lanes fault . Its too many cars that cause traffic pure and simple.
I find it hilarious that people think taxi drivers love to get stuck in traffic or take the long way. I think as a business, taxis are going to earn more if they can set you down earlier and pick up more jobs in a day. More starting fare surely is worth more than the idling time or extra mile 😂
What make are london taxis
LEVC 👍🏻 London electric vehicle company
Haha do people actually tell you how to route? I don't even do that with Uber. Just let em get on with it
After watching these vids, next time I'll tip more. Didn't realise all about this with the taxies.
Been in many black cabs that have gone around streets that they didn’t need to, slowed down for traffic lights, etc. Maybe a quiet day and need To do this to make more money. Still shite
You thought they were going down streets they didn’t need to, but maybe that was a short cut or a way of avoiding traffic? Regarding slowing up at traffic lights there are two possible reasons for this. 1 - If you squeeze through an amber light and then get caught on a box junction it’s a £80 fine 2. If you go through a red light it’s a fine and points on your licence. There’s really no point in a cabbie slowing down your journey to make an extra 60p when it’s in his interests to get as many passengers in and out as possible.
Yes exactly that Simon 😊
It's a catch 22 Max. I've had it where I'll be midway through my shift and a passenger asks to go to say Mayfair.
If the Strand is blocked (because I've experienced it on a previous journey that day), I will inform the passenger that I will be going around this road, and they usually comply.
The issue is that, if I sit in the traffic. People will moan.
If I go wide to avoid the traffic. People will moan.
I'm always out here to do the jobs as soon as possible, so I can get my money and go home as soon as possible. Some passengers have a level of trust and respect, other just think I'm out to con them.
Also add in the fact that the meter works best if I can get on and off jobs as soon as possible rather than dragging it out.
I've lived in London, New York, Tokyo, Geneva, Berlin, Hong Kong and Singapore and their taxi service is sh1t compared to london. London has the best professional taxi service in the world by miles. no other city is even close. utter crap, especially HK
We all had nicknames ---what is yours ?
Probably TH-cam boy at this rate haha!
Ever been bilked?
lloyd t yep, very rare that’s definitely a fun video to make 👍🏻
@@TomtheTaxiDriver look forward to it. Would also like to know if long jobs warrants money up front or one just goes with the flow..
lloyd t depends on where they want to go and the person (drunk? Late night?, dodgy destination?). Most the time I don’t take it upfront
You can’t always tell, sometimes the people who look the dodgiest can be the best/give the best tips 😂
@@TomtheTaxiDriver looool that's true , a business man in suit who seem more trustworthy does a runner lol
lloyd t no rhyme or reason, while you’d assume they’d be fine, I’ve plenty of stories from older cabbies where it goes the other way.
99.9% of journeys are fine though
Kkkkkk
Do you want me to build you your own custom app so your fans can hire you at the click of a button, geo located, same as all apps - I can do this. You'd have huge days every day.
Need to get some tips and get a haircut mate 😂