An insight to private vehicle hire

There’s nothing worse when you book a taxi for a certain time and it fails to turn up. We’ve all been there, right? It’s a nuisance we could all do without. Thanks to technological advances though, such inconveniences are becoming more of a rarity.

However, private hire companies are looking to offer a better customer service than your average local taxi firm. Companies such as Uber have burst onto the scene and have shaken up the private hire business. While London still has the Black Cabs and New York the iconic yellow taxi, the industry is ever expanding. Here, we look at how the private hire vehicle industry is progressing for the better:

The rise of mobile apps

The introduction of smartphone apps has been a positive for the sector. The innovative technology has many features that benefit the customer, including storing your favourite destinations and addresses for convenience, tracking your vehicle’s location, fare estimator and easy payment. This helps to provide a smoother and more pleasant user experience; which in turn leads to customer retention. By companies understanding what is important to the customer, these apps can provide a service that had long been lacking, with ‘I’ll be with you in five minutes’ no longer being sufficient.

Consumers aren’t the only people who are benefitting from these new developments. Applications allow taxi drivers to ensure they are paid via automatic bank transfers. It also allows a driver to pick and choose their customers based on a rating that has been provided by fellow drivers based on previous journeys. This is a great way to make the job easier. After all, for the majority of drivers this is their livelihood and main source of income.

What are the safety features?

Private hire vehicles will have a licensed driver and will most definitely be insured. For this, we have the Private Hire Vehicles Act of 1998 to thank. While this hasn’t always been the case, companies now track their drivers so they can see exactly where they are in the event of any issues. The licence plate will also be sent to your app or phone prior to arrival, so you can be sure you’ll get in the right vehicle.

With a lot of incidents occurring in London, Uber announced at the beginning of 2018 that they’d take a better approach to report incidents. The San Francisco-based company launched a 24/7 telephone support service that is accessible to both drivers and customers so they can report any issues they may have faced.

A new job?

With the industry constantly developing, more people are beginning to reconsider their careers and drop out of the nine-to-five lifestyle to become a taxi driver. To become a taxi driver, you need to apply to your local authority, with each having different requirements. However, all councils will request a medical check, a criminal records bureau check, a current driving licence and a fee for the licence.

However, you must consider your own car. It’s certainly not cost effective if your car uses up a lot of fuel. Skoda have often been a popular choice, with Car Keys voting the Skoda Octavia and Skoda Superb as the top two cars for taxiing thanks to their sturdiness, economical engines and spacious boots.

It can’t be denied that the only way is up for the industry. New devices have allowed everyone to prosper – companies, drivers and, most importantly, customers alike.