Taxi Driver Salaries

az2wp0sye65487

Quick question,

Not wanting to ask anyone to completely open up their personal life on here but I was just wondering what the average weekly/monthly wage is for a taxi driver?

Would it be worth getting into? I've seen a lot of conversations on here about there being money to be made, and also no money to be made, but there are very few people actually saying exactly how much money they are making at it.

Any opinions would be appreciated.

Thanks.

ballooba

I'd imagine it varies a lot. Seems fiercely competitive too.

Spook_ie

You can earn anything between Zero and Fifty euros an hour, but you'll earn zero much more often than fifty...

jimmycrackcorm

There was a report in the papers a couple of years ago that the revenue were investigating taxi drivers because they were all reporting earnings of €11000 pa.

Sizzler

jimmycrackcorm wrote: »

There was a report in the papers a couple of years ago that the revenue were investigating taxi drivers because they were all reporting earnings of €11000 pa.

They must have got their quarterly results mixed up with there annuals

nialler

You should be looking to earn anywhere from €800 to €1200 per week (that's around 60 hours), everything from oil to tissues can be written off hence the €11k per year salary. If you're willing to work hard (not necessarily nights at the weekend) you can make some money, this is what my mates tell me anyway (3 who are taxi drivers). Do the AM work run, do the PM home run, analyse the hours where there's most requirement for taxis, footy matches, gaa matches, concerts etc, rainy days.

Tipsy Mac

I'd say a nice living can be earned if you know what your doing, you only have to look at the taxi fleet to see some are clearly making alot more than others.

ballooba

Tipsy Mac wrote: »

I'd say a nice living can be earned if you know what your doing, you only have to look at the taxi fleet to see some are clearly making alot more than others.

And for all the giving out the taxi drivers do, they wouldn't be doing it if they weren't making money.

green123

sure its a cash in hand business.
who is to know how much they earn.
no matter how good a week they have, they wouldnt be telling the revenue the full story.
so they would be paying very little tax

S.I.R

just like any semi-legal job you can make plenty of money... adverage wage is 45 pre tax. But if your good you'll have a S class merc in no time :rolleyes:

Tim Robbins

S.I.R wrote: »

just like any semi-legal job you can make plenty of money... adverage wage is 45 pre tax. But if your good you'll have a S class merc in no time :rolleyes:

The last Taxi driver to divulge this info to me said it was about 60K a year that was a few years back before the fairs went home.

My Sister works in finance and a Taxi Driver was once asking her for advice.
He said he just got affordable housing and was asking her about pensions etc. He then said he had a few properties abroad. I would imagine there are many such anecdotes i.e. make out they don't make that much but then they do.

rebel.ranter

Tipsy Mac wrote: »

I'd say a nice living can be earned if you know what your doing, you only have to look at the taxi fleet to see some are clearly making alot more than others.

Some of these guys with the Lexus & S-Class Mercs are working to fund the car, some are the old school guys that probably "saved" wiselyin the past.

I'd say judging from the people I know to be taxi drivers that there is a decent living to be made out of it, you woudl have to put in the hours, choose your caer type wisely. One of the beauties of the job is that pay is directly related to effort, the more you do the more you get.

(CH3)2CHOH

I know a Taxi driver who is making 1200+ euro per weekend. He's only doing Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights.

iMax

(CH3)2CHOH wrote: »

I know a Taxi driver who is making 1200+ euro per weekend. He's only doing Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights.

He's either lying to you (highly likely) or working approx hours per night (basically a full week).

I was a taxi driver for three years & have just sold my plate & car because it's now too hard to make a living. When I started there were 11,500 drivers (in Dublin), there's now over 23,000, (over 41,000 in Ireland).

My first year I was making about 170-180 per shift (10/11 hours). Out of this I took 500 expenses before anything, this was my petrol, insurance, maintenance, holiday pay, phone etc. I was with the biggest radio company in the country.

Year two was great, I made between 220 & 260 per shift (10-12 hours) a combination of working hard, finally getting to know the best shifts/pickup areas & routes. I increased expenses by 10% this year. I paid nearly 5000 in income tax on year one.

Year three I started out along the same basis as year two, but something happened in the marketplace & it changed drastically. I started to lose money about three months in. Over the final period of about nine months I was working over 12 hours a day six days a week (very dangerous) & lucky to come home with about €160 /180 a shift. I was left €2700 in debt because I had to keep paying the mortgage but I wasn't making enough to put money away for expenses, so my credit card debt built up. I've been forced to return to PAYE sell the car & plate. I had to borrow 3000 to contribute to my taxes for last year, so I'm in debt yet again.

The taxi business was great & I loved it, but it's a totally different beast to three short years ago. I'm sticking with PAYE now. Out of six friends who are full time taxi drivers, three of us have left the industry in the last six months. Two others are trying to get out & one isn't sure what to do, but thinks he will leave it. I get taxis a lot for work & it's the same story all the time, it's not a "moan". The business is in severe downturn. On "party Friday" - the Friday night two weeks before Christmas, typically the busiest night of the year, I left the house at six & returned at 11.30 with just €70 in my pocket. The rank on stephens Green was around to Hume street (illegal) & dawson street was around to the green

arybvtcw0eolkf

(CH3)2CHOH wrote: »

I know a Taxi driver who is making 1200+ euro per weekend. He's only doing Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights.

Tell your friend he's a spoofer, you don't want to lose a friend by calling him anything close to the truth!.

And a taxi driver's income IS NOT directly related to his/her effort or the hour's they put in.

A PAYE worker would have to be crazy to leave a job to work as a taxi driver, at least in Dublin - and from what I hear the rest of the country are suffering too.

A lot of things have changed in Ireland in the last number of year's, immigration has hit the taxi industry hard - and before someone says thats a racist comment, remember when YOUR job is out sourced to India the only difference between both is the taxi driver can see whose taking his business - YOU can't.

Another thing is the social scene has changed, young people aren't spending money like they used to. A sizable majority are up to their necks in mortage re-payments and have been hit hard by the interest rates rises in the last 12 months (something like 5 in total). So they're not out socialising and taking taxi's like they used to.

Realistically you can expect to earn €150- a day (+ or - depending on your luck). And thats putting in a looong day where you'll eat your lunch in the cab, worry about meeting running costs etc and then on the days your struggling - you'll listen to other driver's on the ranks spoof about how much their up that day.

Its a sh*t job, sh*t pay and even worse when you look at taking pension contributions out, mortage payments and protection, critical illness cover, VHI/BUPA payments etc..

And thats the truth of it.

salonfire

Thing about taxi's is that they are far too expensive to be using regularly and so
many people would rather walk, cycle, get the bus, etc.

Although they are extremely convenient and available, the reality is that people would rather walk past a rank of 30 taxis than pay 20 quid to get anywhere.

And so more and more taxis spend an hour sitting idle.

If they were more affordable and people used them a lot more regularly, say twice a day, would taxi drivers earn more?

arybvtcw0eolkf

salonfire wrote: »

Thing about taxi's is that they are far too expensive to be using regularly and so
many people would rather walk, cycle, get the bus, etc.

Although they are extremely convenient and available, the reality is that people would rather walk past a rank of 30 taxis than pay 20 quid to get anywhere.

And so more and more taxis spend an hour sitting idle.

If they were more affordable and people used them a lot more regularly, say twice a day, would taxi drivers earn more?

People (esp. @ the weekends) make taxi's expensive.

If one person has to take a cab at a cost of €20 then yes that can be expensive, but at the weekends when a lot of journeys are done with 3 or 4 passengers and one person insists on paying the entire fare he/she has no reason to complain of the cost.

How much would you reduce that €20 fare to make it more affordable?. (honest question). How about letting commercial driver's ie taxi driver's, truck and van deliveries etc use agri-diesel and pass on the savings to the customers - we'd all benefit from that. From cheaper taxi's to cheaper groceries on our tables.

But the OP's question re. is it worth giving taxing a try.

Well my advice would be - don't leave secure employment for it. Don't invest in a new car - or big loans. And very important - DON'T LISTEN TO SPOOFERS.

arybvtcw0eolkf

(CH3)2CHOH wrote: »

I know a Taxi driver who is making 1200+ euro per weekend. He's only doing Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights.

Thats €400- per night - consistantly and if he does ten hour shifts that works out at €40 per hour! .. Your taxi driver friend is a downright liar.

(Or armed with a shotgun!).

az2wp0sye65487

Hi,

Thanks to everyone who commented. I was actually thinking of getting a SPSV licence and buying a new car (not brand new, just new to me) as I am currently driving a 1.2 hatchback.

I've been doing an office job for the past 2 years and I'm honestly getting fed up of being stuck in the same place all day every day.

I enjoy driving a lot and would even just 'go for a drive' in the evenings or at weekends when i'm not up to anything else. Just thought I might aswell make some money while i'm out and about.

I've gotten the application form, and am awaiting a Tax Clearance Cert from Revenue to complete the application. I was toying with the idea of doing some part-time evening / weekend work to get a feel for it and see if its worth my while. I would obviously stay in the 9 to 5 PAYE job aswell just in case it turns out not to be my thing, or if there turns out to be no money in it at all.

But I'm now getting the impression that its an industry in decline....

I've been looking at different Taxi-specific forums and websites and the general opinion from them all seems to be leaning towards this belief.

However, having a mortgage to pay starting this year, any extra income would be a big plus. Does anyone think that I'm crazy or could I actually make a go of it?

iMax

Only you can make up your own mind stevie, but as an ex driver I'd say don't do it. My details are up there for all to see. I loved it at the start & hated it at the end.

You'd probably make more (regular) income delivering pizzas if you really wanted/had to. With a new mortgage I'd look at cutting back in other areas to maximise savings & then enjoy your new property.

Paj

well steviecakes if you enjoy driving and are looking for a business with loads and loads of work and interesting times, how about becoming a driving instructor?

sure it requires a lot of work to increase the level of your own driving and to be able to teach others and remain calm, but its rewarding and interesting

prospect

Mairt wrote: »

Thats €400- per night - consistantly and if he does ten hour shifts that works out at €40 per hour! .

Not even including expenses,...

If he is claiming his take home is €1200, then he'd have to be making around €60 per hour, every hour......

Fuel, Tax, Insurance, Repayments, Consumables (tyres etc), Union, Meters & Plates, etc.

ballooba

Paj wrote: »

well steviecakes if you enjoy driving and are looking for a business with loads and loads of work and interesting times, how about becoming a driving instructor?

sure it requires a lot of work to increase the level of your own driving and to be able to teach others and remain calm, but its rewarding and interesting

Now THAT is the business to be getting into. Wait until the RSA introduce their new regs. There will be buckets of business.

az2wp0sye65487

I don't think I'd be into that to be honest. I like the idea of doing my own hours/being my own boss. And you wouldn't be doing a whole lot of driving yourself as an instructor.

gaz wac

Hi Steve,

Id say go for it !! My bro in law was like you, sitting around doing nothing at the weekends / evening, after 9 to 5 so he got a plate, extra cash comes in very handy for child care, broken washing machine, extra spending money etc!!

ninty9er

Mairt wrote: »

Thats €400- per night - consistantly and if he does ten hour shifts that works out at €40 per hour! .. Your taxi driver friend is a downright liar.

(Or armed with a shotgun!).

I wouldn't exactly say that. If he's working the 12-6 Shift on a Saturday, Sunday and Monday Morning with student nights thrown in, I'd say you could clear €65k a year no bother. a 4-5 minute journey will cost somewhere in the region of €6-€7 at that time of night depending on traffic lights etc.

And you can be sure no taxi driver who knows what he's doing is operating without a fuel card so the fuel costs will be lower than you average punter.
I know a taxi driver who's been driving 5 years and has never once sat waiting at a rank. Between bookings and people calling him, he's constantly busy. His kids could be waiting for an hour before they see him if they call after a night out on the town. The most money is to be had when there are no taxis to be got. It's about maximising income and minimising expenses (i.e don't be driving around wasting diesel at 2pm on a Monday when nobody wants a taxi, but be sure to be out from around 10pm on Thursday and head to bed at around 7 on Friday morning)

az2wp0sye65487

ninty9er wrote: »

I wouldn't exactly say that. If he's working the 12-6 Shift on a Saturday, Sunday and Monday Morning with student nights thrown in, I'd say you could clear €65k a year no bother. a 4-5 minute journey will cost somewhere in the region of €6-€7 at that time of night depending on traffic lights etc.

And you can be sure no taxi driver who knows what he's doing is operating without a fuel card so the fuel costs will be lower than you average punter.
I know a taxi driver who's been driving 5 years and has never once sat waiting at a rank. Between bookings and people calling him, he's constantly busy. His kids could be waiting for an hour before they see him if they call after a night out on the town. The most money is to be had when there are no taxis to be got. It's about maximising income and minimising expenses (i.e don't be driving around wasting diesel at 2pm on a Monday when nobody wants a taxi, but be sure to be out from around 10pm on Thursday and head to bed at around 7 on Friday morning)

So ninty9er you reckon that if you're willing to work un-social hours and weekends then there is a few quid to be had?

Iago

I know 3 taxi drivers (one of whom is my dad) and 2 guys that used to drive but left the business.

The 3 who are still working are making good regular money, but what they all have in common is that they are older and their families have grown and left the house. They have low/no mortgage and therefore taking home €600-€800 a week is plenty for them.

On the other hand two of my friends who have young families, and large mortgages have both gone back to PAYE as the hours required to make that kind of money meant they were spending little or no time with their wives and children.

In short I think it's a job for an older demographic who can afford to have a bad week every once in a while, but I wouldn't like to be depending on it to pay my mortgage!

Killme00

(CH3)2CHOH wrote: »

I know a Taxi driver who is making 1200+ euro per weekend. He's only doing Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights.

He prob spends more time plaing poker than driving so €1200 would be about right, but he aint making it from the driving

az2wp0sye65487

As I said before I wouldn't be leaving the day job or anything, just doing it for an extra income. I know full-time drivers don't particularly like part-timmers as they feel they are taking away their business at the busiest times, but wouldn't that be the most sensible and financially-secure way of starting off? Keeping the day job in case the taxi income can't support me.

ballooba

Musa Brave Nitwit wrote: »

As I said before I wouldn't be leaving the day job or anything, just doing it for an extra income. I know full-time drivers don't particularly like part-timmers as they feel they are taking away their business at the busiest times, but wouldn't that be the most sensible and financially-secure way of starting off? Keeping the day job in case the taxi income can't support me.

The ideal situation is where there are lots of part time drivers to cover peak periods and the other periods are left for full time drivers. Maybe the licence should be structured that way. With peak time only licences.