Being a London Taxi Driver SUCKS! 

Want to know the BEST bits about being a London cabbie? ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-4E_yF6o5mr0.html

As a retired London black cab driver I can't see how it makes any financial sense. Eventually you will realise that you should be putting your good work ethic to better use. Working more hours just to survive never works. As you get older you will find yourself wishing you had done something else.

Its the same all across the UK. Being a Taxi driver is a licence for another party to start making money. I went through it and i feel your pain young Tom. Its almost criminal the way they milk the poor cabbie and it(the role of Councils) needs to be seriously looked at in those terms by an all party Govermental committee because someone has been taking the pistorious for far too long.

Hi Tom, This video was so very interesting and insightful. Fifty years ago being a London cabbie was a job that did rather appeal to me in a sort of slightly romantic sense. It combined my love of cars with my love for London. Over the years I became aware that the advantages and pleasures of being a London cabbie were becoming slowly eroded, as the pressures of the job greatly increased, as technology monitored drivers more and more, and in recent years the shear number of cyclists and electric scooters on the road all adding to the pressure.

Wow. 6 points 7 year ban is ridiculous. Can't the taxi union take tfl to court to get rid of that rule?

Never a truer word Tom!! Thanks for this I love your vids and really look forward to them ✌️❤️ always

Great vid Tom. One of the main things I love about your vids is your seemingly endless positivity. I think it says something about me though that this has been one of my all time favourites. It’s such a great job at its best, but it’s definitely not money for nothing. I’m a night driver and I suffer with cabin fever if I work more than 3 days on the trot. Not wishing it on others, but glad it’s not just me. Again, great content Tom. All the best

Your insights are so valuable even though I live in a different country. Thanks for sharing your experience.

Happy New Year Tom! I hope this year brings you even more success, that the channel continues to grow & it’s a good year in the cab 🤞

Interesting to see the opposite arguments to the previous videos. Happy new year to you!

Another masterpiece. You really put things in perspective. 👍

Happy New Year Tom. Am self-employed and have great difficulty in having time off, I don't think it's ever possible to completely switch off if you are self-employed.

Thanks, Tom for another great video. Thanks for your time for the chat outside the cafe happy new year 🎉.

Followed your channel for a while now and always find it educational and interesting. This video is no exception to that, the insurance point is particularly absurd in one sense!

couldn’t agree more with everthing you said priced me out of the job more aggro than it’s worth

Legend! Wishing You a successful and stress free 2023.

Hi Tom It was good to hear from you regarding the disadvantages that are running a taxi. I would agree with everything you mentioned,but mostly the point 10 regarding the speed limit and the huge risk of loosing your job through that. Personally taxi drivers are heroes comparing that they sacrifice the best of their time out specially at night whilst the rest of society are enjoying the rest after their work. I would like to emphasise that the only bonus that comes with that job is the flexibility it gives in terms of choosing when to work. Again Tom thanks a lot for the great videos.

Started watching your vids, really interesting to understand about cabbie life. Couldn’t do what you do, I thought being a contractor was hard, worrying about work and getting the next gig. Your job though is levels on levels above what I did for years. Thanks for the insights and content. Also it’s not often you watch RU-vid and find that the creator lives where you grew up (assuming that map was right)!

You contents are always amazing Tom, thank you. Happy new year and I wish you the best for the year ahead.

Great video mate, there is a lot of similarities in this to being a delivery rider! Although our expenses aren't so high 😳

Welcome to the club Tom, I’m a 27 year veteran and I have to admit it’s definitely got harder than when I started. Fortunately I don’t have a wife, kids or mortgage, the former two are far more expensive than the latter lol I was driving HGV during lockdown I earned the same net after tax within 3 to 4 days. But I missed the punters so came back, I think you’ve covered the points quite well, it’s definitely not the job for a person that doesn’t like his own company or is going through personal troubles like a divorce or losing a loved one. Keep your chin up and be lucky 🍀

Just found your channel after the Tom Scott video and this has been the best thing ever. I appreciate how honest and pragmatic you approached this. Love how much thought you put into everything you are putting out. Just watching your videos are so soothing for me.

Tom, great channel and great content! - This is a superb video and has so many parallels with a previous job I had as a motorcycle courier. It was in largely pre-digital age of faxes and analogue artwork etc. so bikes were needed by legal firms, art and photo studios and numerous other businesses who needed to get small, high-value items up to or across town quickly. Everything you say is true and - by and large - the people at my bike based firm fell into two groups. 1/ Those that followed your credo and worked the hours made a good wage and got up and went to bed at relatively human hours 2/ Those that earned just enough to survive then just evaporated until they were skint whereupon they would rock up again. Other parallels are the isolation and the maintenance - most time served riders did their own fettling and at least one day a month (a time off day) was spent on maintaining the bike. Also - generally - if you had a breakdown or tech issue you were again on your own (often in the dark, in the rain...and at night!). Finally, it was bloody dangerous and you lived on your wits - like you said 100% concentration. The money seemed good at the time, bur when you took fuel, general running costs and income tax out you basically had to be on the road 5.5 days a week for about 10 hours a day to make a good wage.... those that did not pay tax did OK for as long as it took HMRC to catch up with them (which in many cases they did). I count myself to be lucky to have done it for two years relatively unscathed and to have been doing it at a time before the reforms to the London road system, the proliferation of speed and other covert cameras and - most importantly - before the great swathe of businesses went fully digital and really did not need bids, quotes, transparencies and whatever rushed from one place to another. Thanks again for a great channel - Martin

Thanks for sharing all this, very interesting and I've garnered a greater respect for drivers.

Another great video Tom and very poignant with it. In the end life’s a race but only with your self. What you choose to do with your time is up to you. Yes, you can work for a company with timings, managers and deadlines or you can choose to do something else like cab driving. Your right about the loneliness of the job, I think blokes suffer from this a lot especially in later years. This is why hobbies are so important, blokes usually need an activity to partake in, wether it be cyclone, motorbikes, cars or hillwalking. I think your definition of success is also important. Are you chasing a six figure salary and an apartment in the city? Do you want to live modestly and retire earlier? Do you want to Segway into the media world or writing? Or is it wife, 2.4 children and a semi detached in Swindon? I think goal setting maters as much as what you do also. While your cab is an expensive tool, a large amount of the expense is tax deductible. Nevertheless it’s a necessary evil and I’m sure quite stressful. Keep fighting the good fight Tom. Take care👍

Hi Tom. I agree with all that you mentioned in the video. I myself am taxi driver but I decided to just concentrate on airport runs from my local town and with that have my own business. But as you said its more money to pay to the authorities. Eg, operators license and duel badges etc. yes i do less jobs a day but one job is like a 12hr shift that i use to do as a town taxi. Love your channel and newsletter each week. Keep the faith mate and all that you do.

Its great to see someone highlighting the downsides of the job, especially in regards to the costs that drivers face that the public don't know about. The expensive insurance, additional car maintenance and not to mention the liabilities. One thing I find particularly fascinating is how the costs change from region to region, I drive Class A in Northern Ireland, outside the Belfast zone and would consider myself lucky when I compare my own expenses to a London cab. For instance, I own my meter outright rather than paying an annual fee to the DVLA, No fees to go into the airports etc. If anything my biggest complaint is passengers not getting their arse in gear when you arrive to pick them up.

Thanks Tom for the insight into life as a Taxi driver..Its an eye opener for many people..

Happy new year tom Excellent videos from dublin want to see london dis year

That's a great summary! And quite similar to my freelance job in ways.

Hello Tom, wow you’ve put me off being a taxi driver mate 😝👏👍. Keep up the good work 👍

Tom just subscribe to your channel, love the content and the professionalism you show to the trade I think it’s what you want out of the job, And a true privilege to become one .but I can see you’re a credit to yourself and to the trade I no longer drive a taxie .take care happy new year Tom

Great vid Tom,hope you had a lovely Christmas & nice to see your skin is on your team at the moment (I have psoriasis & it blows)

Happy New Year Tom from here in Alberta.

Hi Tom keep up the videos they are great

I have driven a taxi for 20 years ,am glad you made this video it was a great job but now it’s expensive it’s a sad affair I used to love the job but my taxi got Decommissioned and now to expensive to get back in the trade and I loved London Town what you are saying has brought tears to many black taxi drivers myself included cutout all 🌺

I agree with you about pressure from other drivers to go faster - i keep speed limiter or cruise control on all the time- even my mrs says i am too slow- but you get points and fines so easily otherwise

Just subscribed to your channel. Great content and really interesting how it works as a London cab.

OMG who would want to be a London cabby😮!! Far too stressful. The only good thing is the 20 mile per hour in certain areas, runs up the fare. But more downsides than up. Keep safe. Sending respect to you. Rosie O from Devon England 👏💖🇬🇧

A true London (Black) cab is one of my favorite things in the world. I'm really happy that you are driving, and, that you are sharing your experiences.

After 16 years in the job I got fed up with the constant fare hunting which is why I now concentrate on contract work. I still do local work but the regular council stuff just adds a bit of security.

The London roads out to get you, is just too true. Used to drive a van daily in London there would always be new rules or signs put up weekly 🙈

You make a lot of good and valid points.

Watched your videos a lot, love it ❤ I must say, the worst part to me seems the fact like you said that you don’t have a coworker to bitch to 😂 makes everything better

That's the thing that worries me most about the job I do too (lorry driver), is the penalty point system, especially since I am still considered a young driver (I'm 22). Getting points on my licence could mean that when it comes up to a year at the job, the company could let me go if I had even just 3 penalty points due to much higher insurance premiums that they don't want to pay for or maybe they couldn't get a quote from most insurance companies (due to most only having an over 25's policy). I really like lorry driving and it's the only kind of job I could do. I'm not able to do a job where I am stuck in the same building or small area for even 3 days a week (Like I was doing for over a year). I suffer with depression and the only thing that actually helps relieves my head is getting out and about all the time, so losing my job would not only ruin my chances of getting another driving job for at least 3 years (due to my age) and ruin my career, but it would also worsen my mental health considerably. I did consider ending it due to the job I was doing before lorry driving (Working on a green in a village about 15 minutes from where I live, where you were being watched all the time by people looking out their windows and giving out about things not being done). I know it sounds strange, but lorry driving kind of saved my life. It too has it's ups and downs, but at least there's nobody breathing down your back all the time. But I know why you'd feel the same about getting points on the licence. Sorry to sound sad and morbid. Keep up the good work.

I look at taxi driving as being a self employed tradesman. Just like a plumber or an electrician etc. You certainly can't look at your earnings on an hourly rate basis like a normal job.

I feel stressed out just watching that video Tom, if I was still a cabbie I’d be a nervous wreck 🚕

A 7 year ban for 6 points is crazy. You can pick up 6 so easily, I got 3 the other week for speeding up too early at the end of some roadworks I'd been through 10 times before.

Happy New Year Tom 🥳

When I was 27yr old I had the same issues like yours. I used to live in Oslo as a taxi driver. It was always frustrating earnings against expenses, no guaranteed pay. Then I got married in the UK, my wife went Norway with me and didn't like the country, she made me move to the UK to a tiny town where houses were very cheap and there were dozens of factories in the area so loads of job opportunities in almost every sector. I started my journey from a capital, kept failing till I moved to an affordable town, as even though I made a lot less money in the start compare to Oslo but due to little expenses I managed to buy two houses which along with my salary generates me good revenue every month. Brother get out of London, find yourself a nice town where none of these expenses are there.

14:52 OMG. Shocking to see that window. I'm sorry mate

Point 10 I can relate so much. I'm expected a 0% error rate.

I'm a taxi driver myself, working in Italy, and it's unbelievable to hear how it is the same for us taxi drivers wherever you are...we always feel compelled to work regardless of business being slow or not!

Daytime the tariff maybe lower , but way more airport jobs Daytime tho which really bumps up the money . I have done days and nights and there's really not that much in it. Oh and point number 4 I always do hours and not really money or target based , what I get I get . But through out the week you will have a couple of really good days to catch up on. things I really hate about the job now: 1. Traffic 2. Really awkward passengers (this seems to be getting worse ) Thirdly , I'm starting to find the job boring now. Some days are bearable , some days are just ultra boring . Most other stuff is fair game , as you kinda knew about before taking the job on

Happy New Year!

There are loads of driving jobs: Waitrose/Ocado/ Tesco/Sainsburys, Amazon, DHL/UPS/Fedex/Parcelforce, etc. And also haulage etc. All require hard work and people who genuinely love being behind a wheel. It's not an easy life and requires commitment and dedication.

BE11 UKY Tom 👍🏿👍🏿and a happy new year

My taxi badge lapsed in June ‘22 so I’m no longer a cabbie in the NW of England. But you’re right about the expenses. Where I am it’s around £500 to get started and to renew costs around £300 every three years. This was using a company car just for the duration of the shift. We have to have a medical with a GP every three years, along with a DBS check which you don’t mention? Is that true for London too? Also, could the Union not help with the Boris Bike incident?

London cabs / cabbies are a big part of the whole city. Just like those double decker busses. They should give you some benefits because of that. Idk. It was , just a thought.

I understand why tfl wants to regulate credit card payment suppliers but dashcam? It's crazy!

Me at 2 AM, having never been to London, almost never using a taxi and having absolutely no desire to become a driver myself: "Interesting". Tom, happy near year and a blessed 2023. I don't know why but I love your videos

ooSod that very very good points raised will stick to my lonely thoughts in my hgv

Wait until you have done it for 35 years. It's all about work life balance. I look at the weekly average now I'm in my 60s. Love the content Tom.

To be honest with you Tom I'm a radio presenter by trade I hate reading the traffic and travel but it has to be done as I mostly do it correctly but on a few occasions I've read for example "delay on M8 East" when I should say "delay on M8 West"

Hi Tom Like the Vids. I’ve noticed, you have a different phone holder and also I like your badge holder. Where did you get them and could you do an update on useful things in the cab?

Good report Tom, but simply put the costs in recent years has become financially unviable, after a 40 year career it’s not comparable to a few years ago. Enjoying the content though 👏🏼

Oooooh Northwood?! Nice knowing you Tom

6 points and lose your license but TfL actively advertise for bus drivers who have 6 points or less. You literally couldn’t make it up

All of that, and I bet South Carriage Drive is STILL closed! (No idea, I'm just binging a bunch of your vids :D)

That's true for so many other professions mate. Time = Money

A lot of truths in this. Another insurance fiddle is when you stop being a taxi owner driver, many years of no claims are ignored and you have to start from scratch again. Very unfair. Don't start me on Council rules! It was true what Sid James said in ''Carry on Cabby'' that when you become a taxi driver, you become cut off from the rest of society and nobody loves you!

Great video

When my mate finally got his badge he worked 24/7 for the first six months, had a nervous breakdown and never drove a taxi again.

I hope this channel makes you some decent money on top. Obviously it's taxed, but it night give you enough to put into a pension fund, or give you a holiday. I'll just run each post through on top of watching to make sure get the ad revenue!

I'm travelling to London for the first time this year! But I'm super nervous about catching a black cab. Would love if you could do a video from the perspective of a customer. How to hail a cab, how to ask where to go, how to pay, how to tip.

Great video Tom! Looking forward to your next one mate! 👍🏻

London is crazy😅i am kitchen fitter and i hate jobs in London😅special in city center.Wish you all the best

People seem to think all london taxi drivers are minted , but as you say tom the amount if money you have to layout just to go to work is unreal good luck and keep the vlogs coming.

I'm sure it has its ups and downs but I'm sure on most times you meet some interesting people hear some stories if I worked the London route I think I would spend most time in the cab nice environment I would have my taxi spotless inside out gleaming

Driving a taxi around London today is a silent killer speed cameras narrower roads 20mph speed limits other restrictions plus crippling expenses it seems like they are doing everything to push us out

My set up costs to become a taxi driver in 2022 (nowhere near London and thankfully no 'Knowledge' involved) were as follows ... I'm using my own car, a Mercedes E350. Theory Test £35, Driving Test £65, Apply for license after passing test £140, Medical £100, Car PSV £138, Insurance £2282, Background check £35, installation of meter £100, meter check £40, optional dashcam (front and internal) £250, hardwire fitting of dashcam £70. It ain't cheap however you do it and that's before you earn a penny.

I was expecting an y foods ad in the breaks chapter of your video [like why should I come for coffee when I have y foods strawberry cheesecake instead]

The mini cabs were overcharging this Christmas. Steve Allen the Presenter got charged roughly £170 from Twickenham to Leicester Square on New Year's Day. I am sure a black cab would have charged half that.

1:20 This is the good part about being in taxi call centre: I get paid a regular weekly wage just like I would if I worked in retail or hospitality, but 3:18 I left retail and hospitality because I can't stand for long periods of time, but I can sit for a long time. The only difference is that I have to talk on top on typing, and I'm really focusing on crucial info in a short period of time. It's like taking an IELTS listening test, but you ask them to repeat themselves. 4:36 In a call centre, it's the opposite. I prefer it quiet so there are less chances to make mistakes, and I can give my voice and ears a rest without actually being in my break time. But during peak hours, it really hits me hard. It hits supervisors harder. Because there are more call takers than supervisors, who are also dispatchers, trying to find more drivers to get through the peak hours. 5:41 Because I don't drive and I don't speak loudly enough, I can't work between 23:00-07:00 and be a dog watch crew, or nightwatcher. They get paid more for safety and health compensation reasons because most eateries near our call centre are closed. 5:52 As a call centre staff of my call centre, I get tariff 2 all day. However: If my company haven't got enough cabs, I then miss the bus transfer back to home, then it's quite likely that I get hit with a tariff 3. 7:21 I DO get holiday pay, but dog watch crew already get that anyway. I don't start earning paid leave allowances until I work there for over a year My boss thought I took Christmas Day off, but I did a shift swap because I still have 6 months to go before I become paid-leave-eligible. I do it just so I avoid the double-whammy: Public holiday and Sunday means less cabs on the road in general. I'd rather sacrifice that lost holiday pay than to feel utter drained at work. 8:48 The minimum hours of work in my company's call centre for part-timers are two days a week, but that is because they are students or full-timers in other jobs. My "part time" week is 3 days a week, and my "extra half day" is at least 3 hours, but cannot exceed 5.5 hours, or they have to give me a 30-minute unpaid meal break.

10:34 This is why I like being in call center. As I can only take bookings, I can, within reason, ask my colleagues for help, and most queries from cab drivers will be referred to my supervisors and dispatchers. 10:53 I get that kind of calls referred to my supervisors as well. If you want a job cancellation or declining a long-distance call, in our company, you also have to call the channel, ask for job canncellation without penalty request, or they'll refer the call back to me, so you transfer the booking to others who can and will cover that job. 12:09 I can only speak for my company. If you refuse bookings, especially jobs assigned by dispatchers, you can be hit with a penalty anyway, and would lose 3 weeks of account jobs. I can't even fathom what could be if a driver gets reported and referred to compliance because you overcharge, take a long route, being intoxicated and or speeding. 13:37 I made my fair share of errors, and it's more likely than many due to the amount of overtime I was already working as a trainee. Because the internal system database is a bit dated, even if I have the local knowledge, and it was easily found on Google Maps, the system may still show a landmark that no longer exist, or a newly developed suburb or township. Of course: My errors could directly or indirectly affect the drivers as well. But because I hardly drive, I don't have to worry about damages or traffic offences.

Been in the game since 2004 ,I feel it's a different job now , Uber bolt ect, I only work local now got 2 years left on cab at 57 I can't really afford a new one rental no option, TFL , Sadiq khan, killed it for me, you could stop years ago and chat for a tea , just getting harder and harder, money I made new eve year was a normal Friday 16 years ago

I remember when I was in my Teens and Twenties coming into London on the train to Liverpool street , the number of black cabs parked in the side streets in Hackney

hey tom. here comes some unsolicited advice. take it from a cabbie thats been doing it for 30 years plus. earnings are great, that's why we do it, but if u cant establish a line between working hours and social time, you're not going to last the distance. cabbing is like everything else in life - u have to have a balance 🙂

Sedentary nature of the job is by far the worst aspect. I see you have featured snowboarding and cycling on your channel,it’s so important to keep fit. After years in a taxi I regret not looking after my back when I was younger. Stretch everyday , 10 minutes will do it . Yoga is fantastic, 3 or 4 short sessions a week . When your in your 50’s you’ll be thankful that you have spent a little time protecting your back . Thoroughly enjoy watching your jobs and seeing the streets of London, great to see people flagging taxis on the street and drivers being rewarded for all the hard work they put in to earn the badge.

Tom maybe you need to do a few days as FAKE TAXI making adult films lol

Tom, Do you know about the Ealing Broadway cab hut? I took a taxi on tariff 3 the other day because I didn't want ro wait for the bus for 15 minutes and that payment was taken from CMT Ltd.

Small claims court for the Boris Bike? It's pretty easy

Heard a good quote recently: "It's not hard to get rich, it's hard to get rich and have time to use it" on your points about time in your second point

TOM😂😂😂 looks like the novelty has worn off already ....i got my original badge in 1987 ...i got so sick of the job, i gave it up for 3 years,2020-2022...i started driving for a local bus company in Essex early last year £70 for an evening shift 4pm -11pm after tax..it didnt take me long to realise its a lot better to drive a taxi than a bus..you have to try and to get into and stay in the right frame of mind .

Did 35 + years driving one …It is arrggghhh at times .I now work half the hours working in an office environment and earn the same 👍🏼

you have a beautiful cab

Hi Tom, Without talking private stuff, do you set yourself targets/minimum takings each day before you go home?

When asked about my next day off, I normally reply; "I don't have days off, just days I don't earn money"

My Grandad did this job. Used the cab for mulitple purposes and did private fares.

With you on the 20mph limits for big wide open roads, is ridiculous. You can break that barely getting into 2nd gear. Should only be for narrow residential streets.