Help me pls to decide joining Sheffield private taxi driving

Hi,

My name is Tijo, I work in a shop, I am thinking to become a Sheffield private taxi driver,

I got lot of doubts and questions in my head, could you all please guide me thro or help me out to make a decision.

This is my current situation :

1. I just got normal car licence, but am planning to take private hire licence
   
2. At the moment I am free Friday evenings, Saturday after 2 pm onwards and Sunday full day.
   
3. I don't have a good car, so I might need to buy one not expensive one as i don't have much money
   

My doubts :

1. Can I work part time like mentioned above in sheffield and make some living out of it after the expenses
   
2. How much money i can realistically make if i work during this hours in Sheffield, may be with city taxi, on a ordinary car with only 1 or 2 years taxi plate left on it
   
3. What all are the expenses involved, heard the btec course will cost atleast £350, and the city taxi part time radio/app around £75 etc
   
4. Any one got the expense figures in % like fuel is this much % of your money got thro fair. etc
   
5. Where can i get the notes or any books for Sheffield taxi knowledge test
   

I really appreciate everyone's time and really thank you for your advices

Kind Regards

Tijo

Tijo,

Many years ago my father in law was a private taxi driver in Bradford. The way it worked was like this:

1. You paid a weekly subscription for your 'radio' (I suspect it is a Smart device these days)

2. The fare you collected was yours

3. You were responsible for all your costs

4. Local authorities had their local rules about what type of car you could use (age was normally an important consideration)

However with the introduction of smart metering/GPS/Uber, the way the market operates may well have changed.

Why not call City Cabs for a chat, I am sure they could help to answer all these questions for you?

I once did a stint at cab driving. But I wouldn't entertain it these days...It's a very cutthroat market out there.

Back in the day, I just got a job with a local private hire company...They provided the cab and covered all costs, and I got a third of the takings. No tests to take, just fill in a form, get a medical from the doctors saying you were fit to drive and that was pretty much it. Thankfully, where I lived back then was a relatively small town. Not like Sheffield which is huge. You need to know where you're going.

Here's some information in regard to taxi's in Sheffield...I warn you it's a nightmare and costly.

https://www.sheffield.gov.uk/business-economy/licensing/general-licensing/taxi-licensing.html