To be the best taxi driver, you need to avoid some mistakes that others do. When you behave or do things differently, you stand out, and more people will want to engage your services. If you want to take your business to the next step, try to avoid the following common mistakes.
Paying too much attention to satellite navigation
Train your mind to help you navigate around. While real-time traffic alerts are of great value to your business, relying too much on navigation applications will make you a slave to technology. Technological innovation has come a long way, but it hasn’t thrashed the human touch yet.
Not paying attention to customers moods
Not every client likes an overly chatty taxi driver. Learn the skill of understanding your customers. You will realize that it is good to stay quiet at times. People on a holiday are likely to want to chat, while those commuting to work might not even want to listen to music, let alone chat.
Sometimes it is best to drive in silence. Turning the stereo won’t help because everyone has their particular taste of music.
Read also: Can Telematics Save You Money On Your Taxi Insurance?
Having a messy cab
Very few people like messy situations in a taxi. You ought to keep your place of work spotless and free of odours or perfume. Get a mild air freshener if you have to. Do anything to ensure that your cab isn’t a turn-off to customers.
Engaging in hot topics
Certain subjects are likely to go downhill because of the varied views that people have about life. It is wise to keep off topics that have anything to do with religion and politics if you find that your customer is in a talkative mood.
Also, assume that everyone wants to keep their private matters to themselves if they don’t hint that they want to talk about their personal lives. If you are stuck deciding on a topic to chat about, you can always complain or compliment the weather.
Disclosing the fare at the end of a journey
Nobody likes getting a horrid financial shock when their journey comes to an end. Your customers will appreciate it if you give them a rough estimate of what their trip will cost before heading out, particularly if the journey is likely to experience stumbles such as traffic.
Losing your cool
While human nature calls for escalating unfavourable situations, new taxi drivers have to train hard to exercise patience at all times. You are likely to spend a few minutes waiting for your backseat passenger to pay you. There is a need to stay calm and move on instead of getting agitated.
Not getting insured
The taxi business has its fair share of risks beyond the driver’s control. It helps to know that you have total cover for any incidents that may arise. Quote Radar has been helping taxi drivers find adequate and reasonably priced insurance covers for quite a while. Find cheap taxi insurance quotes.