Not many people know it but when I first entered the
private hire industry it wasn’t meant to be permanent. I was actually working as a
self-employed Draughtsman creating engineering drawings on a computer aided
design system. To be honest, it didn't go well. The work was patchy and on reflection maybe I should have waited until I was older?
With intermittent work and late payments, I needed
money. An advert in the local paper read ‘drivers wanted, cash paid’. I called and
reached a local taxi firm. The owner invited me in for a chat and before long I completed
an application for a private hire licence. The cost was just £39 with very
little to prevent you getting it – today you need a medical, an enhanced police
check and references.
I soon became no stranger to a twelve-hour shift on a Friday and
Saturday night. It was character building to say the least - working for a taxi firm next to a nightclub! Unfortunately, about a year later, I experienced a violent incident. At the
time it was scary but in hindsight, it was probably the wake-up call I needed.
Unwittingly I had transitioned from a time-served,
precision engineer with a string of professional qualifications to a full-time
taxi driver. Two years previous I was working for a multinational company with
an attractive package and a comfortable office. The days of Monday to
Friday were over and gone. It was time to take stock and ask myself where I was really
headed in life.
I loved being self-employed but the chances of building a
business as an engineer were fading. Considering a long-term career as a taxi driver depressed me (despite the fun times) and a change of
career seemed unlikely. I started to recognise however that because I trained
as an engineer it didn’t mean I had to remain an engineer. I could use what I
had learned though.
As a Draughtsman it is vital you understand document
control. Furthermore as an apprentice I had studied BS5750 as a quality system
to gain ‘Technician Guides’. This highlighted the importance of an audit trail
and ‘root analysis’. Reviewing how a taxi office managed data and
processed information was just shocking and it explained the
complaints!
Everything was paper-based! When staff changed shifts,
information was lost or thrown in the bin and when bookings were made, the
details were sketchy. The basics were non-existent and contract customers suffered
as a consequence. Considering all this, I realised there was a lot of room for
improvement and I knew the Internet was about to be a revolution.
If ever there was an opportunity in front of me, I suppose this was
it.
