You need more than a car to start a taxi business. But, the equipment you do need is low cost and easy to set up. This means it’s easier than ever to start a taxi business. This article explains some of the most valuable office equipment that makes operating a taxi company a breeze. The suggestions cover taking bookings, getting your rides from A to B and taking payment. With a streamlined operation, you can keep costs low whilst still giving fantastic customer service to your rides.

Equipment for a Taxi Business

Of course, you need a car or a fleet of vehicles to operate a taxi business, but it’s the office equipment that will set you up for success.

Taking Bookings

While mobile apps for taxis are becoming increasingly popular, they will never replace a phone call. Some users still would rather speak to an operator, especially if the rider needs assistance or access to a property is unusual. Plus, an operator needs to be contactable to help customers find out where a taxi may be parked or if they need to change the time or date for pre-booked cabs. A quality phone system is essential to start a taxi business, and it can help you operate at a more professional level. This is especially the case for phone systems that use VoIP for taxi operators.

A VoIP phone system allows for many features that are beneficial for taxi companies and their callers. These include:

  • Greeting Messages – As soon as someone calls your taxi firm’s number, they can be greeted with a friendly welcome and be informed of different options.
  • Call Queuing – Essential for when there is no staff member free for a call. Callers join a queue and hear music or an advertising message which eases impatience and can extend the time callers are willing to wait.
  • Interactive Voice Response (IVR) – IVR allows for text-to-speech translation and speech recognition to automate bookings. This frees up staff, improves contact centre efficiency and reduces costs.
  • Despatch Integration – Some of our most helpful taxi VoIP despatch integrations features include; caller recognition, screen popping, call masking, call recordings and Automatic Back On Phone (ABOP).

A VoIP system can also help staff operate more efficiently with features like hot-desking, wallboards, VIP Numbers and PC softphone apps and mobile apps. These features allow a team to work from any location and handle calls effectively. Read more about the features included in our VoIP for taxi operators.

Organising bookings

Another feature of VoIP phone systems is their ability to integrate with other pieces of software. This is especially helpful in the taxi industry, where a booking system is another vital piece of equipment needed to start a taxi business. Taxi booking/despatch software can help you:

  • Store and utilise passenger details.
  • Manage bookings, accept payments and track them
  • Handle taxi rate cards, restrict pick-ups and manage vehicle types available.
  • Manage additional requirements, for instance, baby seats, pets etc.
  • View online statistics and review the performance of your website and other marketing avenues

Many different despatch software systems are available in the UK with their own pros and cons. A quality one will ensure you and your customers can make bookings quickly and easily, any information is relayed clearly and that payments are taken with ease.

At Yestech, we’ve developed interfaces with most of the despatch software systems in the UK market, including fully integrated Gold Partner Status with CAB9 and Cordic. We also have excellent working relationships with Autocab, Cab Despatch, Cab Treasure, CMS, Coded Data, Data Master, iCabbi, Marandy and Shakespeare. So a phone system with booking software integration will make starting your taxi business easy as 1,2,3.

Getting Rides from A to B

Of course, the real work of a taxi business is to get their customers from A to B quickly and safely. Some essential equipment for this includes Sat Nav and Bluetooth headsets.

Sat nav, whether through a Sat Nav device or a mobile phone, ensures your drivers know where they are going and can use the most efficient route. This is a vital piece of equipment that will improve customer service and guarantee a happy customer at the end of their journey.

Drivers frequently need to talk to the bookings operator and their riders. Utilising a Bluetooth headset is a legal way for drivers to contact who they need. A quality headset will be comfortable to wear for long shifts and easy to operate. Connecting to the taxi phone system integrated with despatch software will help drivers get the correct information for a pick-up and contact the customer if they can’t find them. It also helps them relay to head office any difficulties they experience.

Taking Payments

While cash is still a primary payment method for many taxi companies, digital payments allow for a more streamlined process. Equipment for taking payments is critical for creating a profitable taxi business. This is paired with the need for meters to decide how much a fare is.

Payments can be taken with a card machine in taxis, but it’s not always suitable or easy. A more efficient method is via your website or an app integrated with booking software. Payment on a linked card can be taken once the ride is complete and for the exact amount. This reduces the need for drivers to carry large amounts of cash and makes payments contactless. This is, therefore, safer for both customers and drivers. How payments are taken could be one of the deciding factors when it comes to which despatch software to choose. So, ask about options when looking for a company to partner with.

Yestech Taxi Phone Systems

These are all the essential tools to start a taxi business. As you can see, there is a minimal amount of equipment, but each serves a particular purpose for taxi operators. If you are interested in a phone system for taxi operators, please consider Yestech. We have been providing telephone systems to the taxi trade since 2010, and we still serve our very first customers. We now have almost 400 taxi operators using our technology. They like how we’ve looked after them, especially during the tough times of the pandemic. Not to mention, the cost savings they’ve made from utilising our systems. With a 5 star rating on our Google reviews from over 100 happy customers, we think their satisfaction speaks for itself.