IN A CHANGING WORLD
However, there is one significant challenge that we should not be afraid to mention. It’s a threat that (in the worst-case scenario) could destroy the taxi industry as we know it forever.
I’m sure by now, many of you have guessed what I’m talking
about...Huge multi-national corporate giants with massive financial backing have entered the UK taxi industry in recent years which has threatened most family-run private hire firms with extinction.
These big app companies have often engaged in unethical and unprincipled practices to get ahead and have taken a large slice of the market that was traditionally reserved for private hire firms.
It’s a bold statement, but one that has to be made, for only by facing the truth of this new landscape can we effectively fight against this huge threat facing all private hire firms.
Whilst traditionally, private hire firms have been competitors to each other in a free and fair way, this has now changed with the emergence of these app companies from abroad which has been disastrous from the viewpoint of private hire companies. Some of these companies have flouted UK laws and lobbied politicians just to get ahead of private hire firms.
It’s an uneven battle which many private hire firms are losing against these new disruptors in the taxi market, unable to compete with the corporate cash behind these behemoths.
I hate to be the prophet of doom but that is an unfortunate reality that everyone who owns a private hire company needs to face.
“
The question now becomes: how do we fight back against such a huge corporate entity with access to billions of pounds?
TAXI/PH FIRMS OF THE UK - UNITE!
Some private hire owners have just shrugged their shoulders and accepted their fate, saying it’s simply not possible to compete. However, such inaction will result in their total annihilation at the hands of these new app-hailing firms, whether it happens now or a few years down the line.
However, there is a way to fight back against these ‘ride-hailing firms’ and I’m proud to say that private hire operators from across the UK are protecting the trade by joining forces to create organisations which act as a buffer against the expansion of these app firms.
Taxi and private hire firms are now in regular contact with each other and are coming up with proactive solutions that benefit our trade as a whole. By combining our experiences and skills, we have a better chance of combating the threat and defending our trade.
The networking features in dispatch systems are a first step towards keeping these huge overseas apps in check and safeguarding the taxi industry in the UK.
Further, some prominent ‘thought leaders’ have emerged, mostly owners of various taxi and private hire companies in the UK, who have been very proactive in the fightback.
However, it’s important to stress that this is just the beginning and that these baby steps of co- operation within the taxi industry should lead to some more concrete resolutions in future.
At the core of my belief is that we are all stronger when we are together
PHTM NOVEMBER 2022
For now, it’s encouraging to see the progress that’s been made in terms of unity within the industry. For only by unifying and working together can we effectively counter these powerful disruptors.
”
Until next month Ateeq Naseem
7
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88
