REFLECTIONS OF AN
Article by Dr Michael S. Galvin
mobilityserviceslimited.com
So much change, so little dialogue
The industry appears to have been in a state of flux for over a decade now. The relative calm and focus of competing on service, availability, and at the margins, growth is but a distant memory as is the era of profit being an indicator of a company’s health. The heady days of drivers loyally working for one company and operators actually knowing what resources they have at their disposal are long gone. And thanks to worker status and the threat of tribunals, refusing bookings is now commonplace rather than an outlier which may warrant a final warning. Similarly, those companies that had a shift system in place so that nights and days had sufficient supply or those that had dress codes or even uniforms are left to fare as best they can.
I suppose the big question is whether any of this has improved the customer experience? I think we can all agree that has not been the case. The industry at times borders on the Wild West with drivers gamifying the multi app system for the biggest surge, leaving customers using operators with lower paying fares (i.e. non-surgers) stranded.
Did the industry formerly occupy planet normality or are we now the inhabitants of it? Whilst it felt normal, low bars to entry, lots of mom and pop businesses and a few biggies mainly domiciled in the larger cities, was it a ripe apple waiting to be picked? Too insular, too cosseted and complacent about regulation and the day-to-day demands of running a business being effective barriers to entry? Whatever was to blame, our world is very different now and we are still not back to anywhere near a steady state.
Politics and commercial are bedfellows
If the taxi and PH industry was one business or, dare I say it, a properly organised industry rather than fragmented at every level, we would have a clear list of commercial goals and the enablers needed to deliver them. As it is, we have a whinge list of largely domestic trivia which is aired for at an hour or two at whingefests aka trade meetings. Like a bad marriage we know what we don’t want, but we have no mechanism to collate our top three or heaven forbid a top ten of what we really do want or indeed need.
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We therefore get, if not what we deserve, certainly what we are given. Anyone who thinks running a business is all about the internal environment and the external environment is for others to sort out, is sadly mistaken.
If you think I am wrong, that’s OK because I think you are wrong and we can both have differing opinions. My evidence is based on, yes experience, but also on observation. Just look at the big guys, their polished representatives turned up looking smart and well prepared for the recent Transport Select Committee Evidence
Sessions. They delivered their points
eloquently; they were rehearsed and largely aligned. They spoke of evidence and data and what was good for the customer. Authoritative and credible came to mind.
The big guys spend serious money on public and government affairs and it shows. Just look at the Transport Secretary’s glee in press releases after meeting with Autonomous Vehicle (AV) companies who talk of investing millions in the UK creating jobs and bringing in new technology.
But these big guys don’t only court politicians and policymakers, they manage their business operations as well. The reason they do both is because they are the sum parts of running a business.
You can be absolutely certain that the big guys have clear business plans and the strategies that set out what is needed to deliver those plans. The key question is why doesn’t the rest of the industry which is busy worrying about cross-border, logos and stickers, colours of vehicles and differences between licensing authority regulations. All of which may have their place in a strategy, but they are not on their own a strategy.
What is our story? What do we want? How do we deliver it?
Taxis and PH are an important industry. I won’t rehearse what we do and our place in transport infrastructure, we should all know these things off the top of our head. We turn over £13bn per annum through direct sales (fares), we provide a living to 400k people directly. We almost certainly provide a living to a similar number of people through our multi-million- pound investments in technology, vehicles, premises (CAPEX) etc. We are positive contributors to the UK’s economy through tax and OPEX (operating costs) but who actually knows this? Where are those messages promoted on behalf of the industry? Why is the Transport Secretary not excited by our contribution to UK PLC? Maybe no one tells her!
NOVEMBER 2026 PHTM
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