INDUSTRY EXPERT
perhaps geographically. Great so how? Yes you can talk about staff and drivers, upgrades to systems but what else does the business need to grow? Can you grow for example with the constant threat of a tribunal, an unreliable service not knowing how many drivers will cover your work due to multi-apping, is the VAT quagmire a concern, what about the changes to legislation next year, AVs? Are you really going to set out on an ambitious plan without thinking about these issues? If not what are you going to do to address them. And what does good look like from an external environment perspective? How will that be achieved?
What do we want? How much time do we as an industry really focus on what we want. How much time do you as a business person spend working out what you would like your business to look like next year and five or ten years time? Even if you think about it, what do you do to deliver it? Who has ever asked their customers what they want? And if you have, what have you then done to deliver it? Do you even know who your customers are? I don’t mean you get to know every Mrs Miggins whom you take shopping once a week, albeit she may well feel she knows your company and loyally sticks with you. No, I mean what are your customers, why do they use your service, are they young or old, rich or poor, car owners or not, commuters or late night ravers? Would they like to use you to go to a restaurant or cinema but don’t because they are not certain of getting home? What do they really think of your service? What would encourage them to use you more? If you don’t know you should. The old excuse of: we are too small for all that is not a valid reason not to do at least some of it.
Are you getting new customers and then losing older customers? If someone was using you but stopped do you care as long as new customers are coming along? What happens when the new customers stop coming? What if a loyal customer stops using you after two bad experiences but could be won back? Perhaps you are too big for all that - if that is the case let’s hope you stay too big for all of that.
None of this is rocket science it’s basic customer relationship management, running a cab company 101.
So assuming you do all of the above what is the business plan? Where do you want to get to? The strategy may simply be to stay in business, to remain about the same size, to sell in a few years, to pass the business onto the kids or to grow significantly even
PHTM NOVEMBER 2026
If you run a 100-car service that you would like to grow to be a 1,000-car service in five years, it is not realistic to spend the money needed to significantly change the external environment, influence legislation or resolve worker status issues. That is where trade associations come in. Many issues are common to all companies in this industry, both big and small. Properly funded and functioning trade associations can achieve great things for an industry and should be expected to do so. But it takes two to tango.
Representation
Only a fraction of companies in this industry belong to a trade association and few of those do very much other than pay their subs and maybe turn up to a trade meeting now and again.
Getting the external environment right is vital to the delivery of your business plan whatever that is; buy and build, organic growth, steady state, sell, grow or keep. Go to meetings, bring your asks, request proper workshops, working groups or whatever to tease out what it is the industry wants and needs and then get your mates to join as well. Fund the trade association properly so professional public affairs people can be employed to do the hard yards and secure meaningful meetings with politicians and policymakers where our wants and needs are properly presented in professional documents that excite and clarify how important this industry really is and what is possible.
Trade associations that truly represent at least the majority of an industry have a decent voice and a significant chance of advancing their agenda. Trade associations cannot develop their own agenda, regardless what some may think. Trade associations need to canvass opinion, gain some form of consensus and develop the agenda from there. Then the skill is to deliver that agenda through professional engagement.
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