TAXI SHIFT TARGETS: Do you aim for a daily monetary target or work to a set time?

Driving a taxi is flexible work where cabbies can choose not only the hours they work, but also how much they want to earn.

But how do cabbies work a shift behind the wheel? Do they set monetary daily targets or do they set a daily time limit?

The pros of setting a daily target mean you’re more than likely to earn what you need. There is however likely to be more anxiety and stress during the day when demand is slower and it takes longer to earn the target required. It’s also mentally very easy to call an end to your shift as soon as the shift is over, even though there is more earning potential when demand is high.

Taking less notice of what’s arriving on your money trays throughout the day is less stressful, but it remains key that you make a note of each fare to tally up at the end of the day.

Experienced cabbies can set the number of hours that usually generates the money required over the course of a week or month. The idea is that daily income will fluctuate, but the good and the bad days will even themselves out.

TaxiPoint asked UK taxi drivers what method they use and conducted a quick poll.

Interestingly 54% of cabbies set daily hours, which was slightly ahead of the 46% that work towards daily monetary targets.

London taxi driver, Robert Oakley, said: “Always done the hours. Otherwise, you’re going to be chasing a target.”

John Cunningham had a slightly different, and perhaps better, take on both options, saying: “There's a point in the day when my brain says that will do...”

Overall, there was a really mixed approach to how drivers set out to earn what’s required. Would you expect anything else from the UK taxi industry though?!