Creating a taxi business – the complete guide

You're not one to work nine to five, but you like to drive. You may be thinking about getting into the taxi nice airport transfers business – it can be rewarding in many ways. Similarly, you can be part of a team, while working for yourself. In France, this industry offers a variety of structures, so you can find the option that suits you best. In this guide, we'll help you learn the basics of what you need to know to get started.

axi or VTC – the differences

As stated above, there are different Commercial structures in the French taxi sector.

The main difference is that taxi drivers can pick up passengers on the street, while ride-hailing drivers cannot. The term VTC or Passenger Vehicle with Driver refers to "an operator who makes available to his customers one or more vehicles, as well as a driver, whose conditions are agreed between the parties before the service"

In other words, VTCs work with advance booking, picking up passengers at their location and dropping them off at their desired destination – both specified in advance. Thus, the taxi customer only knows the amount he must pay at the end of his ride, while with a VTC, this amount is known before the start of the race.

Another difference – rather visible – is that a taxi is obliged to have a distinctive and luminous sign on the roof of the vehicle, while a VTC has none step. Thus, a VTC is more difficult to recognize, while allowing a some discretion.

A taxi can use the lanes reserved for taxis and buses, VTC can only move with the rest of the traffic.

VTCs often offer extras on board such as bottled water, Wi-Fi, recent magazines. It is unusual to expect That kind of thing in a taxi.

There were a total of about 26,000 taxi and VTC drivers, including 19 000 in Île-de-France in 2019. Although the sector has suffered a decline due to of the COVID-19 pandemic, these transportation services are in high demand in All the France on a daily basis.

Starting a taxi business

As with any commercial enterprise, start-up requires a preparation. Here are some of the essential steps that you must cross – both for licensed taxis and for VTCs.

Market research

Market research helps you identify your niche. The niche is The targeted set of people or companies that would buy your service. Ask yourself who your target customers are. If your answer is "all the world", you are actually not targeting anyone. Identifying a specific avatar – your ideal passenger – allows you to better define your taxi services and decide how to present them effectively. There are many niches in the taxi sector. By For example, customers of restaurants and nightclubs who go out late on Friday and Saturday. There are children who must be taken to school and return. There are clubs and companies that need transportation. Take also takes into account where you will work. Maybe you can have more success and earning much better in underserved areas rather than in working-class neighborhoods, already overloaded by your competitors.

Business Plan

The business plan is an essential document that you will need to compile when looking for ways to finance a new business. He starts with a summary and presents detailed information about your enterprise. These include your marketing and advertising strategies, the staff you plan to hire, your financial projections, and your growth strategies – short and long term. And much more. Each of your potential investors – banks, credit institutions private or other types of funding sources – will carefully examine your plans, to decide if your business is viable. But even in the event that You will invest your savings, it is in your interest to know well your sector and be fully prepared. The business plan is a invaluable instrument to help you.

Stake in place, legal aspects and structure

Consider if you will be working as a liberal profession or with a partner, if You will work with staff that you hire or if you entrust entirely your business activities to employees. Each of these cases of figure is different, and the use of legal consultants and accountants is the best you can do. These experts can help you advise on legal obligations, personal responsibilities, Tax obligations – in short, the formalities that accompany each type business. Thus, you will be able to choose in full knowledge of the facts the How to proceed.

Mark

If You have chosen to organize, manage and conduct your activities alone – what It's also called a solopreneur – you don't have to worry much the name and design of the company. On the other hand, if you Consider expanding and offering services with at least Several vehicles, the brand image will become crucial. The brand is the identity of your company and relates to its image and reputation. It takes time to build, so you have to be both patient and Work tirelessly for the good reputation of your company. In Thinking about your brand, there are many things to consider. The Creating a website for your business is becoming more and more essential nowadays. It must be optimized for search engines, so that Your target audience can discover it easily. The presence of your social media business, responding to customer reviews and Equally important is the quick handling of negative reviews or complaints. These elements, and many more, will allow you to strengthen your mark.

Financing

We We've already mentioned it – unless you have good savings, a External funding will be essential for your startup. Your firm commitment will be necessary to ensure that you will be able to refund. The The person you go to for funding will look to Obtain revenue projections and forecasts over a period of time – or when you will be able to break even and to start making a profit. Funding has many aspects to :

• Frais de création d’entreprise
• Frais liés à l’obtention des licences nécessaires
• Dépenses de logiciels (applications, logiciels pour centres d’appels et autres investissements de ce type destinés à assurer le bon fonctionnement de votre entreprise)
• Marketing : développement de sites web, référencement, publicité payante, présence sur les médias sociaux, habillage et marquage des taxis, etc.
• Office space: You may be able to manage your Business from your home. For this, it is necessary to obtain the authorization of the local authorities or your landlord. Renting offices in a Busy area, where guests can enter to take a appointment, would result in additional costs for utilities, Internet services, telephone, personnel, furniture and equipment office, etc.
• Peripheral equipment: This can be a credit card to allow your customers to pay you by card. This is the Trend that is rising at the moment. There is also the taximeter, which displays the price of the race, the distance covered and the total price of the race. You will have need, among other things, for satellite navigation and possibly Dashcam for insurance. Add the "Taxi" sign on the roof of your vehicle to communicate when you are available.
• Your vehicle – your company's main tool. He must be in good condition by all means and at all times. Avoid cars that run on diesel – the government has decided to eliminate them by While.
• Insurance.

Staff

Your staff will understand the drivers you decide to employ, as well as the necessary associated controls – permits, medical examinations, etc. If you Plan to have a call center to allow your customers to book Your services, you will also need staff. This is particularly relevant for a VTC, where calls are essential to activity.

Become a taxi driver

The prerequisites can be summarized as: personal papers, exam and taxi license.

The package relating to personal documents concerns taxi to nice airport and VTC drivers. It includes:

• avalid category B driving licence, issued at least 3 years previously;
• proof of aclean criminal record;
• Medical Eligibility Statement
• First aid certificate, issued no more than 2 years before the application.

Each has its particularities. For example, the medical examination cannot be carried out only by an approved medical practitioner, appearing on a list published on the site Web of your prefecture.

Training of taxi drivers

The theoretical and practical examinations are called togetherCertificate of Professional Competence of taxi driver (CCPCT). The theory focuses on characteristics geographical, cultural and tourist aspects of the territory, knowledge of the regulation of taxis and road safety rules, as well as the Fluency in French and English.

Its success sends you to a 20-minute course to test in practices both your theoretical knowledge and your ability to accommodate and bill your customers.

Although you can pass your exams by your own efforts, it can be useful to take training. There are many possibilities.