Many residents of Russia more and more often wonder whether it is profitable to work in a taxi. This question arises mainly for people who want to earn extra money. In addition, the work of a taxi driver is of interest to the population with a driver’s license. On the one hand, the profession does not require anything special from a person. On the other hand, there are many incomprehensible moments and features of labor. Is it profitable to be a taxi driver in Russia? What are the pros and cons of this profession? Answers to all these questions will be given below.
Description
The first step is to understand what constitutes the profession being studied. A taxi driver is a taxi driver. He is engaged in transportation of the population. In some cases, taxi drivers transport small loads and parcels with people.
Is it profitable to work in a taxi? In Russia, this position is distributed mainly among men. They work as taxi drivers on an ongoing basis, and as part-time jobs. What are the pros and cons in this area of activity? Is the job of a taxi driver so good-looking as many imagine it?
Ways of working
If you think about whether it is profitable to work in a taxi, you can come to the conclusion that this work has a huge number of features. For example, not everyone understands how you can become a taxi driver. Russia provides several options for the development of events in this sense.
You can work as a taxi driver:
- as an IP (for yourself);
- through collaboration with dispatch companies;
- in the state of taxi services;
- by renting a car in a taxi.
In addition, it is proposed to work both on your vehicle and on a regular one. It all depends on the type of employment.
How to act? Everyone decides for himself. All of these labor options have their advantages and disadvantages. Which ones?
Private drivers
Let's start with the most common scenario: work as a private taxi driver. Is such a labor option beneficial?
Yes, but only if it is used as a part-time job. Typically, the work of "private traders" is suitable for people with a good income. In practice, private taxi drivers are often not registered as private entrepreneurs and conduct illegal activities. Therefore, for an unregistered taxi driver, "private owners" there are considerable risks of being caught by tax authorities. Such an employee can be held liable up to imprisonment.
If a person registers IP (passenger traffic), he can safely work as a taxi driver. But at the same time, the following disadvantages appear:
- high taxes;
- unstable salaries;
- the need to make mandatory fixed contributions to the state budget;
- Repair and inspection of vehicles is carried out at their own expense.
Is it profitable to work in a taxi as a "private trader"? Not really. Therefore, more and more preference is given to work in taxi services and control rooms.
Via dispatchers
Working through dispatch services is also not easy. Typically, such companies accept orders for passenger transportation, and then distribute them to their employees by radio or telephone. From each order, it is necessary to give the employing organization up to 25% of the profit.
Such work in a taxi allows "private owners" to look for customers and work quite actively. Nevertheless, dispatching services do not have their own fleet. Therefore, the driver will need to work on his car. Repair and inspection is also carried out at the expense of a taxi driver.
Previously, dispatching services were in demand - they simply concluded a cooperation agreement with them.Now these organizations require drivers to have a certificate of registration of IP. This option does not suit everyone.
The advantages of this work are the lack of control, freedom of choice of orders. Disadvantages - cost.
State
Clients do not too often trust private taxi drivers. Therefore, some drivers agree to work through taxi services. On your car or on the service - this is not so important. The main thing is that the taxi service takes orders from customers and distributes them to their subordinates.
At the stage of searching for employees, all taxi services guarantee job seekers comfortable working conditions, high earnings and official transport. In fact, a different picture comes out. The work of a taxi driver has a huge number of nuances. For example, regarding salary. It consists of several parts - salary and percentage of orders.
The salary of a taxi driver is usually not very high. She reaches in some regions 15-22 thousand rubles. In this case, the employee must fulfill the monthly rate of orders. Typically, you need to earn 60-70 000 rubles per month. After that, up to 25% of premiums will be charged from orders. For failure to comply with the norm, the driver is liable to a fine.
A taxi driver at a car company will pay for all damage to the car that he caused the vehicle during operation. In addition, repairs are often made from the pocket of a subordinate. Therefore, many people prefer to work on their cars.
Despite all the above features, the work of a taxi driver (regardless of the chosen scheme of work) has a number of common advantages and disadvantages. Which ones? Is it profitable to work in a taxi?
Work schedule
Any taxi service in recruitment promises a flexible work schedule. But in reality this is not so. Working as a taxi driver implies a partially free and flexible schedule. Taxi drivers work either in shifts or all day (a day through ...).
Accordingly, the work of a taxi driver implies that a person in some cases will not spend the night at home. Night work is hard for workers. Usually this shortcoming does not occur with "private owners" - they completely independently build their working day.
Education and Skills
Among the advantages of working as a taxi driver, they often highlight the need for a driver’s license. Nothing more is needed. A driver or a taxi driver can work a person without a higher education.
It follows that even students can be taxi drivers. Only for them, such work is not suitable due to a very busy schedule. In any case, the employee must be able to drive a car, this is the only requirement necessary for labor.
Security
Some are wondering if it is dangerous to work in a taxi. After all, not only men know how to drive, but also women. But in practice, as already mentioned, men mainly work as taxi drivers. Why?
All this is due to the high danger of the profession. Firstly, work on the road, behind the wheel, is given with great difficulty. A person controls a source of increased danger (auto), there are no guarantees that an accident will not happen during a working day.
Secondly, customers are different. Many ride a taxi. Inadequate passenger can meet at any time. A criminal, a gangster, a rapist, drunk or under psychotropic substances - all these people can be clients of a taxi driver. It is easier for a man to cope with such inadequate passengers than a woman.
It follows that working as a taxi driver is certain risks. This profession cannot be called safe.
About salary
Is it profitable to work in a taxi? Among the shortcomings of the profession, unstable and low earnings are often distinguished. As when working through dispatch services or taxis, and in private transport.
The thing is that in modern Russia, taxi tariffs are not too high. In some cities, taxiing through half the city costs 100 rubles, sometimes less. In Moscow, for example, taxi services range from 300 to 600 rubles. Such transportation is available to almost the entire population of the country.In order to get a good salary, you need to carry out many orders. This is not always possible.
In addition, from the income received from the transportation of the population, you must either give part of the dispatch / taxi service, or transfer in the form of taxes and deductions. And do not forget about the contents of the car! All this is a big waste. Therefore, working as a taxi driver cannot be called profitable.
Load
The next feature of the profession is the instability of labor. Taxi drivers, as already mentioned, can work for days. Moreover, no one can say for sure how many passengers and orders a person will make in a day. You can stand in traffic jams all day and take several citizens to their destination. And on some days, taxi drivers manage to fulfill the monthly rate for orders.
The load on the taxi driver is large, but unstable. Perhaps this is more a disadvantage than an advantage. After all, the taxi driver’s earnings directly depends on the work performed. The more people he carries, the better.
Taxi drivers and cars
Of course, do not forget that just so becoming a taxi driver does not work. Each car must have a walkie-talkie or business phone. All this costs certain costs. In addition, modern drivers use GPS-navigators to help find a way to anywhere in the city - another point of expenditure.
Taxi drivers, as has been repeatedly emphasized, are required to maintain the car and maintain its performance. This applies to all, without exception. Car maintenance is not a cheap pleasure. Without a car, working as a taxi driver will not work. No need to think that this profession is easy. Staying on it, a person should be ready for certain considerable investments in the car.
Another nuance that everyone needs to consider is that the vehicle for passenger transportation must be comfortable. Sometimes picking up a car for a taxi driver is not so easy. Some drivers specifically rent a car to transport passengers.
The nuances of transportation
Is it profitable to work in a taxi? Some people say that this work is good for lonely and unoccupied people with good stamina and strength. To not be scared to work.
In addition to these features, a taxi driver often encounters problems of transporting the population - someone does not warn that he will take a lot of things with him, some are silent about traveling with a child. The second problem is especially common. Because of it, the driver can be deprived of a driver’s license. Indeed, in Russia, the transportation of children requires special attention.
In addition, during the trip, the driver has to observe a huge number of rules. For example, do not smoke or talk on the phone while driving. Many neglect established traffic rules. In this case, the taxi driver risks not only not making money, but also remaining in debt to the state, as well as losing his driver’s license.
Summary
Now it’s clear whether it’s profitable to work in a taxi. The bulk of the population claims that this profession is not the best place to find a job. Dangerous and unprofitable - this is how some taxi drivers respond about their work. Nevertheless, this profession does not require special skills and knowledge. Therefore, it should not be excluded from possible places of employment.
Based on the foregoing, the advantages of the taxi driver are the following points:
- there is no age limit (after 18 years, anyone can be a taxi driver);
- there are prospects for earning;
- flexible working hours (especially for "private traders");
- constant communication with people;
- lack of requirements for higher education;
- prospects of using an official car;
- official employment.
There are also disadvantages to work. For example:
- danger;
- lack of security guarantees;
- communication with inadequate passengers;
- auto maintenance costs;
- deductions and fines (especially when working in taxi services);
- busy and unstable work schedule (it’s mostly like that);
- the need to comply with many traffic rules;
- risk of being left without a driver’s license;
- the need to install equipment in machines;
- constant checks (in taxi services).
Is it worth it to work as a taxi driver? Everyone solves this issue for himself. In any case, the work of a taxi driver is not too loved by the population. Working in a taxi is hard work.
