The truth about my job...
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- Опубліковано 1 чер 2024
- There's lots of things I didn't realise before I started this job!
MY SET-UP:
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MY TAXI ESSENTIALS:
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MUSIC & SOUND FX USED:
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WHO AM I:
I’m Tom, a London Taxi driver of 6 years. I also have a keen passion for all things London whether that’s; history, geography or a good spot for coffee!
WHY DO I MAKE VIDEOS?:
To PROMOTE and PROTECT The Knowledge of London
And to PRESERVE the high standards of London Taxi Drivers
CHAPTERS
00:00 - Intro
00:27 - Talking with Passengers
01:47 - Weird Passengers?
02:34 - The Day to Day
03:50 - What does it feel like?
05:50 - What about traffic?
07:09 - Managing Passenger expectations
08:00 - Getting Paid
10:19 - Friday Nights!
11:45 - Short days
12:50 - Do I work areas?
14:00 - Cabs aren’t always busy
15:02 - Taxi Ranks Move
16:10 - Predictable Jobs
18:15 - I don’t stop - Розваги
Tom - your filming the start of this around the corner from my pub. The Bridge House Little Venice. Fella - pls pop in for lunch have a banging vegan burger for ya. My whole team watch your content.
Cheers
Ian
I've been a London bus driver for over 15 years and can relate to a lot of the things you talk about.... I agree about being able to read passengers. I can spot a fare dodger as I pull into the bus stop just by their body language and look on their face.
Paid to drive the bus not to do revenue inspection. Been doing it 22years my self couldn’t care less if they showed me a Tesco receipt
I did more than 12 years on buses and yes, you can usually spot whoever is gonna cause you a problem before you even come to a stop.
Tom you changed my perception on cab drivers being all old and out of touch, but you’re a breath of fresh air and bringing great exposure to cab drivers!
Your attitude to driving is spot on. As my driving instructor once said, treat everyone as idiots and you will never be surprised. I wouldn't know where my horn is.
Tom, your explanation of stress is absolutely spot on. I'm a HGV driver and as I do the same drops every week, I know how long the journeys should take, how long the deliveries should take etc etc. As soon and something goes wrong I start to get stressed. I'm gonna take your advice on board and try to remove my expectations, just enjoy the day (or "the game"!)
Used to be a bus driver - my best days were the ones where I just rolled with it, made sure I didn’t run early or make myself late
I was a mini-cab driver in North London for 7 years in the 80s-90s .Drove at night to avoid the traffic .Early 90 s moved on to Motorcycle despatch .(which was a big thing then .Documents needed delivery ) .Motorcycle despatch was much better .I could work daytime .Had my Weekends free ,and made more money .I gave that up after another 7 years .I reckon that i had used up my cats 9 lives .The great thing for me about the m.c. despatch was not having to make conversation with strangers ,or having to reply to conversations .Being an introvert did not help .
Do you want to know what the WORST thing is about watching your channel?
Every damn black taxi I see when I'm in and around London I have to check to see if it's you! 😂Wouldn't have it any other way.
Missing the shift videos hope you'll still do them occasionally
Like a lot of people , really miss the shift videos but also really enjoy these “in depth” ones
Keep them coming Tom 👍 your time and dedication to both your job and the videos is greatly appreciated
I've got some shifts coming. Just gutting when people say they want them, then I produce the Monopoly one and it flops.
I'm going to be doing an early morning shift, which kinda scares the hell out of me!
@TomtheTaxiDriver the videos that personally, I enjoy the most, are the 'normal' shift ones. Beauty is in the everyday stuff and all that. Just my 2 pence of opinion mate. Love your videos. Be lucky.
@@TomtheTaxiDriverI didn’t comment or anything on the monopoly one (I don’t comment/ like much), but it was a good one.
Quick question, can you get multiple badges? Like a green and a yellow one?
@TomtheTaxiDriver I personally loved the one with the facts about London etc.
@@justinadcock4536 I could be wrong but I’m sure the green badge”includes” the yellow badge, so multi badging would be a no
I didn’t realise how much I needed these types of seeing peoples work type of videos
Great vid Tom!
Nice one bruv. Another banger and educating.
Excellent video Tom. Very illuminating and enjoyable. Thanks.
I love these insightful videos from Tom
Great to see the channel growing Tom and I think your videos should be shown to every Knowledge student, as they’re one of the first true and honest testaments about the job and it’s expectations that exist.
Great video. And also relatable to other professions or live, like wisely mentioned about stress or expected sale on a Friday. But I think it is important to take a break sometimes, even just a few moments and relax and enjoy life :)
One of my favourites. Thanks Tom 💪🏻
This is very interesting indeed Tom, thanks for sharing!
Nice video Tom.
Your videos take me back to being in my 20s when I worked and lived in London I was an electrical engineer and got to drive both in greater and central London to visit customer premises. Some days it was a nightmare to drive anywhere. That was even worse before GPS.. 👍👍
Great video! As always. You're very amazing.
Tom, this is such a great video. Especially the mindset stuff you talk about i.e. stress equals bad expectations
Hi Tom, I enjoy all your content. I like the shift videos best for a couple of reasons. While I don't live in the UK, I've visited London a few times and I like to see what I remember. And just seeing London from the vantage of your cab is somehow satisfying. Could drive around with you every day. Mahalo.
Great vid Tom
Brilliant video!
I do this thing where, if it's a long job, I have learnt to start off very quiet and just keep busy with driving. Then 5 mins before destination, then start a chat. The reasoning is, many many times it happens where the conversation runs dry, then there's a weird kind of awkward silence that can come after everything worthy has been said. Dunno man, just noticed it works better that way round. Of course the basic, you ok? At the start, but then let them chill, it's a long drive and I often can't be assed to keep small chat going for an hour or so. Am also in a car, private hire toyota estate. Far more intimate without the separation screen. Also in a small town.. so... But you're right too, now there are smart phones, the chatty cabbie thing is far less required.
Thanks for another good video Tom.
Very nice man nice logic, if all people were thinking like that.. I know you replied about a shift video coming, cannot wait for that as well. Keep up the awesome work hi from Greece.
Good advice in general really! If you _expect_ things not to go smoothly, you can't so easily get stressed or disappointed.
Great definition of stress. And I hope the video game footage was you playing. Love a bit of Sonic.
So wish I still lived in London. You'd be the cabbie for me, Tom! 🤩
Very interesting as always.
I just Love the back suicide-doors on English cabs. The handle position places you right by the front window, making it easier to communicate with the driver before you enter. And exits are much more gracious.
Great insight Tom and a very well edited piece. Like some others here, I particularly warmed to your description of stress as reality v expectation. Words for thought and lots for us pedestrian punters to think about. Well done you. 👏
Yes, I don't think I've ever seen it phrased that way before, and it's very insightful. Well said, Tom.
I'm pretty sure I saw you around Westminster this evening.
Myself and a friend have been in London since Wednesday (we leave on Saturday), and are staying in the Westminster area.
It is our first time in London, and are loving the city.
Great content. I like your positivity. I like that you keep your quality high not just making lots of videos. Keep the good work going 👍
Thanks! I was worried that this might be low quality
@@TomtheTaxiDriver my favourite one you've done recently.
Great video Sir
More of a better feeling when you see that float go under with a huge carp attached
Do the hours…what we experience now in Edinburgh,in particular night shift, is Cabby’s going home early as they have hit a “target”,leaving very few cabs out to cover the work, leading to late pick up’s and losing work. So from 2am till 5am when day shifters generally come out to start a shift, there is a hole in the service…and its a problem.
Another great vlog
Great vid, did you have a long job to Leeds!?
right on, Tom-meister
2:58 I see you are listening to Team Sleep, you have a great taste sir
Hve you ever done a video aout the pros and cons of working Christmas, new year and holidays? That would be interesting.
same here, customers/passengers on buses rarely say even hello, until their oyster/payment card fail.😂😂😂, and they demand to let them in without paying😂😂😂
Amazing thanks
I work a lot in London, and I have learned where to go without a satnav and how to get places by going with the flow. I’m wondering if there are any tips on remembering the road names.
Great video and outlook on the job, thank you! I am interested if you could answer or maybe even do a video about: is there anything you and maybe other cab drivers notice about London, the streets, attractions, shops, certain areas, or the people (as a whole or individuals) that you don't think regular Londoners or tourists would notice?
Street muggings and thieves stealing catalytic converters?
I work on the road too, and wonder how you solve the problem of finding a toilet when you need one quickly? lol
It’s funny comparing watching the way you work in London, compared to taxi drivers in Inverness. They seemed to be kept busy enough in one of three taxi ranks in the city. They seemed to be mostly at the taxi rank outside the station, they could potentially get a ride out very long distances say to Isle of Skye that is a 2 to 3 hour journey just getting there, or a short run to one of the suburbs in or around Inverness. Inverness taxi drivers have to get used to driving quickly but safely on single track roads over long distances avoiding deer at nighttime
Last time I did that journey it was closer to 5 hours one way. It might be 2.5 - 3 hrs with no traffic on the road in the middle of the night. Between tourists, coaches, Lorries, camper vans and busses that stop at every hole in the hedge it’s a long long day driving Inverness to Skye.
I noticed that you have a DJI microphone. Have you a drone as well?
Do you change your routine say when the summer months come around or if there's a quiet period like school holidays do you start earlier?
I’m a taxi driver in the Aberdeenshire it’s great driving about in the countryside couldn’t work in the city
Hi Tom just a thought on tipping do you expect a tip if so how much because with card payments how does that work..I know this isn’t America where tipping is mandatory but just curious.
Good man
My mate longed to be a cabbie for the banter, but nobody ever spoke to him and within six months he quit with depression, although maybe that would have happened anyway.
Hello Tom. Great channel. How reliable is the taxi? How often do you charge it and what range do you get?
What if you sleep in your taxi? is that efficient?
Good informative video Tom. Are Comcab driver's still sole traders and own their own cab? I just wondering what are the difference between an independent taxi driver compared to a taxi driver with Comcab.
Yea every London cabbie is a sole trader, but back in the day you would pay to join a radio circuit to get access to more lucrative jobs. Now it still exists but it's largely a commission model.
The point about taxis not always being busy is very important. I'm a taxi driver myself in Finland, and I can say that most of the general public has no idea what the job is like, and how the system really works. They only care about the fact that once many years ago during Christmas party season they've had to wait 30min for a taxi. All I can say to that is "That's very cute" because I have to wait 30min for a customer on a daily basis.
Previously, Finland had a regulated system that dictated the prices, how many cabs could be in each city, and when they had to be out working. Fares could be kept relatively low, because each cab was basically guaranteed a slice of the pie. The drawback was that maybe 5% of the time there was a temporary shortage of cabs. However, the government got rid of this system basically to allow Uber to operate legally. Nowadays there are no problems with taxi availability, but the market hasn't grown materially, so each taxi has to charge more than before to make ends meet. Almost no-one that I know thinks the change was an improvement as a whole.
I don't think I could do your job Tom, I'd hate to drive in London😟
Something I’ve always wondered, at the King’s Cross rank there are 2 parallel lanes at the pickup point, I only ever see the left one being used, have you got any insight into why
Generally used for wheelchair passengers to save others waiting behind you while you load.
I just used to say Hi and leave it as that, if they would want to inititate a conversation, they would usually ask if ive been busy, been out long or mention the weather usually
How do you use the bathroom?
Is that a private reg plate? Or coincidence that its TXE (Taxi)
Trade 20 years,never give up,my family been in it 125 years !😅
I've never worked in an office when your break was paid, nor just being able to stroll up late after your break!
If only you worked in an office near Chelsea 😂
If they got rid of the knowledge would it kill the taxi industry in London
I think it would cause more congestion. If they were all using satnavs, they'd all be sent onto the main routes, and miss all the cut-throughs. A cabbie will change his route on the fly if he meets an unusual delay, satnavs will stubbornly try to keep you on the original planned route.
Yes overnight,idiots in Ubers would ruin it,I hate them after one turned across in front of me in camberwell,Lord knows how I kept the motorbike upright, I had my visor up,and his window was down,so as well as the horns, he got invited to shove a ragmans trombone where the sun don't shine
The passenger apologised and said he did not speak any English, I told her to get out and walk
At least he knows a few more new words now
He had a satnav in his eyeline,a mobile phone,and a tablet
No wonder he did not see me
Im a private taxi driver in Belfast and i have a rule for customers...if they get in the back i will greet them and maybe ask a question and by their answer i can tell if they want to speak or not then if your a customer that gets in the front you must speak because a non speaking customer in the front just gives the driver anxiety
I was a London cab driver for very many years until I retired. I remember when the wearing of seat belts became mandatory but cab drivers were exempted, and still are, because the danger to a cab driver comes from behind him-the passenger. Keep those doors locked boys and girls, and if in doubt-keep ‘em out.
A tyre lever is your best friend
I've been reading twitter posts about cabbies avoiding City of London due to road changes round Bishopsgate which means trips are taking far longer. Any chance of a video with some insight?
Yes, very much scripting this 👍🏻
When approaching a taxi rank, do I have to take the first cab? If I've had a bad experience with the driver of the front cab can I choose which cab I get in? Or do I just have to wait for the front taxi to get another job and leave before getting in a different taxi?
You are entitled to take the second Taxi, in this scenario.
Unless it's a rank where the second cab can't pull out ie; a high curb, wall e.t.c.
And if you prefer a traditional style cab, rather than a vito. Or the second cab is licensed for six people and you require six.
Don't know what office workers you'be been talking to, but generally, you have to either clock in or log your hours in other ways. If you take a long lunch break, you'll also have to work longer.
Do you not charge the cab? See it’s empty. Would drive me mad driving on petrol all day with that noise
Hi Tom keep it up you are doing a great job and having fun making some brilliant videos superstar Ali Walsall west midlands england junction 10 m6 Walsall churckery any jobs to Walsall west midlands england lately
I suggest you go for a walk in the morning where you can get 6000 steps or 10000 steps a day. This will benefit your health so you can be fit and healthy while driving the cab. When you are working, I suggest that you use this hour to take a small walk and /or relax so you can be efficient and fresh when you work.
Fetter Lane always makes me think of the greek cheese
Some people expect taxi drivers to know everything about Brexit, covid, the England football team, the state of local roads, the situation in the middle east and the nearest pub that has lock ins. That's more knowledge than the knowledge itself.
Tom
Used to stick £5 a week in a jar, and used it for non payers, box junction fines etc. Didn’t miss the £5 but took the stress out of a bilker or fine. BL
Do cabs have cameras in the back? If so, would you / TFL(?) be able to do anything other than notify the police?
really weird question where did you get your coat from
Can find North Face gear online and in plenty of high end ish shops.jfgi.
Stress of the job was the biggest thing for me, traffic, not being able to get anywhere, 20mph everywhere, cost of the cab now,
Who would seriously do this job now?
is it just me or was there no Y-Food ad in this video? 😁
Y's that?
Subtle reference towards very end
He said when I stop to get some food or to get some “Y food” something like that. I think that counts as promoting Y food?😂
Is uber becoming a problem, taking taxi drivers' potential customers?
They’ve had 10+ years and we’re still going strong. I’d say it’s affected the buses more than us
A couple of questions, i take it you are a musher,or is the sherbert on the flat ?
How much of an improvement to your conditions is driving a modern high tech cab,rather than an old snotter
The vibration
The smell of engine oil
The smell of diesel
The rubbish heating
The gales blowing through the gaps
The water leaking in
And the farmer giles from those terrible seats ?
I really enjoyed your video,your perceptive and intuitive view of the the City and its amazing mixture of people and scenery
I will be down for the mayors parade on the 11th i will give you a wave if i spot you
Cheers for making a miserable day interesting
Be lucky son
One of the things that put me off using a black cab more often is the number of cab drivers you see wearing headphones. Not sure if they are listening to music, or using them to recieve bookings, but I want my driver to be concentrating 100% on his driving, and not distracted by music or whatever. Given how regulated the cabs are, I am amazed that this is allowed.
Ah, it's legal in Britain but not all countries.
The earphones are so important to me, if the passenger doesn't want to engage I will use them usually. So I always wait a few minutes.
They are for listening to the radio, podcasts especially. It makes the day more entertaining. Allot of the time you want to alienate yourself from certain passengers as well.
Also, passengers don't like the radio playing.
Many famous passengers ?
I'd be a customer who'd chat your ears off your head, especially when the driver would be you, but I sure like a chat.
Just out of curiosity, Tom, have you had any run-ins with those idiots from 'Just Stop Oil' while working?
I dont like to use taxi as 90% of the drivers in the UK want to know everything about the passenger. Where they going, what they do, how many family members, where their kids go to school" I now put the head phones over my ears in case I have to use a cab.
Our job is hunting, you have to be a good predator know where to go at what time etc
Been driving a long time now,still love it but you can definitely have an edge over other drivers.
What were your favourite hunting places?
Runner dont understand I am cab driver are you doors not cental locking
Can’t keep a passenger against their will… also there’s ways round it.
If I went to London to visit the only black cabbie I want is you now lol.
Tom, you’re so skilful at putting these together. Would you be interested in showing me how I could do the same for my own personal channel? I know you’ve studied media and such like, so if you’re interested in taking on a student (paid, of course) for a short introduction, please hit me up. Advance thanks. Del. 👊🏾
Thank you, on this video it was the fine work of an editor.
On other videos, I do edit them and I made a course on how I do that here; www.skillshare.com/en/classes/Getting-Started-with-Final-Cut-Pro-X-Beginner-to-UA-camr/2057729514
Skill share gives a free trial also!
No such thing as a pound note Tom
In all honesty. Do any passengers actually need the knowledge?
When I go to London I would rather get if your cab than in some sketchy effer who can barely speak Engish, who's most likely stitch me up, and has no real local knowledge. Keep it going Tom, this is what **real** taxis are in the UK
Have your had a customer not pay your all try to scam you
london taxis target is £150 a day??? Thats so low. Im doing £200 for taking 2 kids to school in the morning and bringing them home after school. Takes 45mins per journey traveling about 8 miles in total. Council contracts are the best. If i do £350 a day im unhappy. £500 is my target!
Don’t burn the candle on both ends. Your children need their dad. 😅
@l4rjy I'm selective in my jobs. School runs, airports and out of town jobs. Never doing more than 10 hours a day, but I do work 7 days a week. 😆😆 but go holiday abroad every school holiday. In Morocco atm. Its the life. Up north is so much better than London. I thought you cabbies was making big money down south.
The target he put on the screen was £300, not £150, and the example of a good day was £350
15th
Claim your ‘within an hour’ ticket here!
Lol
*takes
Typical cabbie, constantly complaining about a job they chose to do! Only people who complain more are farmers and trawlermen.