3 Tips for Setting Up Your Own Private Hire Firm

27th March 2020
A cab at high speed on a motorway in an urban area with the lit taxi sign on top of its roof

Coming up with the perfect business plan can be difficult. If you want to offer a unique business model that places a priority on customer service, a private hire firm might be right for you. Here are some of the best tips for setting up your own prestige private hire firm.

1. Cover the Basics

When setting up any private hire firm, you need to make sure that you cover all the basics. The first thing you need to find is the right fleet of cars. A private hire firm is usually more luxury than a standard ride, therefore you need to find a more prestigious car. You also might decide to pick multiple brands of car so you have different options for different guests.

You then need to make sure that all these cars are protected. Rather than taking out a series of standalone policies, you should look into commercial fleet insurance, which should save both time and money. You can compare fleet policies here in order to find the best one for a venture like this. With the right cars that are properly protected by insurance, you are one step closer to your own private hire firm.

2. Choose the Right Branding

A private hire firm also needs the right branding. You always need to make sure that the branding for your company matches your target audience. Are you looking to be a luxury alternative that higher end clients will always turn to?

Alternatively, you might want to be the alternate to taxis in your city; akin to calling a lift from a friend. Either of these might work but the approaches would be very different.

For example, there might be no set uniform with the latter. However, a more luxury approach might require you to set a uniform for your drivers. It could be as simple as a branded polo or it could be something more like a shirt and tie.

3. Go Digital

Trying to attract clientele in a digital era is incredibly important for a modern private hire firm. One of the best ways to do so is to build your own app for attracting customers. Apps are great as you can put all of the infrastructure you need such as contact information and live driver tracking. You can also input a payment method, so customers and drivers won’t need to carry cash.

An app is a great way to appeal directly to a customer. If you want to keep the customer at the forefront of the business, you need to come up with solutions like this that they will actively take to.

A private hire firm is a prestige business and it must be built around the customer. Try to come up with an ideal client and make decisions for your branding based around them. Before you know it, you may have put together the perfect high-class firm that will always be ready to appeal to any customer who may decide to hire you.