I'd like to know more about how the airport gives out taxi spots? It seems outrageous that the Green Cabs would have to wait until 2010 to get in there.

I'm quite curious about this:

We are doing their dispatching though, which reduces the emissions of two taxi companies running from two separate locations into one

.. and quite honestly, I don't understand. Perhaps someone in the industry could explain it to this greenhorn?

Airport spaces
To get spaces at the Airport, taxi companies need to respond to the airport tender when it comes out. When the last tender was run the Airport Authority had no idea Green cabs would be coming into the market. Unfortunately the next tender isn’t due until 2010. We are hoping that the Airport Authority will be able to find a way to give us spaces before then.
Camry Hybrid

No it’s unlikely - 99% of our jobs are 1-3 people. You Can get 4 in, in-fact we had 4 hurricanes players in one and the guys in the back seat did comment on the fact that they’d never felt as close to each other than they did after their ride in a Green Cab.
Flash in a Dash – I’d love to know what WCT management have told their drivers about Green Cabs.. from some of the comments I have heard it seems there has been a bit of a mis-information campaign waged so WCT drivers won’t talk to us, Is it known that some WCT drivers can save up to $130k over the life of their vehicle just by coming to us?

Office Emissions
This depends on the size of the office and largely how much power it takes to run. But there’s also other things to factor in such as mail delivery, courier deliveries, staff travel to and from work, waste collection, recycling collection and a number of other activities.

Cost
Cheapest around town Capital $2.40 per km - but remember they don’t offset any of their emissions
Green Cabs $2.50
WCT $2.60
Cheapest to and from the Airport
Green Cabs $2.50
WCT $2.60
Capital $2.85
Word on the street is that WCT is raising their rate to $2.70 -$2.75 at the start of July though so watch out for that one

When will consumers reap the benefits?
A good question – but remember it costs money to offset CO2 emissions as well. If you look at the costs of other companies that have all of their cabs (without exception) fitted in leather there’s quite a major difference. We are also cheaper than those that don’t have all their cabs fitted in leather. (With the exception of Capital Cabs around town of course, Damn you Capital Cabs? ) I’d say you might be if you factor in the price and that you help plant trees just by catching a Green Cab.

In case you missed it make sure you took note of what Flash brought up about the taxi company starting with P. Their charges are nothing short of outrageous and something all consumers should be wary of.

Flash in a dash - can you define dodgies? I would assume you mean any company that is not WCT or green cabs? Can you elaborate?

Also I have caught Capital Taxis, Wellington Combined Taxis and Green Cabs and Capital Taxis is definitely the cheapest. As far as I am aware, they dont charge all the little extras that the other companies like to charge and they are friendly people as are green cab drivers.

From my experience though, combined drivers need to work on their PR skills! Totally my opinion here but I think they would probably treat me better if I told them I was going to upper hutt instead or courtenay place.

'On the Regency Cabs thing, we haven't purchased them but we were looking at this soley to get the spaces at the airport and that's it (otherwise we have to wait for the next airport tender in 2010)'

I'm a bit skepitical about this comment. Unless it is incredibly cheap, does it make a lot of sense to purchase Regency solely for this reason if it is only useful for two years? With its airport spaces I doubt Regency will be going that cheap. There may be other reasons why Green Cabs are looking at Regency that they haven't revealed. I suggest that because they are doing their dispatching they know the amount and the type of work that is going to Regency and they want it.

Airport spaces aside, the big question they must be asking themselves is: are they prepared to manage a fleet of carbon spewing monsters, what are the returns beyond two years, and what will the public think? Can they justify their actions? Callum Brown glosses over how they would manage Regency if the purchase went ahead. They 'will be offsetting the emissions from the fleet also and pushing for a more environmentally friendly vehicle moving forward.' What vehicle? Are there currently any luxury vehicles available in hybrid or similiar form that are at the right price to bring a good return to a taxi operator? Besides this, as others have already mention on this site, it takes time to change taxis without losing money. It doesn't happen overnight. So they would have to be in it for the long haul managing the Regency fleet, which has nothing to do with Green Cabs core business. Surely, it has to be worth more than some airport spaces until 2010. If they do only want the airport spaces then the cynical view is they will run Regency down because they have no other interest in it.

Corporate Cabs = the win

Hyandai have a Sonata Grandoise (diesel) which i understand Corporate Cabs have considered or are considering to replace their fairlanes when they cease production in Aust.
There is always the new diesel BMW's that the crown has recently purchased.

There's no alterior motive as such
It's like this put a pot of gold and some airport spaces in front of the taxi driver and tell him to choose, They'll think about it for 30 seconds and tell you they want the airport spaces.

The thing is that it would increase our drivers current daily income, allow customers and potential customers to get off flights and choose a green cab and be in full view of many other taxi drivers.
Every driver is a potential Green Cab Driver :)

hey mate i believe hadyn requested you didn't use the word "dodgie" how about you give it a try.

"...It really is a term of endearment"

Endearment my butt!

I was sitting at the Wellington rail the other day when I seen a WCT car speed into the rail, stop, pick up a passenger and then speed off. About 1 minute later another WCT drove in and stopped and waited but didnt pick up anyone. The driver then approached me and asked if I had seen any other WCT taxi come in and pick anyone up. Of course I told him about the previous WCT car and he was literally fuming. He sped off and I sat there wondering to myself ...what in the world? It is a sign of the times when WCT drivers are having to resort to stealing jobs from each other.

So please refrain from using the term "dodgies" as there are dishonest people in every company. Using that term to label all smaller companies is silly and immature. This is a new millenium my friend. Please grow up!

I agree alot of the new drivers start off in the smaller companies and some move on when they have enough experience. But alot of drivers choose to stay in those smaller companies. There are many that have been driving for years that choose to have the freedom of not having to pay such high rates.

I know many good drivers that would never go to WCT or Green Cabs for the simple fact that they are too expensive. Why would they go and pay $1000 - $1500 a month with those companies when they can pay $50 - $100 a month somewhere else, and still make a decent enough living? This also gives them the freedom of not having to work long hours every single day just so that they can meet the cost of driving in those companies.

Oops am I changing the subject? I digress!

well i'm sold on green cabs anyway. i took a combined taxi into town from newlands, almost the whole way on the motorway then off the tce to willis st and he was very nice and only charged me 30 bucks. but i took a green cab home again from courtenay place which took longer because he had to go through town, past the waterfront and THEN the motorway and it cost me 30 bucks. so. yeah. plus the car was so silent it was like being in the jetsons.

Justice you need to compare apples with apples.
Someone owning their own vehicle and going to a company with a lower profile can pay as low as $35 per month at the moment. (this may change as new legislation is enforced)
They, in doing so will earn $3200 - 4800 (est) per month. Out of that they will probably pay 800 - 1400 in petrol per month

Someone owning a vehicle and going to GC will pay 480 in levys per month, spend $360 - $480 in petrol costs and will make on a really bad month 6k on a good month $10-$12k.

at WCT you have the levy, greater petrol costs (1000 - 1600) unless they own a hybrid. you have to also lease a share then 500 - 600 to lease a share every month (not sure of the exact cost to be fair)

So the answer to your question of why would someone pay that much.. because if nothing changes then nothing changes, they want the chance to earn more for their families, for themselves, They want to not have to wonder is the guy walking towards the rank going to get into my car or will he walk past and get into Green Cabs or Combined. Because they want to get treated with the respect that everyone deserves to be treated with. In Green Cabs case because they want to work for a company that actually gives a
s%&t about them and how they are going. Because they want to be a part of something, because they want to make a difference.
Because they want to work for someone where they can walk into the CEOs office sit down and have a chat with him and actually be listened to.
I believe our guys and girls are the best in the industry, why? because they are a team and they actually care about how others in the team are going. They know they are a part of something and that feels good.
For too many drivers it is all just about WIFM and nothing else. What they don't realise is that there are better ways to approach things, ways that will leave you feeling better about life in general and better off financially to.

I could go on but there is a number of reasons.
The thing is petrol only going one way. The country is moving into a recession people.

But the truth is you will never know the answer until you actually make the move and once you do chances are you will never look back.

"Someone owning a vehicle and going to GC will pay 480 in levys per month, spend $360 - $480 in petrol costs and will make on a really bad month 6k on a good month $10-$12k."

To make $10-$12K a month requires someone to average about $36-43 constant per hour working 70 hours per week through the busy and quiet times. You have been going around all the taxi stands trying to grab drivers from other companies spouting this rubbish but I don't know anyone who believes you. It's a big joke. You are telling this to cabbies who have been in the business for twenty years or more and they know what bull shit smells like. Everybody knows you are "green" - just not the kind of green you think you are. Why don't you stop the hype and then people might begin to take you seriously. Have you been checking the work hours of the people who are meant to be making all this money? And when you get your airport spaces what will the earnings go up to then - $20000 per month??? If you really want to treat people with respect the first place to start is with what comes out of your mouth.

ok so how many hours is considered normal on average for a cabbie?

Nice sales pitch green cabs! Sounds very professional. A little cheesy but still professional. Have you ever considered a career in advertising?

So lets compare apples with apples...

• If I went to a smaller company and took my car that I already owned to be converted into a taxi it would cost me nothing extra to get the car; and the only costs then would be the cost of the signage.

• If I wanted my own vehicle in green cabs I would have to fork out approximately $30,000.00 to buy one of their cars.

• In other smaller companies you can join without leasing or buying shares.

• With Green Cabs you have to fork out another $15,000.00 to $20.000.00 for a share otherwise you have to pay for the lease of the share on top of the monthly levy. (I have not confirmed these figures so please do correct me if I am not completely accurate)

• I noticed with the price comparisons that you compared the levy in green cabs per month to WCT cost of leasing a share plus the levy. In so doing it seems it would be cheaper to be part of Green Cabs then it would WCT since you did not include share costs in the WCT. Is that because you do not lease shares? Or is it that you do lease shares but forgot to include it in the price comparison?

Radar brings up a good point...

"...Have you been checking the work hours of the people who are meant to be making all this money?"

I notice a lot of green cab AND combined taxis sitting on the ranks with the top lights off.

Are they doing that so that they would be in a position to take fares in between their naps?

Radar your right I am not long in the industry my background is in Business consultancy. Improving how businesses work to maximise revenue. Instead of sitting there on the sideline saying it's all crap.
do some actual investigation. But something tells me you would fall into the WIFM category
When we started out I said Greencabs would get picked off the ranks before WCT, everyone said that was bull to.
Yeah you and others have been in the industry for a long time in companies run by ex taxi drivers doing the same things the same way.
It comes back to if nothing changes then guess what ....nothing changes

Yes we report on Drivers hours. Yes they are within the legal limits.
We also have drivers who make more than what they used to make and are happy so they go home

lastly You DON'T lease a share with Green Cabs

cost comparison on two recent trips along the same route with similar traffic conditions: karori to kilbirnie in a green cab $29.80, same trip in a combined cab 37.40. you be the judge

Ok this has been a much better discussion than last time.

I'm really proud of all of you. :)

But this has gone on to two pages now and the discussion is turning a wee bit angry and a wee bit speculative. So I'm going to close comments at 4.00pm today.

So let's have some constructive (not angry or abusive or name calling) final comments.

Justice - at the end of the day you get what you pay for.
Yeah the car costs more, one doesn't have to be a rocket scientist to work that out. Those that have though have also worked out that the car is a business expense and is therefore tax deductable.
Just to make things crystal - they make more and offset a larger amount against their tax liability ie. they run it and treat it as an actual business not as a job where they go out and make just enough to live on.

Yes you you can work for small company as you put it (remember that some of these small companies have more cars than we do) but then you will only make figures mentioned above - again the same message 'If nothing changes then nothing changes'
If your happy with that as your lot - great more power to you. If you want to get a bit more out of your life then you need to change something.

Radar
It astounds me that someone can come into an industry genuinely wanting to make things better. And the very people he is wanting to give some respect back to and improve their whole situation, just want to sit on the sideline bagging things. Then again there has for years never been another option open to them and when I say years we're talking decades. So when you've never seen another way and never seen the numbers you can be forgiven for thinking it is just not possible.
The thing is that it has been done already (drivers earning those figures) by another company in the past. So we aren't the first. The companies that you drive for have always been in the position where generally speaking they have more Drivers than work.

With all due respect how much experience do you have at analysing a business and making the necessary changes. BTW we are only just getting started, there's a whole lot more to come with Green Cabs.

I don't have time to sit here and explain what makes Green Cabs different and I suspect you have sat on the sidelines and made up your mind with your extensive industry experience that there's no better way to approach the taxi business and there is no way that some newcomer can come in and start making Drivers more.

Do you really think that we are that stupid that we haven't analysed this industry to the nth degree before doing this and haven't talked to people with extensive industry experience both driving and running taxi companies?

One of two things will happen it will be a screaming success or I'll fall flat on my face I'm not scared of either. Well actually truth be told the second one scares the crap out of me but if I thought that was going to happen I'd have no business doing this in the first place.

can't wait to see you fullas comment on that lot.

And with that, we're done.

Thank you Ladies and Gentlemen for another evening of Green Cab Commentary Theatre.