Taxi Driver

Taxi drivers transport people for a fee from one destination to another. Most taxi drivers work in major cities or metropolitan areas. They must know their way around the city and its surrounding area, although many cabs today are equipped with navigational devices. Taxi drivers are paid in several ways, most often depending on a taximeter that calculates the distance and the fare. Taxi drivers generate business by responding to taxi company dispatches, recognizing the hand signals of someone hailing the cab from the curb and answering a phone call or a computer message.

How They Are Paid

 Fares are calculated many ways depending on the city. Some cabs have taximeters that base fares on distance and time. They are turned on when passengers tell the taxi driver their destination and enter the taxi and is turned off when the passenger arrives at his destination. Fares might be calculated by neighborhood zones. Another way fare might be calculated is a flat rate. Some taxi drivers charge extra fares at night and for carrying luggage and additional passengers. Taxi drivers might get tips depending on how well they served the passengers.

Day-to-Day Responsibilities

 Taxi drivers perform vehicle inspections before they get on the road. Inspections include making sure brakes and tail lights are working properly and fuel levels are appropriate. Most drivers are employed by a transportation company, and they start their shift by reporting to the taxi garage for vehicle pickup. They make sure the inside and outside of the vehicle are clean and odor-free. Taxi drivers also fill out daily activity logs, which must be accurately updated with every client. The vehicle log must include passengers' names (if they called the cab company), destination and total fare.

How They Get Customers

Taxi drivers stop to would-be passenger's hand signals, respond to radio dispatches, phone calls and computer messages. They also respond to phone calls from the actual cab company. Passengers are also found at such places as hotels, airports, bus and train stations.