ENTREPRENEURSHIP: Tips On Starting Your Own Taxi Business in Lagos

Starting a Taxi or Cab Business in Lagos could be a very wonderful idea, because of the enormity of human that abound in the Mega City - Lagos. Of course, people require transportation everyday to get to work so as to earn a living, thus the need for taxi business to augment for the large demand of transportation need as against  the few  individuals that can afford their own private cars becomes imperative.

Basically, to run a successful taxi business in Lagos, you should have a good knowledge of the city. You must know your way around town and also know how to get yourself out of difficult situations. However, aside from this, you need to put certain things in place when considering starting a standard cab or taxi business in Lagos. The following are the tips that you must know:

1. Purchase your vehicle: 

Get the best car you can afford for this business. It would help if your car is attractive and clean both on the inside and outside, has enough leg room to make the passengers comfortable and has a big trunk for luggage.

A stuffy car that isn’t roomy and comfortable or breaks down from time to time, making clients late or miss appointments is a very bad idea. Your taxi business is just as good as the car you are using to run the business.

2. Get Insurance Covering

You should find out what the rules concerning insurance for commercial taxis are in your locality. For your safety, I strongly advice that you get comprehensive insurance for your vehicle.

4. Buy and install taxi meters

You would also need a taxi meter to help you in billing your clients. A taxi meter makes the whole billing process fair and transparent. You can purchase taxi meters easily on the internet. Just make sure you are buying one that has a certificate of compliance and is legal for use in Lagos.

5. Top lights & Checkers-: Checkers help to differentiate private vehicles from commercial taxis. You should get one so that people can easily recognize your vehicle as a taxi.

6. Licenses and Fees-: You should take time to find out what is required to make your business legal in Lagos.

7.  Toll Free Line-: You should talk to your telephone service provider about getting a toll free line for your business. This will help you beat your competitors. Customers would be encouraged to call for your services knowing that they won’t have to pay phone bills. You can also set up an online portal or app, where clients can connect with you and book your services.

The first step to succeed and beat your competitors is to make customer service a priority. Taxi business is a service-based business. You should ensure that every ride in your cab is a pleasant and memorable experience. This can be achieved if your car is always kept in good condition.

Therefore, you have to be hospitable, you have to make your clients feel comfortable, at ease and satisfied.This way, they’ll be encouraged to get your contact and patronize more.                         -(Credit: Mytopbusinessideas)