Driving Tips

Since the start of the Coronavirus outbreak, taxi and private-hire drivers, have provided an essential service transporting NHS staff, key workers, patients and the vulnerable.

As life starts to return to normal, and fares begin to pick up, at Patons we wanted to do all we could to keep you protected.

The restrictions we are all facing due to Coronavirus will be with us for a while, and whenever the Government recommends easing them, everyone will need to be prepared for what will be a ‘new normal’.

Reducing the spread and keeping passengers, as well as ourselves, safe is now a vital part of every driver’s job.

Being a taxi driver during the winter months is a tough job.

With long dark nights, freezing temperatures and bad weather conditions, as well as busy roads, especially in the lead up to Christmas, its no wonder our vehicles and our driving is challenged.

The great British summer; one week it’s record high temperatures the next it’s a total wash out.

Flash flooding can happen any time and anywhere thanks to rain, blocked drains, damaged water mains, tides or burst river banks. Last year, the AA rescued almost 9,000 vehicles that had driven through or were stuck in floodwater, with an estimated insurance bill of more than £34 million.

Driving a taxi in the summer is very different to being on the road in the depths of winter but it still has its challenges.

Roads are often busier, especially during school holidays, around airport approaches and popular tourist destinations. Also high temperatures can dramatically affect a vehicles performance as well as our own driving skills.

Working as a taxi driver allows you a certain amount of freedom, but one thing you have no say over is the weather. Come rain or shine you need to be on the road, ferrying passengers from A to B easily and efficiently.

When the heavens decide to open, you still have to carry on, unless the weather gets so perilous that you have no other option than to stop.

It’s surprisingly simple to save money by adopting smarter and more fuel-efficient driving techniques.

With the potential to save up to one-third on your fuel costs, here’s eight ways to make your taxi driving more economical.

It goes without saying that, as a taxi driver, your vehicle is your living. So, as winter starts to bite, here at Patons we thought we’d give you some advice to make sure you’re prepared for the colder days and darker nights of winter.

Many cars struggle in cold, frosty conditions, and breakdown callouts almost double during the winter months.

With effect from 08th June 2015, your driving licence counterpart will not be accepted by the DVLA therefore, any motoring offences will not be added to your counterpart.

As a result, any points and offences you may have received will be added to an online database and stored in an electronic format.