I don’t get it

[tumie]

@bhagofangels Maybe the price is too good to be true? They think it’s a scam.

Seriously, raise your prices. If you are providing something of value, price it appropriately.

One of my service lines is doing what you do, only for hospitals, “Sedan Service.” They pay $50.00 one way and $4.00 per loaded mile. This is in a medium cost of living market.

 

[bhagofangels]

@tumie I have really thought about that too. I knew offering $5 a ride would seem scammy. Especially with Facebook being my main advertising platform.

 

[mike7377]

@bhagofangels

I offer a clean, respected, well-maintained vehicle with features such as Caraoke, Light shows, etc., FOR $5.

If you offered to pay me $5 to take a ride in a Tesla with "Caraoke, Light shows, etc.", I'd still pay $10 to take a ride across town in a shitbucket.

 

[bhagofangels]

@mike7377 Wanna give more input? Why would you choose a $10 over $5. Given all the options I’ve listed and more not told. Safety features etc. and still choose a cheap falling apart car?

 

[tibb]

@bhagofangels Just speculating, or projecting my own preferences on their statement, but when I'm in a cab, Uber, etc., I want silence or quiet music (preferably neutral music, no metal, rap, country...) something I can drowned out with my thoughts or conduct business through. I damn sure don't want any light show of any kind. Period. Safety features are great!
I also prefer to be left alone with my thoughts or to conduct business. I'll certainly entertain small talk, but I won't keep it going. And that's as an extrovert, I just have a busy mind and travel of any sort is an opportunity to think, arrange thoughts and priorities, check my mental grocery list, etc.
Also, predictability is key. Uber was an absolute shit show when it first came out. If it wasn't for the terrible cab prices in some cities, I never would have used Uber or Lyft. Even now, some cities find me in a cab over the other options without compromise. I do find that most Uber or Lyft rides are far cleaner, so that's nice.
Don't be the guy with the weird playlist that wants to be my friend or demo your latest ep, especially with an accompanying light show.

I'm getting hives.

 

[bhagofangels]

@tibb Thank you so much! That is very useful information. Oh and light shows etc are just an option if someone request it. I’m not that type of person who would just start doing random stuff like that haha. But thank you. You would be my perfect customer for sure.

 

[chasingvisions]

@bhagofangels The Model 3 is not a luxury vehicle, especially from the standpoint of a taxi rider. It's a relatively compact, economy car with a very expensive drivetrain. A passenger gets nothing out of the expensive drivetrain and so only experiences the cheaply-built interior.

The tech features are more of a deterrent to a taxi customer than a feature. Caraoke? Really? No thanks.

 

[tibb]

@bhagofangels No worries! Hope it helps.
Also, I'm sure the light show is great for the right customer. Drunk me in my twenties trying to entertain someone I just picked up at the bar, club, discotheque (from my times in Europe) would love that for keeping the party atmosphere going on the way to the next destination.
Like someone mentioned before me, know your customer base. If you're taking old ladies/men that don't get many social opportunities to the grocery store, continuous conversation would be great. Business men, not so much. Drunk people? That's a shot in the dark. Same with music, etc.
I'd say that initial marketing, appearance, and references at bars, restaurants, and hotels should be your focus for building a customer base. From there, get to know your customer base as well as you can. You'll be successful in no time.

 

[mike7377]

@bhagofangels Because I just want a taxi, not a nightclub on wheels.

 

[lucymae1]

@bhagofangels I think you might need to consider who your likely prospective customer base is (not just who you want them to be, but who actually is using these services in your town specifically.

I'm a millennial woman, and I would avoid a service advertising karaoke and light shows. I want to sit in a car with a driver who doesn't talk to me, or who makes very light conversation. I'd take a worse car to get that. I typically take a lyft because I like the convenience of scheduling through an app, but I've called a car service when my flight arrived late at night and I just want to get home, in which case the sole deciding factor was "can you be here in 10 minutes?"

There are plenty of people who probably like the idea of what you're selling, but if those people aren't in your town looking for rides, then you'll either have to figure out how to convince people to want what you're offering, or you'll have to change what you're offering.

 

[drjleo]

@bhagofangels Is your service 24/7? Like does someone call a number to get a ride? Or do you sit outside of places where someone would get a taxi?
Do you have signage on your car - for advertising?

What city / town are you actually in? Can you do airport runs?
Are there people who need long distance trips (to airport or bus station)?

Is easy to schedule or get ahold of you? (Kind of redundant from my question above - but you work another job).

Do you have Yelp setup yet?

Have you thought about partnering with one of your competitors? Maybe they have more rides than they can handle…..

Do you have info card that explains you’re licensed, insured, etc etc?

These are just some ideas….it’s hard to know without having a full understanding of some of my questions above.

 

[skatergirl4life]

@drjleo He’s charging $5. I’d bet both kidneys that he is not PROPERLY insured for what he is using his vehicle for.

 

[divineinfluence]

@bhagofangels Remember good branding will give you legitimacy before you have even started.

 

[sarahjamison19]

@bhagofangels Ditch the light shows and look into medical/senior housing transport. Dress smart casual, and have facemasks always on hand to offer. wear them proactively during flu season. Offer hand sanitizer via a nice dispenser.

Find an establishment that does walk-in quick-turnaround flu-shots and negotiate a small commission per client. Ask every senior that gets in your vehicle if they’ve had their flu shot, and explain that you work with a local
Clinic around the corner that accepts Medicaid. Offer to run them by on the way back from their cardiologist appointment.

There’s going to be competition in the area, but you can probably carve out a small piece for yourself.

If things go well, you can invest in a medical themed wrap for your car and expand your network.

If things go even better, you can add cars and drivers and eventually set up a small dispatch operation, again, entirely depending on how much demand exists in your area.

 

[emmasmithlondon]

@bhagofangels Leave your card at the hospital, eye doctor, mechanic shops and gastroenterology offices. Those places all do services that people cannot drive home from.

 

[benjammin13]

@bhagofangels No-one knows you have a better car. No-one cares as much as you do, either; they just remember the name of the last taxi company/person they went with, and do that again. People (for the most part) don't spend hours ruminating on their taxi experience and how it could have been better.

 

[sarcasticlemon]

@bhagofangels Facebook ads probably don't work because people don't need a taxi when they scrolling social media. Even if they saw the ad and much later they needed a taxi they aren't going to remember. What happens when you google taxi "your city" does your name show up? If not make it happen. What about searching "taxi" on Google maps? Do you have a place there? If not make one and get some friends to give you a few reviews.

 

[reana]

@bhagofangels Price is how people determine value. Have a base cost of $50 and offer discounts, etc for your premium service. I also agree with getting bartenders. Offer a $5-10 referral fee to bartenders

 

[bhagofangels]

@reana How would I pay the bartenders? Also $50 in my town is way too high. Even my competitors with a brand new gmc Yukon denial that has more bells and whistles don’t charge that high.

 

[reana]

@bhagofangels

1. Cash, venmo, or Zelle, etc. You don't have to but it could work.
2. You're missing the point. Its psychology. $50 isn't the price I'm saying you should charge. I'm saying people derive value from price. So if you charge $5 people think it's worth that. If you charge $50 people will access it has a higher value.

If you normally charge $50 but they can get it for $35, now it sounds like a deal.