It's not easy to select private hire software UK to which operators can depend on just because they have nice screenshots. This is just one piece. There is dispatch, driver records, pricing, accounts, reporting, and a ton of day-to-day admin that nobody cares about – except when it gets in the way. Below are seven features to look out for before committing, and questions to ask of a platform on whether it deals with the features. Everything that follows is a guideline to how CabTaxi has been constructed, and thus should be used as a checklist when comparing to other Cab Taxi providers.
Why Everyone's Asking About Private Hire Software Right Now
There are more operators who are asking the same questions. Should bookings be shifted to an application? Should the old dispatch system be phased out? Let's finally say goodbye to spreadsheets! The honest truth is it depends on your business and your workflow, but you can only imagine that the software you select will have a profound impact on your business workflow for years to come, so it is worth considering carefully.
Private Hire Software vs a Taxi Booking App: What's the Difference?
Taxi booking software takes the booking. Private hire software runs the whole operation behind it: phone and web bookings, account customers, airport work, different vehicle types, fixed fares and drivers going on and off shift. If a product only covers the booking screen, you'll end up stitching the rest together with spreadsheets, which is exactly what you were trying to escape.
1. Instant and Scheduled Bookings in One Place
Private hire runs on pre-booked work as much as same-day jobs. Look for software that handles immediate journeys and scheduled bookings side by side, with future jobs staying visible for dispatch planning.
Ask to see a booking made for next Thursday at 5am move through the system. It should be easy to find, easy to change and hard to lose.
2. Dispatch That Fits How You Actually Work
The next step is to dispatch that which suits your actual work.
Some companies prefer all the tasks to be automatically assigned. Some people like to have a dispatcher select individual drivers. Most end up in the middle. Good private hire dispatch software will be able to handle both automatic and manual (and mixed) assignments, you choose how to balance the two, not the software.
Review the process that occurs when a booking is cancelled before the driver accepts them and the process that happens after the driver accepts the job and it goes live.
3. A Branded Passenger App and a Connected Driver App
You don't need to hand your customers over to a marketplace to book, track and pay from their phone. A white-label taxi app will make sure that your name is in front of your patients. The driver app, however, should provide unambiguous job alerts, job status, ride history and earnings visibility that are tied to dispatch. Confirm if both of these applications communicate with the same platform your office uses. If they do not then, get ready for phone calls to fill in the holes!
4. Pricing You Can Actually Control
Private hires are not usually charged a fixed price. Check for price bands that are able to be edited, zones marked on the map that have fixed pricing, and a calendar to see when peak times and seasonal price changes happen. More than one band should be available to apply to the same day – for instance separate bands for early morning, daytime and evening.
If you're making the changes, then ask yourself who will make them (you and/or the provider) and how fast the changes will occur.
5. Driver and Vehicle Records That Stay Up to Date
If you don't have your compliance paperwork, it is done wrong and you don't know about it. A licence expires, an insurance document is lost and no one knows about it until it counts. Use a driver profile to check missing driver documents, expiring driver documents and expired driver documents as well as active vehicles and vehicle documents.
Next, look at the money side, weekly invoices, adjustments, ride reports and an account ledger for each driver. When one driver is asking about a payment, you don't want to have to go back to get the answer from three different places.
6. Access Control for Staff and Branches
Not everyone on your team needs to know everything. Consider company admin and branch admin positions, custom user rights and sensible branch permissions, to make a branch manager see his branch and the company admin see the entire business. Other platforms may have sub domain limitations as well.
Inquire about permissions, and if a new starter can be given just what they need and no more.
7. Partner Work, Support Tickets and Reporting
There are many private hire companies that have suppliers and affiliate partners. Check for separate price bands for each partner, fixed commission and view a ledger of which rides came through which relationship.
Include ride-aware support tickets, with a complaint coming with the journey attached, and booking reports by branch, source and time periods. It's the no-frills aspect of fleet management software, and it can make the difference between software that you're able to use and software that you're able to live with.
Four Mistakes to Avoid When Choosing a Platform
Buying on screenshots. A good demo shows your workflow, not a generic tour.
Ignoring exit terms. Ask what happens to your data and your app store listing if you leave.
Forgetting the drivers. If drivers dislike the app, they'll phone the office, and your dispatchers will feel it straight away.
Skipping a test. Run a representative booking from creation to completion before you rely on any system.
A Checklist to Take to Your Next Demo
- Show me a scheduled booking from creation to completion.
- Show me automatic, manual and mixed assignments.
- Who owns the app store listing, and what happens to my data if I leave?
- How are price bands and zones changed?
- How do I see missing and expiring driver documents?
- How is branch access controlled?
- Is call masking available, and how is it configured for my deployment?
Where CabTaxi Fits
CabTaxi is cloud-based software for taxi, private-hire, airport-transfer and chauffeur operators. It's a software provider, not a transport company, and it's designed to keep your own brand in front of passengers while bookings, dispatch, drivers, pricing and reporting run from one platform.
CabTaxi is currently working with its first group of UK operators, which means hands-on onboarding and direct access to the team. Ask about the Founding Operator Programme if you'd like to be part of that.
See Your Own Workflow Running in CabTaxi
Reading a feature list only gets you so far. Bring your real booking mix, your branch structure and your pricing rules, and we'll show how they'd run on the platform in a live demo of around 20 to 30 minutes. If it fits, the next step is a configuration plan, never an immediate commitment.
Book your live CabTaxi demo today and see private hire software built around your business.
FAQS
- What is private hire software?
It is the system to book, assign drivers, process pricing and records and report the system. It is typically connected to by passenger and driver applications.
- Is it something of an alternative to a taxi booking app?
Yes. One of the customer-facing channels is a booking app. The private hire software also includes driver, dispatch, pricing, administration and reporting.
- Can it handle pre-booked work?
CabTaxi supports scheduled journeys alongside immediate bookings, with future jobs visible for dispatch planning.
- Can different branches have different access?
Yes. CabTaxi supports company and branch administration with configurable user permissions.
- What is the price of CabTaxi?
The platform fee is £100 per month with an additional £3.50 per active driver per week. Check the existing price prior to entering a contract.
- Am I able to upgrade from my existing system?
Yes, following a workflow and migration review. The information that can be migrated will depend on what your current system can export.
