How to open a taxi service from scratch and what you need for this

Let us briefly describe how to open a taxi dispatch service. After all, this is quite a profitable, interesting and relevant business. Today, the demand for transport services of this kind exists in every city, regardless of population size.

With the right approach and a well-designed business plan, you can organize a service that will accept orders and direct drivers to the right place. And if you get positive feedback from clients, offer additional services, and create a high-quality service, then within six months you can expect a full payback for the project.

Enterprise concept

To enter the market competitively, you should first study it. To do this, find out what services already exist in the city, what they offer, how many calls they receive per day, the size of the average bill, etc. For this purpose, you can become a client and personally communicate with drivers of different companies.

Also study the other side - people’s opinions about existing offers, services provided, prices. For example, such topics are often discussed on forums and social networks. You will be able to find out the wishes and complaints of potential clients and form your own concept, thanks to which you will be ahead of your competitors from the very beginning.

To immediately stand out from the list of taxi services, you need to think about a unique offer. And here it is not necessary to underestimate the cost of services, since this strategy is unlikely to justify itself. It is better to offer something in addition to the usual transportation from place to place, for example:

Delivery of groceries or other goods from stores.
Accrual of so-called free kilometers to regular users.
Favorable prices for servicing large events (weddings, corporate events).
VIP transportation.
Providing a car with a driver for the whole day at an agreed rate.
Callbacks and order notifications via SMS.
Transportation services for children, pensioners, etc.

You can open a taxi dispatch center in three options:

purchase cars and hire drivers;
offer work to car owners at a fixed rate;
a similar scheme of actions, but with a drawn up agreement on piecework payment depending on completed orders.

If you choose the second or third option, then a novice entrepreneur will have a number of advantages:

Creating your own business from scratch does not require large investments.
By providing a variety of services, you can significantly expand the scope of your activities.
It is not necessary to rent a large room for a control room.

If you do not purchase your own fleet of vehicles, then the invested funds will be minimal, and all worries about the maintenance and servicing of the vehicles fall on the shoulders of their owners. True, there are also some disadvantages when organizing this project:

Today this area is highly competitive;
special attention will have to be paid to the advertising campaign.

In order for your taxi dispatch service as a business to start making a profit in a short time, you should provide customers with good service, timely delivery of cars, reasonable prices, clean interiors, polite staff, ease of use using any modern means of communication.

How can you solve the problem

Contact potential clients

The minus is immediately visible. Our truck is parked in Smolensk now and we are struggling with downtime right now. And when the cargo will be found and where exactly may not be at all obvious. You will have to communicate with a large number of potential clients before you find at least some partner, not to mention cargo to a certain city, and even more so on the desired dates. And time goes by. Daily allowances are spent, leasing must be paid, downtime is the main enemy of the transport operator.

But this method may be useful in the long run. The direct customer contact option is always a good way to meet potential customers in your city and cities where your trucks frequent. Direct contract with the customer without intermediaries and prompt resolution of issues directly. Isn't it wonderful?

But it also happens that the destination is popular and cargo is not difficult to find. Let's assume that our direction Smolensk-Omsk is just like this and there is no shortage of cargo. In this case, it is not at all a fact that the price offered by the found client will be the best possible offer on the market. That is, it would be good to compare the cost of freight with other possible options. And if we are talking about long-term cooperation, we will have to keep the client’s prices low and conditions special, otherwise he will quickly find us a replacement. But finding cargo on a truck without a dispatcher is possible.

We recommend: Reducing transport company costs. Part-3

Contact a forwarding company

Since we are considering all the options, it would be fair to briefly talk about forwarders, dispatchers and logisticians. With a forwarder, the chances of finding the cargo become at least twice as high, since it is not only you who are looking for the cargo, but also the forwarder. Naturally, the forwarder will take its part of the remuneration from the total cost of transportation. The forwarder will be responsible to the customer under the contract, but he will transfer all his risks, and perhaps even with a reserve, to the transport company. The cost of transportation is unlikely to be high and there is no need to talk about long-term cooperation, because the forwarder does not have its own cargo. But it is possible to cooperate.

Internet, newspapers, bulletin boards...

As they say, let's cast a fishing rod and wait until the fish bites. It’s certainly possible to solve our general problem of searching for cargo without dispatchers, but it’s most likely not possible to quickly solve our particular problem of loading a truck from Smolensk. After all, we are limited in time. But gathering potential partners for the future is quite possible. This is an inexpensive way to advertise. Labor costs are low, since they will be looking for you, not you. There is even a chance that you will find a regular customer. The disadvantages include: ineffectiveness, since this option does not guarantee receipt of transportation orders. And if the conversation turns to permanent long-term cooperation, again transportation prices should be low and conditions should be special. And like any advertising, this method requires regular payment, naturally without any guarantee of results.

Search for cargo on cargo search sites

This method is worth writing a separate article about. And someday we will definitely do this, but for now only a brief overview. The principle of operation of these sites is quite simple: everyone who needs to transport cargo fills out a special form on the site they like, in which they indicate: what, from where, where and when they need to be transported. Transport companies go to the website, select the appropriate cargo and contact the client. It's simple. Is it possible to search for cargo without dispatchers in this way? Absolutely. And the dispatchers themselves search for cargo on these same sites. In this case, the chances of quickly solving our problem are much higher than in the listed previous options, provided that the cargo we are interested in is placed on the exchange. If it’s not posted, then it doesn’t matter; today there are more than a hundred similar sites on the Internet and thousands of requests for transportation are posted every minute. There will definitely be a load somewhere. On the one hand, this is an advantage that you can find cargo online faster and more efficiently than anywhere else. But on the other hand, a large number of such sites make it very difficult to find - where exactly is that same cargo published?

Some sites provide the opportunity to check for free whether there is cargo in the direction we are interested in, but you will have to pay for access to the shipper’s contacts. Access to the site for a whole year, as a rule, does not exceed the dispatcher’s commission for 1-2 transportations.

We recommend: How to increase the profit of a transport company. Part 1

There are also cheaper accesses - for a quarter and a month.

There is one minus - if the destination is not popular, then you will have to “comb” many sites in search of cargo. If the destination is popular and there is no shortage of cargo, then in order to choose the best and most expensive one, you will again need to “comb” a large number of sites and spend time, money and effort.

Since cargo transportation is a very competitive type of business, by going through sites one after another, you may simply be late and not have time to contact the shipper, and at that time he will agree with someone else.

The easiest way is to search for cargo on Transradar

To help transport companies quickly and easily find cargo in the directions of interest without intermediaries, we are creating a special resource www.transradar.com Transradar is a free search for cargo on multiple sites simultaneously so that you can compare and choose the truly most profitable cargo. By opening just one site, you immediately see how much cargo there is for the direction you are interested in and for the dates you are interested in. Choose the best option from the options offered and we will redirect you directly to the desired site.

With Transradar you can:

save time searching
reduce empty runs
and increase the profitability of your business

By the way, we are selective in selecting our partners. We have direct connections with cargo search sites, so new cargo instantly appears on www.transradar.com

We value your trust and understand that our reputation also depends on the reliability of our partners. Transradar works only with trusted companies and recommends that you use them.

You can learn more about Transradar here: “Free cargo search site”

Our tool will be useful not only for those who want to find the cargo themselves. Professional logisticians will also appreciate the ability to have a flexible approach to searching for cargo using filters. A broad overview of the entire cargo search market and, of course, the opportunity to significantly reduce the time spent searching for cargo.

The project is being carried out by a small team of enthusiasts. The project will be available to you soon. If you like the idea of the project, please support us. This is important for us now. Nothing special, just like us, leave a comment or write to us.

By the way, if you want to search for cargo on different sites for free and without registration and not miss the launch of our project, just leave your email on the website www.transradar.com

Paperwork

If you decide to purchase cars, then you will have to register as an LLC or any other form of legal entity. But in order to create a simple dispatch service, where drivers with their own cars will work, it is enough to submit an application for registration of an individual entrepreneur. In this case, the entire process will take no more than a week and requires payment of a low state fee.

In order to be able to expand the scope of activity in the future and offer new services to clients, it is advisable to take care in advance about the correct OKVED codes. The following options are suitable for the dispatch service:

4 – provision of information services.
2 – for work in the transport sector.
61.2 – sale of goods via the Internet.
6 – for carrying out activities related to modern technologies and computer equipment.
83 – services of secretary, editor and translation of information.

When submitting documents, you should immediately decide on the taxation scheme. In the case of organizing a dispatch service, the simplified one (STS) is more suitable. Don't forget to register as an employer with the Pension Fund and Social Insurance. In some cases, permission from Roskomnadzor and a license from the Ministry of Transport will be required.

To better understand what requirements apply to such services, cars, drivers, as well as what exactly is needed to conduct legal activities, carefully study Federal Law No. 68. It talks about taxis and each region has its own nuances in this area.

Registration of dispatch service

in registering a cargo dispatch office that many beginners may not take into account. For many types of small businesses, the optimal organizational form is. But not for the dispatch service. The fact is that the activities of control rooms are associated with great responsibility and a high probability of force majeure situations. Frequent litigation may occur, which will not always end in the organization's favor. And if you are an individual entrepreneur, then, due to your obligations, you risk all your property. That is, if something happens to the cargo and you are held responsible, then you may lose your apartment, car and other property that belongs to you as an individual (and an individual entrepreneur is an individual).

Therefore, the optimal form is a Limited Liability Company (LLC). Registration of a legal entity will cost much more (from 15 thousand rubles), but the LLC risks only its authorized capital for its obligations. And the authorized capital of the control room is a couple of computers, a fax and a telephone. This is the only thing that can be taken away from you. It is more profitable to do accounting on the Internet, for example in Moe Delo.

Arrangement of the premises

One of the advantages of organizing a dispatch service is that you can choose an inexpensive building somewhere in the outskirts of the city. The important parameters are the following:

availability of small parking nearby for cars waiting to be called;
stable telephone connection;
the ability to connect high-speed Internet;
communications carried out to maintain equipment in working condition, it is advisable to have your own generator.

That is, you choose a place so that there are no interruptions in communication with clients and drivers. But the size of the building does not matter much. To accommodate several dispatchers, 15-20 square meters is enough. m. But it is advisable to separate each employee working on the phone with a partition and provide free space.

The premises are also zoned for the arrangement of the control room itself, a relaxation room, a bathroom and an office for administrative staff.

Document flow and fees

From the very beginning of work, you need to check the documents very carefully. They must indicate the type and number of the vehicle, and the driver’s passport details. As well as information on the product: name, quantity, type of packaging. An important condition is delivery time. The correct company name must be stamped on the seal. In a word, there are no trifles in this matter.

The contract with each new client is concluded only in writing. In this case, it is a guarantee of receiving a fee. The remuneration is paid according to the conditions specified in this document. This may be a fixed tariff, or a percentage of the cost of the goods or the amount of the transaction between the parties. Payment is made in cash or non-cash form, usually after unloading the car.

There is nothing overly complicated about the work of a dispatcher. But you can’t call it “easy money” either. For a hardworking and responsible person, this is a good chance to find their place in life and provide themselves with a decent income.

Purchase of equipment and software

To furnish an office, simple and comfortable furniture is sufficient. The most important part of organizing a dispatch service is the installation of office equipment and special programs. The following technical equipment is required:

Classic multi-channel IP telephony for taking orders.
Telephone and Internet services - choose responsible and reliable providers who are ready to provide your office with uninterrupted network operation.
Special software for dispatchers and drivers, which helps keep track of all received calls and fulfillment of orders - there are different models and options, you must choose the most optimal one for your needs.
Install video surveillance, since the desire of clients to contact this service again or recommend it to someone else greatly depends on the work of dispatchers and drivers, so carefully monitor your subordinates.
Each car can be equipped with a modern navigation system.
Computers and laptops.

Special programs developed for such taxi services today can greatly simplify the matter and help monitor the activities of employees. So, such software is capable of:

record the client’s phone number and enter it into the general database;
calculate the entire route and its cost, duration of the trip;
provide feedback to drivers;
notify the client via SMS about the waiting time for transport and the price for services;
calculate how much each driver and dispatcher earned, etc.

In this case, you need to use only licensed software and seek the services of a specialist to install it. It is better to sign an agreement for ongoing technical support of the system to avoid various risks.

Is it worth entering the market today and opening a freight dispatch center?

Competition in the field of cargo transportation is only growing every day, and only the most desperate optimist can recognize this market as low-competitive. At the same time, competition exists not only among carriers, but also among dispatch services. Especially in large cities of Russia. But this does not mean that it will not be possible to run a profitable business here. Quality of services and good knowledge of the market are the components of the success of any dispatch service for cargo transportation.

The most reliable entry into the market is to create a small fleet of vehicles and open a dispatch service on the basis of your own small transport company. In this case, it will be much easier to develop your first customer base, and the most difficult stage in the development of the dispatch service will be passed. It will be easier to work further. As orders grow, for the most valuable and profitable ones, you will always have your own cars. For other orders there will always be carriers represented by other competing companies.

Machine requirements

Severe demands are placed on cars in this type of business. After all, they are the face of the company and the impression that the car makes on the client largely depends on whether he will still want to use your services. Road safety for the driver and his passenger is also extremely important.

Therefore, keep an eye on these points:

Special identification marks are installed on the vehicle.
A taximeter is mounted on the dashboard.
Magnetic tape is glued to the body.
The machine must be regularly (every six months) inspected at a service station.
Be in excellent working order.
The interior is washed once a week, and the external parts every day.

A good advertising move would be to place brief information about the taxi service on the vehicle itself. To do this, apply the company logo, phone number and a short slogan. Thus, your company will become more recognizable and conquer the market faster.

Where to look for clients

When considering how freight dispatchers work, you should pay special attention to methods for finding potential clients. The main client base in this type of activity consists of small enterprises engaged in trading activities and production. In addition, your clients may be organizations involved in leasing warehouse space or providing forwarding services. Jobs in this business area are divided into two main areas:

vacancies for beginners with minimum wage;
vacancies for professionals with extensive experience.

Transport services have been in great demand in recent years and, as practice shows, provide good profits.
It is best to work at home with vacancies from the first option, since such practice will allow you to gain experience and gain the necessary knowledge for further development as a specialist.

You can find your first employers on various job sites, freelance exchanges and professional forums.

Often, novice logisticians begin their professional activities by sending out resumes to companies involved in cargo transportation. In order to receive your first order, you need to find several companies involved in the transportation of goods in your region and visit their Internet pages. Such sites often contain a “vacancies” section. When sending your resume to the employer’s email address, you should indicate in advance that you are looking for remote work.

One of the key points when searching for future employers is a well-written resume. A beginner specialist without rich practical knowledge should indicate his level of education. If you have completed several different training courses in this field, be sure to add this point to your resume.

We select personnel

One of the key factors in the development of business in the service sector is employees. The reputation of the company depends on how they communicate with clients. Dispatchers taking calls must be polite, competent, have clear diction, and be able to calmly resolve conflict situations. It is also useful for drivers to communicate discreetly with passengers, become friendly, show goodwill and be very good at navigating the route.

You can start working as a dispatch center with several people on the phone and drivers with their own cars. But as the client base develops and grows, you need to have a whole staff of employees:

dispatchers (their number depends on the ability to answer all calls) - work in three shifts to ensure round-the-clock reception of requests;
drivers;
accountant – can be an incoming accountant or the function can be outsourced;
System Administrator.

It is very important to properly consider the salary amount. Dispatchers and other employees can set a fixed rate and enter into agreements with drivers, according to which you take a certain commission from their earnings. Usually it is 7-18%, but it is better in each specific case to agree in such a way as to prevent staff turnover and at the same time make a profit from the organization of the enterprise.

Freight dispatch service: how to open your own?

To build a successful business in the freight dispatch service , you need a wealth of experience or large investments. This leads to two ways to build a case:

Calculation of business payback period

you are recruiting a team of experienced freight dispatchers who already have a certain base of performers and customers. This is a more expensive method.
A cheaper, but longer way to open a control room is the personal experience of working as a business organizer in any dispatch service.

Having worked in any company, you can gain not only a wealth of experience, study the business thoroughly, but also develop your own client base. Opening a business with already established connections dramatically increases the chances of building a successful auto business.

Advertising campaign

Today the taxi market is quite saturated and in almost every city there is huge competition among such services. To stand out among them, you need to offer unique and sought-after services, as well as engage in targeted mass advertising. To do this, use all available means:

Sign up for the various apps customers use today to find and hail taxis.
Place advertising on all city sites - banners, stops, transport (own and public), billboards, billboards.
You need to create a website that shows the numbers, the main advantages over competitors, you can calculate the cost of the route, and leave a review.
Print business cards, leaflets and other printed products, distribute them in crowded places, and also give some to passengers so that they have the service number at hand or can share information with friends.
Pay for advertisements placed in local media (newspapers, magazines).

To attract regular customers, today they come up with many interesting promotions - “Tell a friend”, “Nth trip is free”, count accumulated kilometers, etc. But this will not work if dispatchers or drivers become rude to passengers, the car does not arrive on time, it will be difficult to get through , and the cost of services will be higher than the regional average. So pay attention to high-quality service at every stage of the work.

Here you can download a free business plan for a taxi dispatch service as a sample.

Working hours and income level of a freight dispatcher

A cargo transportation dispatcher can earn quite a decent income if you approach this occupation seriously and competently. Logistics is quite hard work, and you will need to devote a lot of time to it. It is necessary to process a large amount of information in order to intelligently optimize the routes and actions of other people.

Freight dispatcher salary

As in any other activity, incredible earnings are not waiting for you here from the first months of work. It takes several months of constant work to begin to understand and feel all the nuances. Moreover, when working remotely, you need to organize everything yourself. Average earnings by country for novice home dispatchers are:

Russia – from 400 dollars
Ukraine – from 100 dollars
Belarus – from 200 dollars
Europe – from 1,000 euros

Earnings depend on many parameters, for example, on the amount of time you will devote to work. In companies, dispatchers usually work 24 hours every two or three days off. Round-the-clock work is necessary in order to be able to coordinate the actions of the driver at any time, because he gets to the appointed place, interrupted only by a few hours of sleep, and it does not matter whether it is morning or night.

Working at home in this way is difficult, but it is quite possible if you manage your time wisely. If you are successful, you can earn $1,000 a month or more.

Profitability

It is very important to draw up a competent business plan, which will indicate expenses and income. Then you can calculate over what period you can return all investments and receive net profit from your own business.

Initial investment	Price, in rubles
1	Office equipment	85 000
2	Router and Internet	3 000
3	Headset for dispatchers	6 000
4	Connection and installation of all equipment, telephony	15 000
5	Software	60 000
6	Registration of a company and collection of documents	30 000
7	Office rent (per month)	20 000
8		20 000
9	Payment for dispatchers	35 000
Total:	274 000

With the right approach, you can return this amount within six months of activity. Although, of course, a lot depends on how many drivers you were able to attract to work, what kind of advertising you used, the average bill, competition, etc. If you purchase cars as the property of a company and register a legal entity, then the profit will be greater, but at the expense of serious investments At the start, you will have to wait much longer for full payback.

Video: how to open a taxi service - a business idea with small investments.

What mode will you have to work in?

The work schedule is determined for each employee individually. There are night and day shifts. Since there are usually 5–7 operators, they distribute all the work time among themselves. In addition, the number of working days per week is discussed directly with the employer. Sometimes the employee himself chooses how many days he will be online, 3–5 days a week or work in 2/2, 3/3 mode.

The working day of a cargo transportation operator most often begins at 9 am. After starting a shift, the employee calls all the drivers and clarifies how many cars will be working that day. After which he begins searching for clients. This kind of work can take either a whole day or 4–5 hours.

It all depends on the workload of the company. In the event of an emergency, a company employee should always be in touch and be able to solve any problem.

For example, if a truck breaks down on the way, or there are more/fewer cars upon arrival, the dispatcher must know where to go, what to say and how to solve the problem. All difficulties must be resolved to the satisfaction of both parties.

Reviews

Nikolai: “We have a small town, but the demand for taxis is not falling. I started organizing a dispatch service after I myself couldn’t get through to an existing company for a long time and waited for about an hour for a car. The business is profitable, but it is important to work on good service.”

Igor: “To ensure constant profit and not allow drivers to stand idle, we need to think through as many different services as possible for the delivery and servicing of events. Then there is a way to pay salaries to the team even in the absence of stable calls.”

Andrey: “This is not such a simple matter. It is especially difficult to agree on payment for work with drivers. I think it makes sense to spend money on your own cars once and hire people who are ready to work on someone else’s vehicles, then the income will be significantly higher.”

How to find a new job in your specialty

If you have tried all the ways to get more money at the company where you currently work, then the next step is to look for a new place. There are several options here too.

Find a job with the same requirements for an employee, but a higher salary. Post your resume on the websites hh.ru and avito.ru, indicate key skills, experience and the desired salary amount. Also regularly review suitable vacancies and respond to offers from employers.

Find a place with the same salary, but a more convenient schedule, in order to free up time and have the opportunity to earn money somewhere else besides your main job.
Look for a vacancy with a lower or the same salary, but better prospects, for example, in a large company. This will provide an opportunity, not quickly, but still to increase your income in the near future.

Leaving a familiar place is scary, especially if you have a family, people for whom you are responsible. Therefore, first find a new job, and only then quit.

To earn more in your profession, you need to learn and develop. You can take advanced training courses, read books on your specialty, take online training and expand your capabilities.

Review vacancies periodically and go for interviews. Once you understand what employers need to get them to pay you more, you can find a place with conditions that suit you.