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Small Businesses Ideas 025Folding Scooters - A New Kind Of Taxi ServiceA new, exciting and inexpensive alternative to the standard taxi service looks set to catch on here very soon. Originating from Germany, fold up scooters may not sound like a profitable basis for a business, but read on. Being caught drinking and driving in this country means the driver will get a ban (and a possible jail sentence if fatalities occur as the result of an accident). And that's not the end of the driver's problems - when they want to reinsure their car, the premiums for a former drink driver will be sky high. So, consider the situation faced by someone who has driven to the pub, but because they fancied a drink finds themselves over the limit. Any right-thinking person, unless they could get a lift from a friend, would naturally call up a taxi to take them home. This could prove very expensive, and the driver would suffer the inconvenience of having to pick their car up the next day. What alternative does the driver have the they don't want to drink and drive - none! Well now there can be a cheap alternative, in the form of the fold up scooter service, which operates in a similar way to the standard car taxi service. Here's how it works. The customer - let's say they are in the Dog and Duck at closing time and they've had a skinful - calls up the scooter depot to get a lift home as they are well over the limit to drive. The rider jumps on their scooter and gets to the Dog and Duck in no time at all. Once there, the customer hands them their car keys, the scooter is folded up and placed in the boot, and the driver runs the customer home in their car. When the destination is reached, the driver picks up the charge before unfolding the scooter and scooting off to the next customer. As a result, there are no drink driving charges and the customer does not have to go back to the pub the next day to pick up the car. Because the operating costs for scooters are less then for cars, the overall charges will be very competitive. To you, this is a business that is incredibly cheap to set up and run. All you need is your own fold up scooter, a phone and the correct road tax and insurance. The novelty value, practicality, usefulness and competitive rates involved will make it popular with customers because it is cheap to operate, it should provide a very profitable business. The first step is to get hold of a folding scooter - they originate from Germany although UK agents are most likely already selling them - contact scooter agents and distributors for details. Next step is to get the correct insurance for driving a scooter and other people's cars - this won't be a problem as chauffeurs require insurance for a similar service. Contact your insurance broker for information. Finally, you will need a means of communication between customer, base and driver. Taxis use two way radios, which you could use if you have a lot of taxis and riders, although if there is just you, then a mobile phone will suffice. Make full use of the novelty value when you start up this service. There is much to be gained from contacting local media newspapers, TV and radio, to generate maximum free publicity. Also, there are the standard forms of advertising for such a service like local newspapers, magazines and the Yellow Pages, and it is a good idea to have cards printed and leave them in night-clubs, pubs, bingo halls and so on. Take note of these pointers and you can set up a similar service very quickly. The fold up scooter service has the potential to be a popular, competitive and above all a profitable alternative to the established car taxi service. Last Small Businesses Idea. Next Small Businesses Idea. COPYRIGHT |
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