Irish Taxi Forum

Public Area => Taxi Talk => Topic started by: Rat Catcher on April 13, 2025, 03:10:50 pm

Title: Free Now Taxi Save Jobs
Post by: Rat Catcher on April 13, 2025, 03:10:50 pm
Got two offers last night / this morning - the first two I've seen:

c.01:30 Lorcan Avenue (Kilmardinny pub) -> Somewhere not far - estimated fare €6-8
c.02:00 Greenwood (Blunden Drive) -> D3 - estimated fare €16-19

Readily identifiable with a white backed Taxi Save label at the bottom of the offer card in addition to the lack of +€3 booking fee banner at the top of the card.

I've already calculated that estimates of €30+ are necessary to make Taxi Save jobs beneficial to me so I didn't accept either. I generally don't take jobs from public houses anyway so the first would have been a non-runner for me at full fare never mind paying commission to give a discount to ferry drunks during Golden 8 hours!
Title: Re: Free Now Taxi Save Jobs
Post by: mercenary for hire on April 13, 2025, 03:51:29 pm
I'd just opt out out meself.If they think you are interested in them they might adjust the algorithm so you're always available for taxi saver jobs.

At least we know they're actually offering them now.I'm already opted out.
Title: Re: Free Now Taxi Save Jobs
Post by: watty on April 13, 2025, 04:32:28 pm

c.01:30 Lorcan Avenue (Kilmardinny pub) -> Somewhere not far - estimated fare €6-8


Strip out the minimum fare and you're practically doing it for free!  At half past one in the morning  >:D

In reality, under the 'old' way of doing things, they probably would have given you a tenner (keep the change) if it was under a tenner, and you (me anyways) would have called it a tenner if it was just over a tenner and the passenger would probably have added some coins to that tenner.  A civilised way of doing things!
Title: Re: Free Now Taxi Save Jobs
Post by: Taxi driver42 on April 13, 2025, 10:46:20 pm
Switch them off
If I go to THEIR business will they undercharge me for being a taxi driver
Not a hope
Fuck u freenow drop the

Tech charge
Title: Re: Free Now Taxi Save Jobs
Post by: Belker on April 14, 2025, 02:47:52 am
Excerpt from FN email;

"We (FN) wanted to keep you informed about the upcoming launch of Taxi Saver, a new fleet aimed at boosting bookings during off-peak times in Dublin. While this fleet will currently be available only in Dublin, we’ll be monitoring its performance closely. We’ll keep you updated on how it progresses and share any future plans that may be relevant to your area."

How is 1.30am on Sat night/Sun morning OFF-PEAK ??  ::fds
Title: Re: Free Now Taxi Save Jobs
Post by: Dr. Martin Gooter Bling on April 14, 2025, 02:58:44 am
you usta get warning messages sayin you're undercharging now you get warning messages sayin you're overcharging. i did a whopper drug run tonight for a wunner. multi stopper all over the kip. i was convinced your woman was a runner but she was a gas cunt so i kept going. anyways it was only on the last hurdle that i said aw gick i shudda ended the fare early on in the app now they'll take a huge chunk off me now. i stuck in 100 and they said that's way too much. stuck in 90. that's way too much. 80 the same. 70 the same. 55 seemed to be the sweet spot. stuck that in.
Title: Re: Free Now Taxi Save Jobs
Post by: Rat Catcher on April 14, 2025, 10:05:47 am
I guess "peak" / "off-Peak" are largely subjective terms, Ken. In any event, both jobs disappeared very quickly (too quick for me to capture a screenshot in both cases) so there's obviously no shortage of drivers willing to cover such work up above in Dublin within that 30 min timeframe.

On the same shift I had a couple of 3 figure (estimated) job offers from Free Now that disappeared as soon as they appeared. Maybe Free Now should consider charging drivers higher rates of commission on bigger fares.... perhaps on a sliding scale instead of charging clients for "premium services" that they neither ask for nor want. From a rider's perspective I could never use Free Now again as there's no telling what the fare will be when they've added on all the undocumented supplements. Even their "Taxi Save" rates are significantly higher than Uber's fares. If they got back to just charging the fare shown on the driver's taximeter it'd be better for punters and for demand for our services in totality. If they need to increase profit and dividends paid to their UK parent company, increasing freight would make more sense and using a sliding scale would eliminate the need for all their priority schemes i.e. let the computer do the math to calculate the commission price point of equilibrium between supply and demand at any given time for any given fare.
Title: Re: Free Now Taxi Save Jobs
Post by: Rat Catcher on April 14, 2025, 10:12:43 am
Having said that, my freight for a passive day shift spanning 8 hours (probably 5-6 working hours) was €47 inc. VAT last Thursday. While there's probably more in it for the rideshare platforms it's a far cry from the days when Irish dispatch firms charged €80 for as many hours you wanted to work within any week. It's a different ballgame these days but, I guess, we're not the first trade to be swallowed up by multinationals rewarding minimum skill with minimum wage... and we won't be the last.
Title: Re: Free Now Taxi Save Jobs
Post by: markmiwurdz on April 14, 2025, 03:04:00 pm
Taxi Shaft Job.

They are some cowboys these lads,still charging their technical fee and surge or whatever else they do but we must suffer a huge percentage drop on any short job and they will tell you they are doing it to keep you busy,snake oil for sale.
Title: Re: Free Now Taxi Save Jobs
Post by: Punter on April 14, 2025, 07:19:04 pm
Was in big smoke Sat evening 8.pm off rank, got a Lithuanian home ,here 20 years ,own his own van, hates the apps one job for FN last week--says business way down on post Covid,9 hours on Fri yielded 200 spuds, doesn't work past 2 am  as ranks are stacked up--he reckons he's lucky to have van paid for--
Title: Re: Free Now Taxi Save Jobs
Post by: Taxi driver42 on April 14, 2025, 07:31:36 pm
There's other apps
And I'd rather starve than work them taxi saver jobs
Title: Re: Free Now Taxi Save Jobs
Post by: Jack Meoff on April 15, 2025, 08:39:55 am
“We must all stick together”
Title: Re: Free Now Taxi Save Jobs
Post by: Horse on April 15, 2025, 11:41:44 am
The minute lads started putting stickers on their cars for these apps and competing against each other for gold stars and bonuses it was game over. Ye have practically handed all the work over to these parasites, advertised for them for free AND payed them 15% of YOUR wages for the privilege. I can't even use the word stupid because that would be an insult to stupid people. Wankers would probably be a more appropriate word.
Title: Re: Free Now Taxi Save Jobs
Post by: Rat Catcher on April 15, 2025, 03:24:09 pm
Guilty, as charged.
Title: Re: Free Now Taxi Save Jobs
Post by: Bob Shillin on April 15, 2025, 04:27:07 pm
Guilty, as charged.
Wanking or competing for badges.?
Title: Re: Free Now Taxi Save Jobs
Post by: markmiwurdz on April 15, 2025, 04:27:51 pm
The minute lads started putting stickers on their cars for these apps and competing against each other for gold stars and bonuses it was game over

Correct.
Title: Re: Free Now Taxi Save Jobs
Post by: Jack Meoff on April 16, 2025, 07:30:26 am
Gold medals, priority, ambassador, donuts, the list goes on.
Title: Re: Free Now Taxi Save Jobs
Post by: Taxi driver42 on April 16, 2025, 10:06:22 am
It's like jimmy Saville giving out fix it medals
The dark creepy freenow destroyer of our business reward s us
Title: Re: Free Now Taxi Save Jobs
Post by: Rat Catcher on April 16, 2025, 11:22:29 am
Guilty, as charged.
Wanking or competing for badges.?

Suffice it to say my progress towards priority is 40% by one metric and 0% by the other!
Title: Re: Free Now Taxi Save Jobs
Post by: Jack Meoff on April 16, 2025, 01:23:47 pm
It will be called Lyft soon
Title: Re: Free Now Taxi Save Jobs
Post by: Rat Catcher on April 16, 2025, 05:48:53 pm
I don't think it was ever a good fit for Daimler or BMW. Their brands are focused on middle class taxi users rather than working class taxi drivers. While strategically tying it in with autonomous vehicles might have been the aim, there was nothing in it for their core businesses in the short-medium term.
Title: Re: Free Now Taxi Save Jobs
Post by: Rat Catcher on April 16, 2025, 05:58:47 pm
Not sure what sort of dent €100M (if that's what they each get i.e. on a 50/50 split) would, will or might make in progressing development of their respective EV ranges?

Free Now jumping into bed with Tesla told the full story, I guess.
Title: Re: Free Now Taxi Save Jobs
Post by: silverbullet on April 16, 2025, 07:25:10 pm
Not sure what sort of dent €100M (if that's what they each get i.e. on a 50/50 split) would, will or might make in progressing development of their respective EV ranges?

Free Now jumping into bed with Tesla told the full story, I guess.

(https://i.postimg.cc/CxXG6pMB/LYFT.jpg) (https://postimages.org/)
 8)
Title: Re: Free Now Taxi Save Jobs
Post by: Rat Catcher on April 16, 2025, 07:26:53 pm
Lyft and Tesla are probably a good fit going forward, to be fair.
Title: Re: Free Now Taxi Save Jobs
Post by: silverbullet on April 16, 2025, 07:40:23 pm
Lyft and Tesla are probably a good fit going forward, to be fair.
There are plenty of second-hand Tesla's after Hertz dropped them.

https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/hertz-sell-about-20000-evs-us-fleet-2024-01-11/ (https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/hertz-sell-about-20000-evs-us-fleet-2024-01-11/)
Title: Re: Free Now Taxi Save Jobs
Post by: Rat Catcher on April 16, 2025, 07:54:57 pm
How long before they have a fully autonomous model?

It mightn't be as far fetched as we like to think. I actually saw a woman driving a train last week... nothing's impossible!
Title: Re: Free Now Taxi Save Jobs
Post by: silverbullet on April 16, 2025, 08:05:08 pm
How long before they have a fully autonomous model?

It mightn't be as far fetched as we like to think. I actually saw a woman driving a train last week... nothing's impossible!
We're told there were six female astronauts launched into space for 11 minutes. I think Bezos has a plan for disposing of ugly unwanted plastic. 8)
Title: Re: Free Now Taxi Save Jobs
Post by: Octavia1 on April 16, 2025, 10:08:26 pm
Guilty, as charged.
Wanking or competing for badges.?

Suffice it to say my progress towards priority is 40% by one metric and 0% by the other!

Ya bleedin lick arse  lol


(https://i.postimg.cc/Z5Vr8mxm/Screenshot-20250416-220727.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/SnY24wP1)
Title: Re: Free Now Taxi Save Jobs
Post by: Dr. Martin Gooter Bling on April 18, 2025, 04:32:29 am
what customers are able to avail of the taxi slave jobs.
why are they chosen to be able to dodge the €3 pickup fee.
Title: Re: Free Now Taxi Save Jobs
Post by: watty on April 18, 2025, 03:15:58 pm
Maybe there's a trigger point on the app?  I'm making up the number but say FN expects to do 1,000 jobs/hour.  When it falls below that, it offers anyone a discount if they turn on the app while the jobs/hour is below 1,000 and then the offer is turned off when the jobs/hour goes back over 1,000?
Title: Re: Free Now Taxi Save Jobs
Post by: markmiwurdz on April 18, 2025, 05:16:54 pm
It's a no from me,blankety blank them all the way..