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Taxi and Limousine Drivers and Chauffeurs - What They Do

Taxi and limousine drivers drive automobiles and limousines to transport passengers. Chauffeurs drive automobiles and limousines to transport personnel and visitors of businesses, government or other organizations or members of private households. Taxi and limousine drivers are employed by taxi and other transportation service companies, or they may be self-employed. Chauffeurs are employed by businesses, government and other organizations, or private individuals or families.

Job duties

This group performs some or all of the following duties:

Taxi and limousine drivers

  • Pick up passengers and drive them to destinations in taxicabs or limousines
  • Help passengers with luggage and with boarding and exiting vehicles and assist passengers with special needs
  • Collect flat-rate or taximeter fares
  • Maintain travel logs and record cash and credit transactions
  • Maintain contact with taxi dispatch unit
  • Clean and make minor repairs to vehicle or take vehicle for servicing
  • May provide pick up and delivery services on request.

Chauffeurs

  • Pick up or meet employer according to request, appointment or schedule
  • Drive employer to destinations in automobile or limousine
  • Perform business and personal errands for employer such as delivering and picking up mail, business documents and parcels
  • Clean and make minor repairs to vehicle or take vehicle for servicing.

Job titles

  • airport limousine driver
  • taxi driver
  • limousine driver
  • company chauffeur
  • private chauffeur
Employment Requirements

This is what you typically need for the job:

  • Some secondary school education is usually required.
  • A minimum of one year of safe driving experience is usually required.
  • A Class G driver's licence is required in Ontario, and a Class 4 driver's licence is required in all other provinces and the territories.
  • Taxi and limousine drivers require good knowledge of the geographical area to be covered and may have to pass written street/building location and safety examinations.
  • Taxi drivers usually require a municipal permit.
  • First aid certification may be required.

Essential Skills

Reading

  • Read information bulletins and memos to keep up-to-date with company policies. (1)
  • Skim the newspaper to provide information to passengers. (2)
  • Refer to by-laws and regulations to understand the various requirements set by the municipality. (2)
  • Read insurance documents to better understand liability. (3)
  • Read company manuals about policies, procedures and operations. (3)

Document use

  • Refer to mobile data terminal (MDT) screen which displays dispatch information. (1)
  • Read address labels when delivering packages for customers. (1)
  • Read street signs to locate addresses. (1)
  • Fill in "trip sheets" for each trip, indicating destination and number of passengers. (1)
  • Complete pre-trip inspection forms as a preventative maintenance record. (1)
  • Fill in customer receipts. (1)
  • Complete various entry forms such as receipts and credit card charge slips. (1)
  • Read credit cards, charge slips, travellers' cheques and vouchers when accepting payment. (2)
  • Read maps and street guides to find locations. (2)

Writing

  • Write detailed entries on trip sheets. (1)
  • Write explanations for delays and extra costs. (2)
  • Write collision reports as required. (2)
  • Write statements to respond to complaints which have been made about their service. (3)

Numeracy

Money Math

  • Receive money from customers and make change. (1)

Scheduling, Budgeting & Accounting Math

  • Reconcile daily cash and turn in monies and records to owners. (2)

Measurement and Calculation Math

  • Express distances in both metric and imperial measures. (1)

Numerical Estimation

  • Estimate the cost of a trip, taking into account various uncertainties such as traffic, driving conditions and possible detours. (2)

Oral communication

  • Talk to cab company dispatchers about pickup locations and delivery requests. (1)
  • Talk to other drivers to pass along information about road conditions. (1) )
  • Talk to gas station attendants, convenience store personnel and car repair personnel. (1)
  • Converse with visitors about local attractions, night life and personal safety concerns. (1)
  • Greet and converse with customers to clarify route preferences, to manage crises, to control or diffuse hostile situations, to clarify delivery requests and to clarify destinations for children or physically-challenged passengers. (2)
  • Talk to police officers when they are involved in a collision, to report crimes or to assist in community services. (2)

Thinking

Problem Solving

  • May find that an address provided by dispatch does not exist. They will call dispatch to locate the customer. (1)
  • Must choose alternate routes when construction blocks roads normally taken. (1)
  • Sometimes have to cope with disputes over fares or routes taken. (2)
  • May have to deal with difficult clients. Such situations are unpredictable and dangerous and could escalate if handled incorrectly. (3)

Decision Making

  • Decide if they have enough fuel to last for a long trip. (1)
  • Decide when it is prudent to reduce speed due to bad road conditions. (1)
  • Determine which of several possible routes will be the most efficient for the customer. (2)
  • Decide when it is appropriate to reject possible customers, based on their behaviour and appearance. Their personal safety may depend on this decision. This is a critical factor. (3)
  • Decide on actions during robbery or violence. (3)

Critical Thinking

Critical Thinking information was not collected for this profile.

Job Task Planning and Organizing

Taxicab drivers' work activity is largely determined by their customers and working arrangements. However, they plan when they will work (taking into consideration when events are occurring), and where they will work (taking into consideration where the events, activities and busy locations are). This plan may be adjusted in response to where their fares take them at particular times of day. Their planning must also take into account the need to perform vehicle-maintenance tasks. (2)

Significant Use of Memory

  • Remember addresses received from dispatch and any additional instructions about how to find the location.
  • Remember specific vehicle noises which signal a vehicle malfunction.
  • Recall the faces and destinations of repeat customers and remember laws and regulations.
  • Recall the faces and addresses of hostile customers and no-pays.
  • Remember important numbers of addresses, for example, hospitals with emergency wards.
  • Remember location and routing of common destinations.

Finding Information

  • Obtain information that helps them plan their shift, such as airport schedules and information on major events. (2)
  • Find out how to reach a particular location by asking dispatch or consulting a map, guidebook, cross-reference or manual. (2)

Digital technology

  • Use computer-controlled equipment. For example, sending and receiving information on a computerized dispatch system. (1)

Other Essential Skills:

Working with Others

Taxicab drivers work independently, liaising with dispatchers on an on-going basis. Taxicab drivers participate occasionally in formal group discussions with co-workers and supervisors to discuss methods for improving services.

While survey interviewers and statistical clerks may be members of a project team, they perform most of their work independently.

Continuous Learning

Taxicab drivers continue to learn. Learning takes place informally through networking, and formally, through in-house training.