Taxi driving: how much do we make?

A few times I have had public servants in my taxi asking me how much money I make.  Typically, they are washed up and pissed off APS6 employees who have worked the same job for ten years and are looking for an out.  The first thing I ask them is whether they have a mortgage.  A typical reply is "Yes".  Then I ask them how much they think I make and I indicate that I work approximately 70 hours a week.  Most of them think it would be around $20 an hour and so they say $1500 a week before tax.  This is when I laugh.  Most of them are quite astonished when I say that it works out at about half that.  They very soon start to realise that there is no way they can pay their mortgage as a taxi driver.  Last year I made $38,000, worked 6 nights a week, 11 hours each night, a couple of spewers, ten runners and thirty dickheads.  But most of the time I was having fun.  It certainly beats filing, reading emails, dealing with office politics, pushing paper and just generally doing nothing as an APS6 employee.

So if we look at the average night and day taking of a taxi, I think people will be quite surprised.  Remember that these figures are the total takings of a taxi, and the taxi driver takes half of it.

DAY SHIFT

Monday - $260
Tuesday - $265
Wednesday - $270
Thursday - $275
Friday - $280
Saturday - $220
Sunday - $270

TOTAL: $1840

So if I driver works 7 days a week (77 hours) they will make approximately $920 a week before tax.  After GST is taken out they make $836.  And after PAYG is taken out they make $727 a week.  Not a real good hourly rate when you work 77 hours - approximately $9.50 an hour.  Most drivers work 6 days a week - Monday to Saturday and make approximately $650 after tax is taken out.

NIGHT SHIFT

Night drivers generally fair better because you make better money on a Friday and Saturday night.

Monday - $240
Tuesday - $250
Wednesday - $270
Thursday - $300
Friday - $450
Saturday $425
Sunday - $250

TOTAL: $2185

So if a driver works 7 nights a week (and there are plenty that do) he will make $1092 a week.  After GST and PAYG is taken out he will make approximately $832 a week.  A better hourly rate than a day driver ($832/77 = $10.80).

Drivers in maxi taxis and 7 seaters have dramatically better income on a Friday and Saturday nights.  They can make up to $900 on the meter in a single night.  A few drivers work the maxi taxis and 7-seaters on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights and make the same amount per week as drivers who work six nights in normal taxis.  These are the lucky ones and they usually do some wheeling and dealing to get these nights in these kind of taxis.