How a London Cabbie Can Build a Book of Regular Customers

Every shift, you're already carrying the people who could become your regulars — you just hand most of them back to the rank or the apps at the end of the ride. Building a book of regular customers is how you turn one-off fares into work that comes back to you, by name, week after week. It's the difference between chasing the next job and owning it.

Here's how to do it, from a working cabbie's point of view.

Start with service that makes people ask for you

Your reputation is the one asset the apps can't take off you. Get the basics consistently right and passengers start seeking you out instead of whoever's next on the rank.

Turn up on time, every time. For anyone with a train, a flight or a hospital slot, punctuality is the whole job. Be where you said, when you said.
Keep the cab spotless. A clean, tidy cab tells a passenger you take pride in the service — and it's often the difference between a one-off and a regular.
Use the Knowledge. Reading the roads, knowing the closures before the satnav does, getting someone across town when everything else is stuck in the same jam — that's value software can't match.
Read the passenger. Some want a chat; some want silence to make calls or switch off. Matching that is how you build the easy rapport that makes someone book you again.

None of this is complicated. It's just done consistently — and consistency is what earns the second booking.

Give people an easy way to book you direct

Good service earns the regular; a simple booking method keeps them. The problem every cabbie has always had is that once the ride's over, the passenger has no way back to you — so the work drifts to the rank and the apps.

This is exactly the gap BAT.TAXI is built to close. Every passenger you sign up gets their own app to book you — and only you; no other driver is ever connected to your customers. You can sign up as many as you like, the passenger app is free to them, and it's pre-book work — the planned journeys (airports, hospitals, the regular runs) that let you plan your week instead of reacting to it. BAT charges no commission on your fares and has no payment facility at all — you agree the fare and take payment directly, exactly as you do now. It's simply the tool that hands the customer relationship back to you. (The step-by-step of building that book is in the Regulars Playbook.)

Signing a passenger up takes seconds — no App Store, no downloads

Here's the part that surprises drivers: getting someone onto your books is genuinely quick. You get your own QR code — keep it on your phone to show anyone in person, stick it in the back of the cab, put it on your business card, drop it into the local Facebook group. When a passenger points their camera at it (or taps your link), it opens straight in their web browser — no App Store, no download, nothing to install. They confirm their email, set a password, and that's it: their own account, connected directly to you, ready to book there and then. And the first driver to sign a passenger up keeps them — connected for life.

That's the whole barrier gone. No "go and download an app," no faff — just point, tap, and they're yours.

Keep a simple record of your regulars

Once you've got a handful of regulars, remembering their runs matters: who needs the 6am to Heathrow every other Tuesday; who has the weekly hospital appointment and needs a hand to the door; who does the school run and needs the child seat in. Keeping that straight — even a quick note against each customer — is what makes people feel looked after, and looked-after passengers stay. (More on owning that record yourself, rather than a fleet owning it, in CRM for cabbies.)

Keep the money side simple — and entirely yours

Regulars like it when paying is easy and predictable. Plenty of cabbies set up a straightforward arrangement with their regular account customers — a weekly or monthly settle-up, whatever suits both of you. The key point: that arrangement is always directly between you and your passenger. BAT.TAXI never touches a fare — it's a booking tool, not a payment processor — so your earnings stay 100% your own.

Build alliances with local businesses

Some of the steadiest work comes from businesses on your patch that need reliable transport for their people and guests.

Hotels need a dependable driver for guest airport runs and nights out — be the one they trust to recommend.
Local offices and firms need reliable runs through the working day; become their go-to and you've got recurring work with almost no chasing.
Restaurants deal with diners who want a proper black cab home — leave your details with the manager and let them send the work your way.

One good relationship tends to lead to another — small business owners recommend people they trust. Look after one, and you often pick up three.

Build a name for yourself

Your "brand" is really just the promise of what a ride with you is like. You don't need anything fancy — you need to be findable and memorable.

A simple card in the back of the cab, with your booking link, so a good fare can turn into a regular. (BAT's Driver Pack has in-cab materials made for exactly this.)
Be a local face. Community groups, local pages, the odd helpful post about travel times or road closures — it keeps you top-of-mind as the cabbie people know, not an anonymous car off an app.

If you do post online, keep it simple and professional: share your availability, a useful travel tip now and then, and a clear way to book you. Keep it neutral and respectful — you're building trust, not chasing likes.

Keep the regulars you've earned

Holding onto a regular is worth far more than chasing a new fare. A few things that keep people loyal:

Give your regulars priority. You don't need to discount your work — just guarantee availability for the people who book ahead. Knowing they can always get you is worth more than a few quid off.
Cover the jobs you can't do yourself. Nobody can be everywhere. On BAT.TAXI, when you can't make a booking you can hand it to a trusted Co Driver — completed on your terms, same price, same standard — so your passenger's looked after and the relationship stays yours, even on your day off.
Handle the odd hiccup well. Something will occasionally go wrong. Own it, sort it, and most regulars will stick with you — people forgive a lot when they feel heard.

Trust is the whole game

Safety and reliability are what a licensed black cab offers that no algorithm can. Your passengers are getting into a vehicle whose driver has passed the Knowledge, holds an enhanced DBS check and a TfL licence, in a fully regulated, wheelchair-accessible cab. That matters — especially late at night, especially for vulnerable or elderly passengers. So say it, mean it, and back it up: turn up when it's chucking it down, help with the bags and the door, be the driver people are relieved to see. That's what turns a fare into a regular for life.

The bottom line

Building a book of regular customers is really just a shift in how you think — from "what's the next fare?" to "who's my next passenger?" Get the service right, give people an easy way to book you direct, look after them, and own the relationship yourself rather than renting it from an app.

And the barrier to starting is almost nothing: a passenger scans your code, confirms their email, sets a password, and they're on your books — no App Store, no download, no excuses. Do that, shift after shift, and you build something that's genuinely yours — and can't be switched off by anyone else. (Here's the 90-day version of that plan.)

Frequently asked questions

Why bother building regular customers instead of just working the rank and the apps? Because regulars mean steadier work, less time hunting for the next fare, and income that doesn't vanish when an app changes its rules. It's the difference between a job and a business.

How do I actually get a passenger to book me again? Give them a simple, direct way to do it before they get out of the cab — a card, a booking link, their own app to book you. If they have to go back to the rank or an app, you've lost them. Make it one tap.

How does a passenger actually sign up with me? They scan your QR code (on your phone, in the cab, on your card, or shared in a local group) or tap your link — it opens in their browser, with no App Store or download needed. They confirm their email, choose a password, and they're connected directly to you, ready to book straight away.

Does networking with local businesses really work? Yes — hotels, restaurants and local offices all need transport they can rely on and recommend. One steady relationship can be worth dozens of random fares.

What happens to my regulars when I'm on holiday or off sick? On BAT.TAXI you can pass a booking you can't cover to a trusted Co Driver, completed on your terms — so your passenger is looked after and the relationship stays yours.

Does BAT.TAXI take a cut of my fares? No. BAT.TAXI is a booking tool on a simple subscription — it charges no commission and has no payment facility. You agree and take your fares directly, exactly as you do now.

I'm not very tech-minded — is this complicated? No. You sign a passenger up once and they get their own app to book you. Start with one passenger a shift; in a few weeks you've got a book going. Slow and steady builds it.