# Pet Taxi?



## DollyGirl08

Part of my service is i will be offering a Pet Taxi, so any elderly/disabled or anyone with a lack of transport, can be taken to the vets or any pet appointments (agility, training class, therapy etc)

Anyway, i'm unsure how to do the pricing. Do i do charge according to mileage or time? Obviously if there is traffic, that will mean a short journey may take longer. 

What would you pay for a pet taxi?


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## JAChihuahua

I know my walker offers something similar to this... will ask her the fee's. She has a dedicated animal ambulance - which is not her dog walking van. 


In the meantime have you considered what you will do about infection control? What happens if something happens in transit? - thinking emergency visits or post surgery here, not routine vacs or chipping , (yes I know they have risks, but generally less than emergencies). What happens if it turns out later to be parvo? or poor dog has post surgery bleed/fit/split wound, shock etc.

Have you looked into getting some standard taxi quotes, most charge a fee for carrying a pet, but they should give you the quotes. Get a selection and then you can charge competitively. I would also look at a number of vets and check their call out fee's - you need to be under this too.

Final suggestion, and possibly not the nicest.... but consider working with a good pet crematorium. I know my walkers ambulance is used for this service quite regularly and brings in a fair amount of business. She collects the poor pet, and then delivers him/her to the crem - returning later to collect and deliver his/her ashes.

hope thats helped x


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## DollyGirl08

Thank you for all that, gives me something to find out about and work on. 
I've just been looking at ex police vans with the cages already in which look quite nice.


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## Stefx

I charge £10 per hour (also minimum fee) plus 50p per mile. 
Careful with the insurance, I'm with cliverton and although it does cover pet taxi, I am not insured to carry the owners as well. Must be the pets alone.


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## BoredomBusters

Please don't follow the advice to get prices from taxis! If you price the same and you take the owners as well then you would be guilty of hire and reward without a licence.

Most people charge an hourly rate plus a mileage charge. You can carry the owner for free (double check with your insurance that you can carry passengers in your work van), but you mustn't charge less if you are carrying only the pet.


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## JAChihuahua

BoredomBusters said:


> Please don't follow the advice to get prices from taxis! If you price the same and you take the owners as well then you would be guilty of hire and reward without a licence.
> 
> Most people charge an hourly rate plus a mileage charge. You can carry the owner for free (double check with your insurance that you can carry passengers in your work van), but you mustn't charge less if you are carrying only the pet.


Nowhere in my post did I suggest she carried owners? I just said to get a comparison for pricing structure in order to be competetive. I had assumed the OP had done their research with regards to pet taxi licencing, and was asking about pricing structures. Never mind, the red blobby is pretty amongst my green!

Furthermore I think you will find that if ANYONE carries passengers you can be classed as a PHV. To be classed as such you DO NOT need to take payment for passengers, just to provide a commercially viable service (e.g. charging to take their pets - even if the humans are free passengers).

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploa...ent_data/file/3985/phv-licensing-guidance.pdf


> A motor vehicle constructed or adapted to seat fewer than nine passengers, other than a hackney carriage or public service vehicle or a London cab or tramcar, which is provided for hire with the services of a driver for the purpose of carrying passengers





> Case law has established that there does not need
> to be the payment of money for a hiring to take place. However, there will
> need to be some element of commercial benefit to the person providing the
> vehicle


Its a very grey area of law, and you need to check with your local authority... however there is nothing to stop you charging a competetive rate IF your authority is happy that you are NOT a PHV.

Also remember if you do run an ambulance (and call it such), it must be properly registered and you must have the appropriate (in this case veterinary trauma) training. Thats a whole other kettle of fish!


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## HeathersPetcare

We charge per hour and per mile which people seem happy with.


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