Do you need one?
Does a taxi company need a website?
A fair question now the apps handle so much. But the honest answer turns on who owns your customers, because without your own channel, every fare and every relationship belongs to a platform.
From £297, live in 7 days, on your own domain.
Does a taxi company need a website?
The honest answer
Does a taxi company need a website? Now that the apps handle so much of the trade, it is a fair thing to question. But the honest answer turns on a single issue that sits underneath all the convenience: who owns your customers. The apps bring work, yes, but they take a cut of every fare and keep the relationship, so without a booking channel of your own, every customer you carry belongs to a platform, not to you. A website changes that by giving you a direct line, especially for the planned, valuable trade, airport runs, advance bookings, business accounts, that you can win and keep yourself. So the real question is not whether the apps bring work, it is whether you want to own any of your customers or rent them all, at someone else’s price.
Renting customers from the apps
The apps are genuinely convenient, and they bring volume, but it comes on their terms. They charge commission on every fare, and, more importantly, they own the customer, so to the app your firm is an interchangeable car and the loyalty belongs to the platform. A rider who books through the app books through it again next time, and you pay again, because you never had a direct relationship to build on. That is the quiet cost of relying only on the apps: you are renting access to customers rather than owning them, handing over a slice of every fare, and building nothing of your own. It works while it works, but it leaves your whole business dependent on platforms whose commission and rules you do not control, and which could change at any time.
Owning even part of your trade
A website does not have to replace the apps to be worth it; it just has to let you own some of your trade, and the part it wins is the best part. The planned, valuable work, the airport runs booked ahead, the advance bookings, the business accounts, is searched for and arranged with a firm the customer chooses and trusts, and a findable site with easy booking captures it directly. Those customers come back to you, at no commission, and can become loyal regulars or standing accounts, so over months and years the difference between owning them and renting them is large. Owning even part of your trade builds a base that is yours and profitable, a real asset, rather than a stream of fares you rent from a platform and never keep.
A hedge as well as an asset
There is one more reason the answer leans yes, and it is about protection. A firm wholly dependent on the apps is exposed: if their commission rises or their rules change, your margins or your work can shrink overnight, and you have no direct customers to fall back on. A website is a hedge against that as well as an asset in its own right, a channel of your own that keeps working whatever the platforms do, winning the direct, loyal trade and reducing your dependence on the apps’ goodwill. In a trade increasingly shaped by platforms you do not control, having a direct line to your own customers is not just about saving commission today, it is about not having your whole business at the mercy of someone else’s terms tomorrow.
So the real answer to does a taxi company need a website is: yes, if you want to own any of your customers rather than rent them all from the apps, because your own booking channel wins the planned, valuable trade, keeps the fare whole, and protects you from total dependence on platforms whose terms you do not control. And finding out costs just £99 up front: I build the site on spec, from £297, and you see it finished before you pay the rest, so you can look at your actual firm’s site, ready to win direct trade, and decide from there, knowing the commission a direct channel saves quickly covers the cost.
How it works
From message to live in four steps.
- 01
Message me
Tell me your trade and your town on WhatsApp. No forms to wade through, no call to book.
- 02
£99 to start
A £99 deposit gets your build going and comes off your quote. It covers some of the build time.
- 03
I build it, you see it
I build the whole site, framed around your work, and send it to you finished to look at.
- 04
Pay the rest, go live
Happy with it? You pay the balance, it goes live on your own domain, and it is yours to keep.
What you get
What a taxi site from me includes.
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Built on spec
I build it first and send it finished. You see the real thing before you decide, not a mock-up.
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Live in 7 days
From the go-ahead, your site is live within a week. No months of back and forth.
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On your own domain
It goes live in your name. You own the site and everything on it, with no lock-in.
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Genuinely fast
Static pages, no WordPress. Fast pages rank better and turn more visitors into calls.
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Found on Google
Built to be found in local search, with the plumbing done properly from day one.
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Looked after
Someone looks after it and changes it when you need. Two small edits a month, your listing kept current.
What it costs
A straight price.
From £297 to build it, first three months of Care included, then £49 a month.
You own the site outright and can stop the monthly plan whenever you like. Hosting is part of Care and Grow, so one of those keeps it online after the first three months, or you host it yourself. See the full pricing.
Common questions
Questions I get asked.
Does a taxi company really need a website?
If you want to own any of your customers rather than rent them all from the apps, yes. The apps bring convenient work, but they take a cut of every fare and keep the relationship, so without your own booking channel every customer belongs to a platform. A website gives you a direct line for the planned, valuable trade, airport runs, advance bookings, accounts, that you can win and keep yourself.
The apps bring me plenty of work. Isn't that enough?
The apps bring volume, but at a cost: commission on every fare and ownership of the customer. Relying only on them means your firm is an interchangeable car with no direct relationships and no protection if their terms change. A website gives you a channel of your own, so you are not wholly dependent on platforms that take a cut and could change the deal at any time.
Why does owning the customer matter?
Because a customer you own comes back to you directly, at no commission, and can become a loyal regular or an account, while a customer the app owns goes back to the app every time, and you pay again. Over months and years, that difference is large. Owning even part of your trade, the airport runs, the accounts, the advance bookings, builds a base that is yours and profitable, rather than rented.
Can't I just rely on the apps for everything?
You can, but it leaves your whole business dependent on platforms whose commission and rules you do not control. If their terms change, your margins or your work can shrink overnight, and you have no direct customers to fall back on. A website is a hedge and an asset: a direct channel that wins the planned, loyal trade and reduces your dependence on the apps' goodwill.
When could a taxi firm skip a website?
If you are happy being entirely dependent on the apps, taking their volume at their commission with no direct customers of your own, you can skip it. But most firms want some trade they own, especially the profitable airport, advance and account work, and that requires a direct booking channel. For any firm wanting to keep more of its fares and its customers, the case for a site is strong.
Is a website worth it for a small taxi firm?
Often especially so, because a small firm feels the app commission most and benefits most from direct, loyal trade. A small firm with a findable, easy-to-book site can win airport runs, advance bookings and local accounts directly, keeping fares whole and building a base it owns. A handful of direct bookings covers the cost, and the accounts keep paying.
How much does it cost to find out if a website is worth it?
Just £99 to start with me, and it comes off your quote. I build the whole site first and you see the finished thing before you pay the rest, from £297. So you are not gambling on a maybe, you are looking at the actual site for your firm and deciding then. Given the commission a direct channel saves, the risk of finding out is very low.
Tell me your town and I'll build you a taxi site on spec, so you can see it before you pay. Or read A Checkatrade alternative, see the full pricing, or get in touch.