How to Become a Cab/Taxi Driver in India?

Being a taxi driver in India comes with its own perks. You can have flexible working hours as you deem fit, and it does not require any formal education. In other words, it allows you to be your own boss.

With proper certification and training, any individual can become a cab driver in India. You can either work for a taxi company or drive your own taxi.

So, if you are among the ones looking for “how to become an Uber taxi driver” or “how to become an Ola driver”, you have come to the right place.

Without further ado, let’s dive in to understand how to become a private hire taxi driver.

If you own a car, you can drive it yourself and provide taxi services in India. However, it requires you to meet a few requirements.

• Education: In India, you need to pass the 8th standard to drive any transport vehicle. You need the same to provide cab services on your own.
• Age: The minimum age of acquiring a driving licence in India is 18. So, you need to meet this age mandate to drive your car and provide taxi services.
• Licence: You need to have a valid private or commercial driving licence to become a taxi driver in India.
• Vehicle Certification: In India, you need a vehicle registration and a third-party liability insurance policy to drive your car. The same applies to taxi drivers. You should always carry your driving licence, registration and insurance documents while driving your own taxi.

In India, you can become a cab driver even if you don’t own a car. You can work for a company that provides taxi services in the region. In this case, the company will give the vehicle. However, you need to meet a few criteria.

• Age: In India, you need to be at least 18 to obtain a car driving licence. The same rule applies in the case of a cab driver as well.
• Education: You need to have completed your education at least till the 8th standard to drive a taxi in India.
• Licence: To work for a taxi service provider, you need to have a private or commercial driving licence mandatorily. In this case, the preference of the required driving licence varies from one company to another.
• Examination: The company can conduct examinations to test your driving and behavioural skills. Tests cover topics like routes, boundaries, landmarks, customer service etc. You need to pass those tests accordingly to qualify as a driver for that company.
• No Felony Conviction: Although it varies from one company to another, it is safer not to have any previous felony charges.
• No Unpaid Tickets: To qualify as a driver for a taxi service provider, you should not have any unpaid traffic violation tickets.

Speaking of cab service providers in India, both Ola and Uber have made their mark  significantly in this industry.

To become an Ola driver without a car in India, you need to have the correct documentation and meet the following criteria.

• Valid Commercial Driving Licence (Yellow Badge)
• Aadhaar Card
• PAN Card
• Bank Details (Cancelled Cheque/Passbook)
• Four References (Including Phone Numbers and Addresses)
• Permanent and Current Address Proofs

However, if you own a car and want to drive it under Ola’s name, you will have to provide some additional documents.

• Vehicle’s Registration Certificate
• Vehicle Permit
• Valid Car Insurance Policy Details

Fulfilling these criteria will enable you to become an Ola driver. You can sign up here for the same.

To become an Uber taxi driver in India, you need to meet the following conditions.

• At least 18 years of age
• Successfully clearing the background screening
• Valid driving licence (commercial or private)
• Residential proof

If you want to become a driver cum owner, you must provide these additional documents.

• Vehicle Registration
• Car Insurance Policy Details
• Vehicle Permit

You will be able to become an Uber taxi driver in India if these conditions are met. Here is the link to sign up.

The duration of becoming a taxi driver depends on several factors.

• Tests (if you are working for a company)
• Private to Commercial Licence Conversion (if required)
• Company Policies (if you are working for a company)
• RTO and State Government Approval

Therefore, we cannot specify exactly how long it takes to become a taxi driver. However, it may take up to 10 working days.

If you wish to buy a car and provide taxi services yourself, you can consider applying for a car loan. Reputed companies now offer online car loan EMI calculators to help you with the loan calculations even before applying.

Hopefully, going through this will help you better understand how to become an Ola driver or how to become an Uber taxi driver. In addition, the qualities of a successful cab driver will also help you in the long run if you are considering cab driving as your career.

Now that you know how to become a private hire taxi driver let’s find out some attractive traits of a successful cab driver. To become successful in this line of work, you must have the following qualities.

• Customer Service Skills
• Reliability
• Hand-Eye Coordination
• Initiative
• Patience
• Good Communication Skills

Keeping these qualities in mind, you can surely become a successful taxi/cab driver.