In any regional city there comes a time when a main avenue closes for months: drainage works, a new bridge, resurfacing in the centre. On top of that come one-day closures, such as parades, marches, races or the town fair. For a taxi fleet, every closure changes routes, lengthens journey times and, above all, causes arguments: the passenger doesn't understand why the trip cost more or why the driver went the long way round.
The thesis of this article is that roadworks and closures can't be avoided, but they can be anticipated and communicated. A fleet that finds out early, warns its drivers, adjusts its pickup points and explains to passengers what's going on turns a city problem into a chance to show it knows the ground better than anyone. We'll look at how closures affect the operation, how to find out in time, what to tell drivers, how to handle the price and the conversation with the passenger, what to do about pickup points and how to prepare for one-day closures.
How closures affect the operation
A major closure doesn't only affect the closed street. Traffic is diverted onto neighbouring streets, which become congested; the driver's arrival times to the passenger get longer; and trips that used to be direct now take a detour. If the city is small and has few main roads, a single roadworks project can change how half the municipality gets around for weeks.
This has concrete effects on the fleet. Drivers take longer to arrive, so cancellations rise from passengers tired of waiting. Trips cost a little more because of the extra distance and time, and some passengers see that as overcharging. And drivers lose hourly income if they get stuck in traffic, so some start rejecting trips that pass near the works.
Finding out before anyone else
Most major roadworks are announced in advance, though not always in the most visible place. Someone at the fleet should regularly check the sources where your city's closures are published. These are the most useful:
- The social media and website of the municipality or its public works department.
- The traffic department, which announces diversions and closures.
- Local media and their social media pages.
- Neighbourhood groups in the affected areas.
- The drivers themselves, who see the works before they start.
- The city's calendar of festivities, parades and sporting events.
Drivers are the fastest source. They see the barriers, signs and machinery before any official announcement comes out. Asking them to tell dispatch when they spot new roadworks, with a photo and the location, gives the fleet days of advantage to prepare everyone else.
Besides the sources, it's worth keeping a simple list of active roadworks: which street, since when and until when it's expected to last. Reviewing it every week avoids forgetting a closure that's still in place or continuing to warn about one that's already over.
What to tell drivers
When there's a major closure, each driver shouldn't discover it alone in the middle of a trip. A clear notice from dispatch, with the closed street, the approximate dates, the recommended diversions and the areas where it's best not to wait for trips, saves many lost minutes and a lot of trouble with passengers.
It's also worth agreeing on a common way of explaining the detour to the passenger. If all drivers say the same thing, calmly and from the start of the trip, the passenger understands it isn't a trick to charge more. The worst thing is for the driver to take another route without saying anything and for the passenger to discover it when they see the final price.
Think about your drivers' income too. If an area is trapped between roadworks, trips starting there take twice as long and earn less per hour. It may be worth suggesting that drivers don't wait in that area and instead position themselves on nearby streets that are still flowing, from where they can arrive just as quickly without getting stuck between trips.
The price and the conversation with the passenger
If your fare depends on distance and time, a detour makes the trip cost more, and that's reasonable. But the passenger doesn't always see it that way: they think the usual trip should cost the usual amount. Transparency is the best defence. A fare estimate that already accounts for the real route when booking helps a lot, and the driver explaining the diversion when the passenger gets in avoids most arguments.
If the works are long and affect many trips, it's also worth publishing a notice for passengers on your social media or in your messages: which street is closed, for how long and why some trips will take or cost a little more. A passenger who heard about it first from your fleet gets much less annoyed than one who finds out in the back seat.
If your fleet charges fixed fares by zone, the works can work against the driver: the price doesn't change, but the trip takes much longer. In that case, it's worth considering whether the trips that cross the works need a small temporary adjustment for the duration, always clearly announced, with a start and end date, and withdrawn as soon as the street reopens.
When they closed the main bridge for four months, at first we had a lot of complaints about prices. We sent passengers a notice explaining the diversion and asked drivers to mention it when people got in. Complaints dropped almost to zero, and several passengers told us we were the only ones who warned them.
Affected pickup points
Roadworks can make a pickup point that used to work well inaccessible: the entrance to a market, a hospital door, a school corner. If the passenger keeps booking the taxi at the usual spot, the driver can't get there and the trip starts with calls and laps around the block. It's worth identifying those points and defining a nearby, accessible alternative.
Once defined, it has to be communicated to drivers and, where possible, to frequent passengers in that area. A simple line, such as "while the works last, we'll pick you up on the corner of the next street", avoids many lost minutes. When the works end, it's worth announcing that everything is back to normal too.
One-day closures
Parades, marches, races and patron saint festivities close streets for a few hours, but they tend to concentrate a lot of demand right around the closure. People arrive at the event and then need to get home, sometimes while the streets are still closed. Knowing the route and the timing in advance lets you position drivers at the edges of the closure, where passengers can walk to them.
For these days, a simple list at dispatch helps: which streets close and when, where drivers will be positioned and which pickup point is recommended to passengers. With that, a day that could be chaotic becomes one of good demand, well served.
When long-running roadworks end, it's worth looking back for a moment. Compare arrival times, cancellations and complaints during the works with the previous weeks. That way you'll know what worked, which notices helped and what to do differently next time, because in a growing city there will always be another project.
Knowing the city better than anyone
Roadworks and closures are part of life in any city, and there's no way to avoid them. What is in the fleet's hands is finding out early, warning its drivers, adjusting its pickup points and explaining to passengers what's happening. That preparation avoids arguments about price, reduces cancellations and protects drivers' income while the problem lasts.
If you want to start this week, ask your drivers to tell you about every roadworks project they see, check your city's official sources and prepare a template message for long closures. They're small steps that show your fleet knows the ground better than anyone. And with Cabgo you can launch your own branded taxi app, so your passengers know they can count on you even when the city is full of roadworks.
