The brief
Taxi and private hire operators in Scotland manage significant administrative complexity — driver wage calculations, fare structures, staff rotas, fleet maintenance scheduling, and licensing compliance. Most operators were managing this across spreadsheets, paper records, and disconnected tools. The brief was to build a single integrated web-based platform that handled all of it, and that could be distributed free to other operators across Fife and Scotland.
The approach
We built the entire platform in plain PHP 8 with no framework dependencies — a deliberate decision that means the software runs on any standard cPanel shared hosting without specialist server configuration. The architecture follows a clean MVC pattern with five independent modules, a web-based installer, and a distributable release package that operators can upload and configure themselves without technical knowledge.
Wages module
Handles driver wage calculations including shift-based pay, commission structures, deductions, and weekly summaries. Produces per-driver wage breakdowns for payroll processing. Supports multiple pay structures across different driver types and employment arrangements.
Fare calculator module
A configurable fare calculation tool covering standard metered fares, fixed-price routes, airport transfer pricing, and cross-boundary journey handling across different Scottish local authority tariff zones. Operators can update fare tables when council tariffs change without requiring developer involvement.
Staff rota module
Weekly and monthly rota management covering driver availability, shift allocation, and cover scheduling. Displays current and upcoming rotas in a clear calendar view, with support for driver leave, last-minute changes, and recurring shift patterns.
Fleet maintenance module
Tracks each vehicle with service history, upcoming maintenance due dates, MOT and insurance renewal reminders, and mileage records. Sends alerts before renewal deadlines and produces a compliance-ready record of all maintenance carried out on each vehicle.
Compliance and renewals module
Manages licensing compliance requirements specific to private hire operators — driver licence renewals, DBS check expiry, vehicle licence dates, and council compliance deadlines. Provides a dashboard overview of upcoming renewals so operators stay ahead of requirements.
Deployment and distribution
The platform includes a browser-based web installer for database configuration and initial setup — accessible to operators without technical knowledge. The distributable release package is designed to be uploaded via cPanel and installed without SSH, Composer, or command-line access. It is currently hosted at fifetaxi.app and available free of charge to Fife taxi and private hire operators.