Social media marketing for a taxi firm: what is worth doing

Taxi social media marketing doesn't need a content plan or a marketing agency. It needs a Facebook Page that answers the basic questions, a presence in the local groups where people ask for recommendations, and a few useful posts a month. This guide covers which platforms are worth your time, what to post, what to skip, and the rules that apply.

Is social media worth it for a taxi firm?

Social media is worth a little time each week, not a lot of money. Think of it as a local noticeboard and a word-of-mouth channel. When someone needs a car now, they ring, message or search, so every post should point them to your number, your WhatsApp or your website.

Nearly nine in ten internet users are there. Ofcom's Adults' Media Use and Attitudes report, published on 2 April 2026, found 89% of internet users use at least one social media platform, rising to 97% of those aged 16 to 34 and 68% of those aged 75 and over.

Fewer of them are posting, though. Ofcom found the share of adults who post or comment on social media fell from 61% to 49% in a year. More people are reading than writing, so a useful post from your firm can still be seen, even if few people comment on it.

Which platforms should a taxi firm use?

Facebook and WhatsApp first, because Ofcom's figures show they reach every age group. The others are optional, and only worth it if someone in the firm enjoys doing them.

Facebook stands out for one reason: Ofcom says it's the only social media platform in its survey that's more popular with users aged 75 and over than with those aged 16 to 24. So a Facebook Page with your number on it is where older passengers, and the relatives who book for them, can find you.

WhatsApp matters for a different reason. It's where people message, and Ofcom picked it out for its broad appeal across ages. The free WhatsApp Business app gives you a business profile, greeting and away messages, quick replies and labels. Our guide to taking taxi bookings on WhatsApp covers setting it up so the bookings get recorded.

How should a taxi firm use local Facebook groups?

Be helpful, follow each group's rules and don't spam. Local Facebook groups are one of the places people ask "can anyone recommend a taxi for an early airport run?", and an answer from a firm that turns up is the best advert there is.

Here's how to do it well:

1. Read the rules first. A group can limit business posts to set days or ban them, and it's the admin's call. Ask before you post if you're not sure.
2. Answer the question asked. If someone wants a 4am pickup to the airport, reply once with your number, your fixed price for that run and how to book. Don't post the same advert under every question.
3. Post as your Page where the group allows it, so people can see your reviews and your number in one tap.
4. Never get staff, drivers or family to post as happy customers. The Competition and Markets Authority's guidance on fake reviews says hiding that a reviewer has a financial interest, such as being an employee, can be misleading.
5. Take complaints to a private message. Reply once in public, politely, then sort it out away from the thread.

When a passenger praises you in a group, you can thank them. Be aware that the Advertising Standards Authority says liking, sharing or commenting on a customer's post can bring it inside the advertising code as your own marketing, so it has to be genuine and not misleading.

What should a taxi firm post?

Post things that are useful to local people, or that help them book. A good rule: if a passenger would screenshot it or share it with a friend, it's worth posting.

Ideas that work for taxi firm social media:

• Fixed prices to your airports, stations and the nearest cities, with how to book
• Event nights: "Concert at the arena on Saturday? Book your ride home now and skip the queue"
• Seasonal bookings: Christmas parties and New Year's Eve, opened early
• Road closures and roadworks that will change pickup points
• Your drivers, introduced by first name with their agreement, and your newest cars
• Accessible cars, if you have them, with how to book one
• Common questions answered: child seats, pets, card payments, luggage, waiting time
• Lost property found, described without any passenger's details

Keep passengers' names, faces, addresses and journeys out of posts unless they've clearly agreed. The same goes for drivers' photos.

What isn't worth doing on social media?

Most of what takes the time. Skip these:

• Posting every day for the sake of it. A few useful posts a month beat thirty filler ones.
• Like-and-share competitions. They bring in followers from outside your area who will never book a car.
• Buying followers or likes. They don't book cars either, and they make a Page look odd.
• Arguing with critics in public. One polite public reply, then a private message.
• Being on every platform. One Page you keep up to date beats five that went quiet in 2024.
• Paying to boost posts without tracking them. If you can't tell whether a boost brought bookings, you can't tell whether to do it again.

There's a wider list of low-cost ideas in taxi company marketing ideas.

How should you handle bookings and complaints that arrive on social media?

Treat a booking that arrives by message exactly like a phone booking. Section 56 of the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976 says a private hire operator must record the particulars of every booking before the journey starts, in the form the council sets. The Department for Transport's statutory standards say councils should require the passenger's name, the time of the request, the pickup and destination, the driver and vehicle, and who took the booking, and suggest keeping those records for at least six months.

Booking messages spread across Facebook, Instagram and a driver's own phone are easy to lose and hard to record. So answer the message, then move the booking somewhere you record properly. Dispatch AI is booking and dispatch software for taxi and private hire firms. It answers your phone, WhatsApp, texts and emails, books the jobs at your prices and sends them to your drivers on your own app, so point social media enquiries to one of those.

For complaints, reply once in public to show you've seen it, then deal with it privately. Customer service for taxi firms covers what to say, and getting more Google reviews covers the reviews that count most.

How do you know if social media brings in bookings?

Track it like any other source. Ask new callers how they heard of you, and put a separate tagged link to your website in your Page and posts so website bookings from Facebook carry their source with them.

Give it two or three months, then compare the bookings it brought with the time it took. For private hire social media, a couple of bookings a week from a Page that takes an hour a week might be worth it. Nothing at all after three months means change what you post, or stop. Where your taxi bookings come from explains source tracking, and how to get more taxi bookings puts social media in order against the other options.