In 2001, Ray Squire decided to try his hand at self-employment. Being a freelance Draughtsman and Precision Engineer in his main profession, he started driving taxis at weekends to supplement his income and gained a first impression of the private hire industry. Surprised at how outdated and poorly managed many local companies were, he soon recognised a modern, lean company could offer improved communication, lower costs and superior quality.
In 2005, Ray began trading as DrivenByQ with an executive car and a single account customer on Wrexham Industrial Estate. He created a database to manage bookings and to generate invoices. This developed further and later accepted jobs off the DrivenByQ web site before it eventually uploaded them back to the site for customer viewing - just like a diary. Using email and Internet Ray's phone took jobs while driving and he responded soon after. An office or receptionist was not necessary with the new system and 70% of overheads could be saved!
As the number of customers increased, DrivenByQ needed more drivers and Ray’s time in the private hire industry led him to exactly the right people. Driver’s who were not just smart, reliable and punctual but also friendly, experienced and courteous: the corner stone of any good chauffeur business. DrivenByQ later merged with "Get the Habit" and shareholders were introduced too. The new company became Driven by Q Ltd and started trading on 1 December 2007 with a goal of expanding nationally.
DrivenByQ.. knew that to grow further it required a fully Internet based booking system. This was a radical move away from a computer based booking system. After extensive research, DrivenByQ finally concluded it needed to develop its own software (with some assistance from the Welsh Assembly Government). In April 2009 a new booking system was implemented. Running 24-hours a day from a secure data centre. It gave the team access to journey information on smart phones and enabled total control from anywhere. Not only could information be read but now it could be manipulated too - in real-time, just like the customer was able to.
Of course, the story does not end here! As with any modern company, DrivenByQ totally understands the need to innovate and keep moving forward. This is why we are currently developing a new support system for customers that goes way beyond what anyone has offered before!