INTERVIEW

Basti!? Tell us how you came up with the idea of founding the taxi company!
I was not very happy in my former job and always wanted to be self-employed. I had already had a taste of a taxi company and realised that “you can do that too”. No sooner said than done.
Independence was and is a big hobbyhorse for me. Even if the working hours are controlled by the customer, you still have your freedom.

What was the biggest challenge in setting up your business?
To finish on time. Within half a year, the office had to be built and the vehicles had to be delivered in time to really be ready on the deadline.

What do you like best about your work?
Actually, I like everything. Especially that I have to deal with people. You don’t just do it to get rich. It’s important to me to help people, to support them. Particularly in the case of the patient transports, you get a lot of gratitude back from the patients. That’s something nice.

What, on the other hand, is difficult?
Managing staff *laughs*
Sometimes it’s difficult to find a common denominator. Everyone is unique.

You also offer a limousine service in addition to taxi rides, is limo driving purely a matter for the boss?
Mainly, yes, but of course my colleagues can step in. My employees have the compulsory P licence (passenger transport licence). I also go on holiday sometimes.
Of course, the limousines set us apart from other providers because we can offer not only classic taxi rides, but also limousine rides. These are booked for weddings, company parties, birthdays, stag parties, everything like that. We are the only provider within a radius of about 80-90 kilometres and the business is well received.

What has been the Corona impact?
That’s a difficult issue. The fact is that many trips did not take place.
It didn’t only affect taxi rides, but also many patient transports were cancelled due to postponed surgeries. Due to the lack of demand, we cut back the night shift considerably.

Who is your typical clientele?
It’s very wide-ranging, from 0 to over 80.
The trips are also never monotonous; private trips, parties, company outings and of course patient transports – variety is guaranteed.

Despite everything, you don’t seem to be working to full capacity, because you are now also the head the occupational therapy “Rosenstadt”. How did that come about?
Sebastian Dahlke laughs.
It was actually a crazy idea. A patient in occupational therapy approached me to say that her treatment was at risk because the owner of the practice had died. Then I said to myself “All right!” So I created a second leg for myself and took over the management of an occupational therapy.

What turned out to be the biggest challenge?
There really wasn’t one. When you have a business that runs through a billing centre, you already have experience. So the process goes quite quickly and without resistance. All the requirements were already fulfilled, because the occupational therapy already existed. I “only” took over the premises and had to buy the equipment.

What tasks does this managerial job entail?
You have to maintain contact with your staff more intensively. In addition to the office hours, we also offer home visits to the Wichernschule, among other places. One of our staff members spends almost 80% of her time away from the practice. So I see her relatively seldom. I also have to check on things in the practice, ask if anything is needed, fetch mail and so on.

And what do you particularly like about this work?
That you don’t have so much work, at least not as a manager.
Occupational therapy means getting healthy by acting and working. Abilities that have been lost through operations or injuries etc. are to be regained through targeted therapy. It is also possible to help children with learning disabilities.
That’s what I like most about both companies – that you can help.

Do the two companies also interlock?
Yes, we have patients who depend on wheelchairs. Since the practice in the old medical centre is not accessible by lift, we transport them by car.

What are your plans for the future?
This year (2022) we are planning to move the occupational therapy and the new podiatry practice into the building of the Sparkasse.

You have always remained loyal to Forst. Why?
I was born here and always wanted to do something here. There was also the possibility of going somewhere else, but no: Forst is my town: my roots and my family are here.

Are you allowed to train? Is there a chance of holiday work?
Unfortunately not. But you are welcome to do a work placement.

Are there any vacancies?
We are currently well positioned in the taxi and rental car business. Unsolicited applications are always welcome.

It is quite different in occupational therapy. We have more requests than we can handle and have to refer patients to Cottbus and Döbern because we simply don’t have any more capacity. There is an immense shortage of skilled workers, and despite several job advertisements, it is difficult to find trained staff.