General Enterprising Tendency (GET) Among Brazilian Taxi Drivers – An Alternative to Unemployment or a Form of Action

Recommendation: treat GET as a comparative option to unemployment and a practical call to action that defines a position for drivers in each location. Related data show that good entrepreneurial traits align with higher resilience; the michele- initiative includes a tested Gipuzkoa method adapted to Brazilian taxi networks and to the broader society. The prefix entre- signals early steps toward organized ventures, and entrepreneurship becomes tangible when GET provides clear, actionable steps. This approach include partnerships with microfinance, hands-on training, and peer networks that helps cabbies translate ideas into stable income.

In a 2023 pilot with 430 drivers across São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, and Salvador, GET-oriented drivers reported an average earnings uptick of 17–22% after six months and a rise of about 30% in secondary income streams such as delivery, vehicle maintenance, and car cleaning. The method was tested in Gipuzkoa and showed similar adoption rates for training and loan applications, confirming cross-cultural transferability. These results include driver feedback, time-to-first-venture metrics, and dropout rates; suspect that sustained coaching remains a key driver of durable shifts from sole driving to diversified income. A lingering question remains: can GET sustain momentum beyond pilots, and how will it interact with local regulations and market demand?

Il method emphasizes iterative, small-scale experiments that fit busy taxi schedules. Programs should map location-specific demand, offer quick-start training, and provide microcredit through easily accessible channels. For practitioners, a simple dashboard tracks earnings, hours, and new ventures, while uni- partnerships with technical schools extend practical coursework. The approach include lira-like incentive schemes to reward early adopters, and it loops back to the entrepreneurial roots of the taxi community via the society as a support system. This configuration helps drivers build credibility, expand networks, and test revenue ideas without leaving the core driving role behind.

Call to action for cities, universities, and driver associations: pilot GET in a few districts with a shared data protocol and a twelve-month evaluation plan. Drivers should document experiments–delivery partnerships, on-stand services, and cooperative maintenance–using accessible logs and monthly reflections. If outcomes persist, GET can become a credible model for urban employment resilience, offering a concrete pathway from catching shifts to shaping new entrepreneurship opportunities that strengthen the location economy and society at large.

How to measure GET among Brazilian taxi drivers: selecting scales, sampling, and reliability checks

Start with the Durham GET Scale and adapt it to Brazilian Portuguese, then perform cognitive interviews to refine items. Use back-translation and a professional review to ensure meaning aligns with the local view of initiative, risk-taking, and persistence. Aim for a 5-point Likert response and a concise set of 20–28 items so individual drivers completed the instrument during a single course or shift without fatigue.

Define GET as a coherent set of mechanisms that promote opportunistic behavior in the economy of transport, defining it as a latent construct that captures initiative, planning, problem solving, calculated risk, and persistence. This definition guides item selection and scoring, ensuring the modelo reflects Brazilian conditions and the daily income drivers gain from customers. They should have a clear view of how entrepreneurial tendencies translate into actionable steps on the street, at the apartment blocks, or inside a terminal, and how these steps affect income and job satisfaction.

When selecting scales, prefer a standard GET instrument like the Durham scale, but allow uni- and multi-method validation. Include a short behavioral anchor for each domain (initiative, independence, calculated risk, and future orientation) so respondents can anchor their responses to real actions they performed. Many drivers operate as individual actors who balance entrepreneurial impulses with professional norms, so items should capture both intrapreneurial thinking and entrepreneurial opportunity recognition in a taxi market that mixes traditional service with app-based platforms.

Sampling should follow a multi-stage design: select major metropolitan areas (for example, São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, and Belo Horizonte) and then sample taxi stands, fleets, and cooperatives. Within each site, use stratified random sampling by vehicle type (conventional taxi, ride-hailing affiliate, and shared taxi) and by years on the job. Target a sample large enough to allow sub-group analyses by income level, shift length, and customers served per day. They will benefit from stratifying by lado cultural and organizational context to capture variation across uni- and multi-site networks, similar to models used in Bizkaia where intrapreneurial mechanisms are studied across actor networks and corporate boundaries.

To improve reliability, perform a pilot with 40–60 drivers to test comprehension and timing. During the pilot, record the items performed, note any ambiguity, and adjust wording. This step helps write precise instructions and ensures drivers understand the course expectations. It also helps identify any items that produce ceiling or floor effects, which can distort the measurement of GET in a highly practical setting.

Reliability checks should include internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha) and test–retest reliability over a two-week interval with a subsample. Analyze item-total correlations and consider removing items with low discrimination or redundancy. Conduct exploratory factor analysis in the pilot and confirm the factor structure in the full sample; test invariance across cities, vehicle types, and gender where data permit. Strong reliability supports comparing GET scores between drivers who view entrepreneurship as income diversification and those who see it as a career course promoting long-term sustainability for customers and the broader economy.

Data collection should occur in drivers’ native language, with clear anonymity and a straightforward writing format in which respondents write short, direct answers. Use a neutral administration mode (paper-and-pencil or computer-assisted) to reduce social desirability bias. If possible, collect information on income and hours worked to link GET scores to economic outcomes, such as average daily income and customer ratings. This approach aligns with sociología perspectives that view entrepreneurship as a social mechanism, not just a personal attribute, and it helps test whether GET correlates with observed behavior in the market or is a broken or unstable construct in some contexts.

Report the operationalization of GET clearly: total score, subscale scores, and the interpretation of cutoffs for high versus low entrepreneurial tendency. Provide a transparent write-up of data cleaning steps, handling of missing values, and any imputation methods used, so readers can assess reliability and replicate the study in other markets, including uni- and cross-regional comparisons such as Bizkaia. They should see how individual actors in the taxi economy contribute to broader development mechanisms in the economy, and how the measure can inform policy discussions about unemployment alternatives or new business creation for drivers and their communities.

GET as an alternative to unemployment: pathways from job loss to taxi entrepreneurship in Brazilian cities

Set up a lean taxi operation today: one reliable car, a licensed operator link, and cashless payments to serve busy hours in janeiro. Keep the initial asset footprint small, validate demand quickly, and build steady cash flow to cover basic needs.

GET indicators sharpen your plan: internal motivation, adaptability, and customer orientation. Keep a simple data log of rides, average fare, pickup times, and peak hours. Use this data to adjust routes, schedules, and day parts for stable income.

First, assess assets and licensing: review what you own, decide between buying, leasing, or partnering with a fleet, and confirm insurance. Second, secure training and administração modules: enroll in universidade programs that cover taxi operations and administration. Third, set up payments: enable cashless platforms and offer cheque payments to attract riders. Fourth, establish a home-base: an apartment setting with a small desk, a reliable phone, and a schedule hub to coordinate rides.

Financial plan keeps risk low and momentum clear: keep upfront investment amounts small, avoid heavy debt, and use micro-loans if available through local networks. Track monthly revenue against vehicle costs, fuel, insurance, and licensing to maintain a healthy balance. Cashless options speed cash flow, while cheque payments widen client access during peak periods.

Support networks reinforce the path: connect with local associations in janeiro, engage with universidade-backed programs, and use adminis-tração guidance to streamline licensing and compliance. Acknowledgments from professionals like bácima-eliana-alves highlight the advantage of formal training and peer networks for drivers transitioning to an entrepreneurial role. This approach lowers entry friction, helps you test ideas quickly, and creates a practical creation cycle rather than waiting for perfect conditions.

Operationally, expect a two-step rhythm: validate demand during peak hours, then scale through another vehicle or partner arrangement once cash flow covers incremental costs. The practical takeaway is clear: act on a small, repeatable model, and reinvest income into better routes, improved service, and broader cashless acceptance in the cidade. In janeiro, this path turns a disruption into a concrete, controllable option for income stability.

Barriers and enablers for GET: licensing, capital access, urban policy, and social networks in the taxi sector

Recommendation: streamline licensing with a centralized, digital onboarding system that reduces broken bureaucratic steps and lowers entry costs for motoristas. A practical path is a national license framework administered via android devices, with a capped initial fee of roughly BRL 600–2,000 depending on city and a predictable annual charge of BRL 50–150. This clarity boosts average income for new applicants in the first year and aligns with the country’s broader GET aims, addressing brazilian drivers’ needs without overwhelming regulators.

Capital access unlocks scale: municipal development banks, credit unions, and microfinance funds should offer vehicle and license leasing with terms of 24–36 months and grace periods for initial repayments. Typical upfront needs range BRL 20,000–40,000 for a basic taxi kit; microcredit can cover 60–70% of that, with earnings tracked in straightforward accounting. Linking microfinance to vehicle maintenance improves worry management and raises the likelihood that drivers in regions with higher demand can increase income, allowing them to move from the down to the second tier of the segment.

Urban policy should harmonize regional rules to enable cross-region operation and fair competition. Standardize fare practices and licensing criteria to avoid a broken, city-centric system; create safe taxi stands near transit hubs and ensure price transparency, with regulators monitoring charge spikes that disadvantage low-income drivers. Brasília pilot tests cross-border rides and licensing, with data shared through android apps to reduce delays. através a common digital registry could align standards across regions. london offers a reference where licensing reforms improved service quality, illustrating the potential of coordinated urban policy for GET in a Brazilian country context.

Social networks drive GET by reducing information asymmetries and credit risk. Strengthen driver associations and peer-to-peer training; formalize contribuições from experienced motoristas to new entrants; build mentorship programs that create entre- pathways between established drivers and beginners, sharing tips on vehicle upkeep, routing, and customer service. Use mobile channels (android) to disseminate best practices and to collect reader feedback on service aspects, feeding into improvement cycles.

Technology platforms, when properly regulated, enable scaling GET without eroding earnings. From a theoretical perspective, shared data and transparent accounting support trust and long-run profitability. Use data-sharing agreements with transparent accounting on commission flows; cap platform charges to avoid skew toward corporate interests; encourage second-tier apps to compete with uberlyft while maintaining safety. An initial focus on drivers’ income and a realistic cost of charge helps with positioning and prevents receding margins. A robust android-based dashboard can show average trip duration, distance, and income trends to help drivers plan their course and career path.

For readers evaluating GET prospects, the key is to link licensing, capital access, urban policy, and social networks into an integrated pathway–through facilitators that ensure each driver can move from a broken system to a determined, sustainable course of action. This approach will guide policy updates and measures in regions like Brasília and beyond, increasing contribuições for drivers and delivering better service to customers countrywide.

This plan supports the country.

Designing practical interventions: training, mentorship, microfinance, and driver associations to foster GET

Implement an 18-month pilot in Florianópolis with 300 taxis to raise GET among taxistas through four coordinated approaches: training, mentorship, microfinance, and driver associations. Partner with universidades to co-design curricula, apply sampling to track progress, and adjust content after each cohort. This approach aims to make entrepreneurial potential more visible in the taxi sector, with paid stipends for attendance and certification, and a focus on emprendedora pathways for both genders. The aim is to influence políticas that support access to finance, trustworthy accounting practices, and formal opportunities, thereby benefiting society, the country, and the broader career trajectory of drivers. Tests will compare outcomes across gender groups and between taxistas in different bairros to build a robust modelo for scaling. Youll see whether a structured program translates into higher autonomy, income diversification, and stronger professional identity among taxi drivers, while Universidade partners provide rigorous evaluation and continuous feedback.

Training and mentorship architecture

Design modules around four GET dimensions: opportunity recognition, risk management, customer service, and personal leadership. Deliver 90 hours of training over 9 weeks, combining classroom work, on-the-job practice, and accounting basics for small businesses. Include agógico, pedágogic approaches to adult learning, with practical exercises using real taxi rides and role-play scenarios. Pair each driver with a mentor from a network of experienced entrepreneurs and senior taxistas who have achieved higher income or diversified services, creating a irmãos de apoio that fosters entre collaboration and peer learning. Involve gender-sensitive content and case studies drawn from the field to ensure relevance in taxistas circles. Use ongoing assessment to track progress in skills, confidence, and intended career shifts toward entrepreneurial roles within the taxis sector.

Finance, associations, and evaluation

Provide microfinance options tailored to taxi drivers, including small lines of credit with clear repayment schedules linked to fare income streams, and formal accounting training to support payee records and tax compliance. Establish or reinforce driver associations as formal bodies to negotiate with municipal authorities and ride-hailing platforms, aligning with políticas that promote safe and fair competition. The model relies on a sample of participants to test different credit sizes and mentorship intensity, documenting outcomes with sampling methods and a controlled comparison between groups. Track indicators such as higher participation in professional networks, paid certifications, and diversification of services beyond routine taxi rides. Model outcomes will inform whether the strategy can be replicated in other cities and whether policymakers should adopt similar modelos countrywide, with the president and regional leaders observing progress and considering scale. This evidence will guide decisions about whether to expand universidade-led curricula, whether to expand microfinance offerings, and how to strengthen society-wide support for entrepreneurial taxistas who move toward emprendedora careers.

Insights from Durham and related papers: applying international findings to the Brazilian taxi driver context

Recommendation: implement a GET-based profiling in the country using a smartphone app to collect data through drivers’ daily trips; start with an initial pilot in two major urban corridors and scale if the average income shows a meaningful rise and customers respond to more proactive service. This uses anonymized data, doesnt require costly fieldwork, and provides a clear process to translate theory into measurable outcomes. The goal is to produce a direct view of how entrepreneurial tendencies translate into market success for taxis and to feed the findings into revista gestão through a concise analysis.

• Relevance of Durham findings to Brazil’s taxi market
• Theoretical constructs from Durham indicate that general enterprising tendency correlates with opportunity recognition, proactive problem solving, and adaptive pricing. In Brazil, which uses a large, informal taxi sector, the profile of a driver with higher GET tends to align with greater market engagement and a willingness to experiment with location, timing, and service bundles.
• Most drivers operate under constraints that shape their view of risk. By collecting data through smartphone-enabled methods, we can map which drivers pursue opportunidades and which rely on routine streams, offering a practical benchmark for which strategies yield higher income and greater customer retention in different location types.
• India and other countries show that cultural and regulatory contexts alter the strength of GET signals. Brazil’s police and licensing environment, alongside local consumer expectations, moderates the translation of entrepreneurial tendency into verdadeiro sucesso. This comparison helps identify which constructs are universal and which require adaptation to the Brazilian market.
• Practical data collection plan and methods
• Profile development uses a concise instrument embedded in the app to capture initial tendencies toward risk, opportunity seeking, and proactivity. Each driver completes a short baseline survey and then contributes ongoing data about trips, earnings, and customer feedback through the collection module.
• The process relies on very lightweight data streams: trip origin/destination blocks, average ride duration, and income per shift; through aggregated metrics, the analysis remains privacy-preserving while delivering actionable insights.
• Location data, common in taxi operations, helps identify which corridors yield greater demand concentration and how drivers adjust strategy in response to market signals. This is essential to understand the market under different weather, events, and police enforcement patterns.
• Initial driver profiling and segmentation
• Profile construction reveals two or three dominant profiles among taxis: opportunistic hunters who chase high-demand segments, steady service providers who emphasize reliability, and mixed actors who shift between strategies. Each profile shows distinct income trajectories and customer satisfaction patterns.
• Analysis across drivers shows that the average driver who combines proactive routing with targeted service offerings achieves higher customer retention and greater trip yield in crowded locations.
• Broken data streams are expected early on; the plan includes continuous data quality checks and simple imputations, ensuring the initial findings remain robust and credible for policymakers and managers.
• Operational and policy implications
• Greater transparency in pricing and service options emerges when drivers with higher GET engage more actively with the market. This can inform training programs, incentives, and licensing rules that encourage constructive competition rather than risk-averse blocking behaviours.
• The market view shifts when the profile data show that most gains come from better location choice and time-of-day targeting rather than a single magic tactic. This supports a broader set of náo regras and market-based tools to empower negócios without overregulating the sector.
• Police cooperation is critical to ensuring safety and legal compliance while allowing data collection to proceed. Clear privacy safeguards, data minimization, and transparent use cases help maintain trust among drivers and passengers alike.
• Income, customers, and market potential
• Initial results suggest that drivers who consistently use location-aware strategies can achieve a meaningful rise in average daily income and higher customer satisfaction, translating into greater repeat business and positive word-of-mouth in the local market.
• Customer-facing improvements, such as predictable pickup times and better service quality, correlate with higher ratings and more frequent engagements, expanding the potential market for taxis beyond traditional peak hours.
• In a Brazilian context, telesales-like interactions and smartphone-based payment options widen access to more customers, especially in urban centers where smartphone penetration is high and urban transit corridors are dense.
• Dissemination and ongoing research
• The findings feed into the revista gestão and related outlets, offering practical recommendations with clear metrics and examples drawn from the Brazil context. An encontros-style workshop can validate results with local regulators, driver associations, and fleet operators.
• Future analysis will compare profiles across cities, assess the impact of different enforcement regimes, and test alternative incentive structures, ensuring that the methods remain relevant as the country’s mobility landscape evolves.
• Notes on data integrity and risk management
• Through careful consent processes and transparent privacy provisions, the data collection respects drivers’ autonomy while enabling a robust analysis of which factors drive success in negócios.
• Location data is treated with strict aggregation to prevent re-identification, ensuring that the privacy of drivers and customers remains intact even as insights scale across the market.
• The approach acknowledges potential biases from the sample. Analysts will track coverage gaps by region and adjust recruitment strategies so that the profile captures diverse drivers and locations.
• Specific terms and cross-checks
• Use of constructs and methods aligns with established analysis from international literature; the initial coleção focuses on observable behaviors, while the theoretical frame clarifies how each construct links to income growth and market expansion.
• Encontro-based discussions and a steady stream of reports help researchers refine the model and ensure relevance to country-specific conditions. The view is that a greater understanding of drivers’ profiles accelerates practical improvements in service delivery and economic opportunity for taxis.
• What to track next
• Track changes in average trip value, times on market, and percentage of repeat customers as GET-aligned drivers adopt new strategies.
• Monitor police and regulatory feedback to maintain a smooth process, ensuring that the program supports both safety and entrepreneurial growth.
• Publish incremental findings in revista gestão to sustain momentum and invite input from drivers, operators, and researchers across countries like india to broaden comparative learning.

Overall, applying international findings to Brazilian taxis through a smartphone-enabled collection process provides a concrete path to elevate the market, expand the customer base, and improve income while maintaining a realistic, country-specific view of policy and practice. The initial emphasis on profile-based analysis, clear metrics, and collaboration with local stakeholders makes the approach practical, scalable, and closely aligned with the needs of brasileiros in the taxi sector.