Posts by Mark Bursa

Tighter new rules for taxis in North Somerset have been scaled back after drivers warned they could force drivers out of business. A plan to ban any car from being used as a taxi once it was ten years old has now been dropped by North Somerset Council’s licensing committee. But plans to lower the…

Operators in Darlington are struggling to fulfil jobs in the town due to a shortage of drivers. The number of taxi drivers in Darlington has not recovered since the Covid-19 pandemic, and there are around 100 fewer drivers in the town than there were in February 2020. New data shows there are just 394 licensed…

German car rental giant Sixt has announced a major investment in chauffeur app Blacklane, which will extend Blacklane’s global reach. Blacklane and Sixt will work jointly on expanding their footprint in international markets, initially with a special focus on North America, the most important growth market for both companies. Blacklane’s chauffeur services will be available…

Veezu, the UK’s largest private hire operator, is the latest company to be targeted with legal action over the employment status of its drivers. A case is being brought by law firm Leigh Day on behalf of some Veezu drivers, in a bid to gain “worker” status for the drivers. Veezu employs 12,500 “driver partners,…

Private hire drivers in Glasgow have won their battle with the City Council to keep their cars on the road for longer. They will now be able to use a car for up to 10 years rather than seven, providing it meets health and safety rules. The move has been welcomed by drivers, as will…

Ride-hailing operator Bolt has launched a dedicated Pet category in London, with a supplementary charge for passengers wishing to bring animals with them on their journeys. Deborah Meijer, Head of Operations for Bolt in London said: “The category implements a level of transparency which will be appreciated by both sides and make for a more…

Charge point operator Be.EV has announced it will install 60 rapid charging points across Greater Manchester exclusively dedicated to EV private hire and hackney vehicles licensed by one of the ten Greater Manchester Authorities. The initiative has been made funded through a £5.9 million grant from the Government, and a number of sites are already…

Three Glasgow taxi operators have had their licenses revoked because their cars violated controversial low emissions zone regulations in the city, which came into force on June 1, 2023. The companies’ vehicles did not meet the standards, the Council said. At a City Council committee meeting, they were told their licenses would not be returned…

Plans to rebrand Newcastle’s taxis into the black-and-white colours of Newcastle United Football Club have been approved by the city council, despite opposition from local drivers Newcastle’s fleet of almost 600 licensed hackney carriages will be required to be all black with distinctive white bonnets. The vehicles will also need to display red City Council…

Apple Taxis, Exeter’s largest private hire company, has said it could stop serving a large area of Exeter where controversial road closures have recently been introduced. Since the scheme was introduced in Heavitree and Whipton on August 3, Apple Taxis general manager Graham Hockey said fares have significantly increased due to longer routes now having…

Manchester City Council has removed its requirement for all private hire vehicles to display an operator’s name or company livery, following a GMB Union campaign. The council’s Licensing Committee agreed to remove operators’ names and bonnet stickers, which will allow drivers to work for multiple operators rather than just one, bringing Manchester into line with…

A private hire customer’s contract is with the operator, not the driver, a court has ruled in the long-running Sefton Council dispute between Uber, the ACDU union and a number of local operators. The ruling supports an earlier decision relating to London, and could have far-reaching implications for the private hire industry. In particular, it…

Addison Lee has acquired London rival Green Tomato Cars, together with its associated brands Brunel and Travelhire, for an undisclosed sum. The deal takes the combined Addison Lee taxi, private hire and courier fleet to more than 7,500 vehicles. This deal follows Addison Lee’s strong financial results for 2022 in the wake of the acquisition…

The winners of the 2023 Parliamentary Taxi & Private Hire Awards were announced this week, with prizes going to drivers judged to have made outstanding efforts in charity work, community support and sustainability. The Awards were launched in 2019 by Daniel Zeichner MP, then chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Taxis, to celebrate those…

A family-run West Midlands taxi firm has moved into larger premises to cope with growth. Local Radio Cars, which was acquired by Andy Williams in March 2022, has since then doubled its driver numbers to around 100, and has moved to a new office in a shopping centre in the Birmingham suburb of Chelmsley Wood.…