Take Me has started rolling out unified Take me branding across its UK operations, starting with its Leicestershire operation, formerly called ADT. The fast-expanding group has also added another Cheshire operator to its portfolio, with Club Class Travel of Northwich joining the group. And experienced taxi executive Chris Jordan has also joined the management team…

Electric vehicle infrastructure provider Connected Kerb has secured an investment of up to £110 million to install 190,000 on-street charge points by 2030. The potentially game-changing move has been backed by Aviva Investors, the global asset management business of Aviva plc. The move will provide access to EV charging for millions of drivers without off-street…

Veezu is rebranding one of its main operating hubs, bringing the group’s corporate identity into the mainstream market for the first time. In a major step for the company, Bristol-based V Cars is changing its name to Veezu, and it is expected that the company’s other hubs in Leeds, the West Midlands and South Wales…

Tesla has reached a significant milestone in the development of its Supercharger network with the opening of its 1,000th charger in the UK and Ireland. The landmark device is one of 15 in the newly opened London Sidcup Supercharger location at Ruxley Manor (pictured). The site is close to the main A20 into East London…

EasyJet founder Stelios Haji-Ioannou is backing – and branding – a new national taxi booking app, currently under testing in the west Midlands. The easyTaxi app will be rolled out across the UK, with the intention of creating a national branded app to rival ride-hailing giants Uber and Bolt. The plan is not to hire…

All-electric executive chauffeuring app Vert is now operating in London after Transport for London granted it an operator’s licence. Initially, the company was operating with a fleet of 10 company-owned Tesla vehicles, but founder Dacian Keran (pictured) said 80 drivers had signed up to join the app, taking it close to its initial target of…

Uber has announced that a further tranche of operators has signed up to its Local Cab service. The new operators include a bigger presence in West Yorkshire, Greater Manchester, Nottingham and East Lancashire. Since Uber’s successful pilot of Local Cab last year, the service has launched in more than 50 locations across the UK. In…

Taxi and private hire operators in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole are asking for a second increase in fares to cover the huge rise in fuel costs sustained in 2022. The area’s taxi and private hire association is seeking a 6% increase in fares as diesel prices have increased by around 50% since January. Earlier this…

Telford & Wrekin council is this week set to rubber-stamp a proposal to allow older taxis to be licensed in order to maintain the fleet of vehicles in the borough. Ten year old private hire vehicles are currently allowed on the roads, and the proposal is to allow them to be used for a further…

Nottingham-based DG Cars has continued its ambitious expansion drive with its largest acquisition to date, with the takeover of ACE-ABC of Mansfield. ACE-ABC is the largest private hire operator in Mansfield, with a fleet of 220 cars. And a permanent staff of 35 people. We welcome around 35 staff and 220 cars to DG Group.…

EV charging network Osprey has partnered with the UK’s largest family-owned garden centre group, British Garden Centres, to provide rapid EV charging at its UK stores. Osprey’s ultra-rapid charging hubs can add 100 miles of range in 20-30 minutes, and initially 12 of British Garden Centres’ sites are in line to receive the chargers, with…

Two leading midlands private hire operators have merged to create a regional giant with a combined fleet of 370 cars. Chads Cars of Derby and Star Cars of Birmingham have joined forces – with the merger taking place 31 years to the day after Chads Cars started operations. The two companies, which are both family-run…

Specialist dealer The Taxi Centre is entering the black cab and hackney market after agreeing a new partnership with London Electric Vehicle Company (LEVC). The dealer, part of the massive Vertu Motors dealer group, has been appointed sales and aftersales partner for LEVC in Scotland and north-east England. In a statement, The Taxi Centre said…

Edinburgh Airport has invited taxi and private hire operators to tender for its taxi rank contract, which is up for renewal next April. The decision means current licence holders City Cabs and Edinburgh City Private Hire will face competition in order to keep their contracts. The airport is offering a five-year-agreement in return for a…

Transport for London has granted ride-hailing app Free Now a three-year private hire vehicle operator’s licence. This is the longest licence awarded to any of the big four ride-hailing app operators in London. In a statement, Free Now said it was committed to investing and growing further in London and the wider UK market in…

Leeds taxi drivers have staged further protests outside the city’s Civic Hall after the local authority approved controversial changes to driver regulations. At a meeting on Tuesday, Leeds City Council’s licensing committee agreed to recommend the rule change, under which drivers with 9 points or more on their driving licence will face potential bans, down…

Veezu has made further acquisitions in Yorkshire and the West Midlands as it continues to expand its major regional hubs. The company’s West Midlands arm, Go Carz, has acquired Shrewsbury Cars and its sister company Oswestry Cars, making it the biggest operator in the Shrewsbury area. The cars are now all operating under the Go…

Uber is adding train and coach travel options, including international train trips, to its app under a new tie-up in the UK. The move will allow customers to book longer distance journeys on the same app they use for taxis, and sees Uber move closer to becoming a travel booking platform. The scheme is part…