York Cars has had his licence revoked by York city council after a four-hour council meeting found owner Mohammed Iqbal unfit to hold a private hire operator’s licence. And at a four-hour licensing & regulatory committee meeting last night, members unanimously voted to revoke his licence. Council records show that there are 154 drivers and…

New London ride-hailing app Wystle is offering drivers the chance to unlock access to the app’s bespoke Wystle Rewards programme, before it launches in the capital in December. The move is a direct response to the latest Covid-19 lockdown and aims to help support drivers during the coronavirus crisis.  Wystle Rewards offers discounts at more…

An Extraordinary General Meeting of the LPHCA has resulted in members voting to will terminate commercial relations with Autocab, following the takeover of the dispatch systems supplier by ride-hailing giant Uber. The termination will happen “upon the conclusion of existing contractual agreements” before the renewal of Autocab’s “Platinum partnership” arrangement with the LPHCA. Autocab became…

Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon (pictured) has announced the creation of a new £30 million fund available to Local Authorities in Scotland to help to taxi drivers and other businesses hit hard by the Coronavirus crisis. The move follows the example of Northern Ireland, where taxi drivers can get a £1500 grant as part of…

Addison Lee has become the latest large private hire fleet to launch a delivery service to help consumers during lockdown. AL Request is a new click-and-collect feature that has been added to Addison Lee’s existing courier service, which will help businesses and consumers navigate the second lockdown and future Covid-19 restrictions. Immediately after the first…

Addison Lee has introduced TfL-approved safety screens across its entire Ford Galaxy and VW Sharan fleet. The screens have undergone comprehensive testing to meet all TfL private hire regulations and are being installed by qualified technicians. The introduction of screens across the entire MPV fleet is the most recent measure taken by Addison Lee as…

London’s black cab numbers have shrunk dramatically since the start of the Coronavirus pandemic, with 3,500 taxis – 156 vehicles a week – being lost from the fleet since June 2020. By contrast, just 699 taxis were delicensed over the 12-month period from June 2019 to June 2020, according to data released by the Licensed…

Partition screen maker Driver Bubble is now offering a screen that has been approved by Transport for London for use in private hire vehicles operating in the capital. The new screen is manufactured by FixiCover, and fits a range of Toyota cars. It costs £98.90 plus VAT. Driver Bubble is operating as official reseller of…

As one legal battle draws to an end for Uber, another is about to begin, after a group of Uber drivers filed a legal case in Amsterdam, claiming that the platform’s algorithm unfairly dismissed them without appeal. According to Dutch news reports, four Uber drivers, three British and one Portuguese, have filed the case at…

Around 4,000 taxi and private hire taxi drivers in Liverpool will be able to claim support grants of £210 to help them cope with the loss of revenue in the Coronavirus crisis. Bar and restaurant restrictions, and a fall in tourism and business travel has had a devastating impact on the taxi trade. Liverpool’s 3,886…

Northern Ireland infrastructure minister Nichola Mallon (pictured) has requested new powers to set up a hardship scheme for taxi drivers whose trade has collapsed during the Coronavirus pandemic. Mallon wrote to First Minister Arlene Foster and Deputy First Minister Michelle O’Neill asking for the power to establish the scheme for the taxi sector. Under the…

Veezu’s Leeds operation, Amber Cars, has increased its fleet by a further 50 cars in the city with the acquisition of Beeston-based Gee Gee Cars. The move reinforces Amber’s position as the largest private hire operator in Leeds, taking its overall fleet to 1,250 driver partners and boosting bookings by 5,000 a week in the…

Guildford Borough Council has launched a public online survey to gauge reactions to proposed changes to taxi and private licensing in the area. The survey will run to Monday, January 11, 2021.  Among proposed changes are mandatory fitment of CCTV systems in all vehicles; a requirement for all drivers to sign up to the Disclosure…

The London Congestion Charge zone could be extended out as far as the North and South Circular roads as part of a deal for the UK Government to bail out financially crippled transport administrator Transport for London. The proposal, which London Mayor Sadiq Khan said he would resist, has been described by LPHCA chairman Steve…

Teesside’s largest taxi operator Boro Taxis has stepped in to take over local rival Falcon Cars, which has been forced to fold in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. Falcon Taxis said the ongoing crisis had hit the business hard and it was unable to continue trading. In a statement on its Facebook page, the…

Transport for London is facing another lengthy court battle over a ride-hailing service’s operator’s licence after it emerged over the weekend that Ola, a key rival to Uber, has also been deemed not “fit and proper” to hold a licence. TfL has refused the Indian-owned Ola a licence after discovering data anomalies within the Ola…

Global chauffeur service Blacklane has launched a flat-rate 24/7 inter-city chauffeur service between London and six major UK cities in a bid to offer business travellers and long-distance commuters a safe and affordable way to avoid train journeys. The service operates between London and Birmingham, Bristol, Cambridge, Liverpool, Manchester and Southampton, and more cities will…