Leading insurers are threatening Uber with a referral to the Competition & Markets Authority after the ride-hailing operator introduced a new insurance system that excludes a number of the biggest companies. Uber has introduced a system called Instadoc, which it says is designed to streamline and simplify the documentation approval process for drivers. The Instadoc…

Addison Lee will keep partition screens between drivers and passengers in its vehicles until at least summer 2022. The announcement comes as the Government announces the removal of most restrictions imposed during the Covid-19 pandemic, despite a sharp rise in infections in recent weeks. The installation of partition screens into Addison Lee’s fleet of 4,000…

French-backed chauffeur operator Chabé, which launched in London last year, has grown its operations in the capital with the takeover of Global Chauffeur, the chauffeur division of Global Interconnextions. The move is a good strategic fit, according to Chabé UK managing director David Bruce (pictured), as both companies are aimed at serving the London luxury…

Heathrow Airport is planning to introduce a new £5 drop-off charge for all vehicles – including taxis and private hire vehicles – from this October. The move – another blow to the beleaguered travel sector – will apply to any vehicles entering any of the terminals. The airport says the charge is designed to “improve…

Gridserve has unveiled plans to establish a national network of high-speed electric vehicle charging stations under the Gridserve Electric Highway brand. The move follows the acquisition of Ecotricity’s EV network in May. Under the new plan, Gridserve, which opened Britain’s first electric charging forecourt in Essex last year, will open 100 more Electric Forecourts, a…

Bedford has become the third town in which Uber has launched its new Local Cab product, which enables passengers in the town to book a trip with a local taxi company via the Uber app. Uber has already launched the service in Plymouth with Need-A-Cab, and in Oxford with 001 Taxis. In Bedford, the Local…

Ambitious taxi group Take Me has added another company to its growing portfolio, with the addition of Plymouth-based Tower Cabs. The £1.8 million deal has been funded by Take Me managing director David Hunter and fellow director John Gardner. It is not part of the ongoing funding agreement with MBH Corporation, which has bankrolled much…

Cab comparison app Minicabit has entered into a strategic partnership with travel management company Roomex aimed at offering safe and affordable transport services to customers of both platforms. Roomex helps customers book, manage, pay, and analyse all their accommodation and expenses in one place – bringing control and visibility into all travel spend. Roomex already…

The Mercedes-Maybach S-Class is now on sale, with prices starting from £162,390 for the Maybach S 580 4Matic, and £177,025 for the S 580 4Matic First Class. The top-line, V12-engined Maybach S 680 4Matic First Class costs £204,375. The cars are available to order now, with first UK vehicles arriving in early Autumn. The Mercedes-Maybach…

Taxi and private hire firms are starting to see a recovery in work – but their attempts to rebuild after Covid-19 are being hampered by a nationwide shortage of drivers. The shortfall is up to 40% and is consistent across the UK, which presents serious challenges to businesses looking to get back to pre-pandemic levels…

Taxi and private hire drivers in Manchester will be able to access grants of up to £10,000 per car to upgrade to cleaner vehicles as part of Greater Manchester’s Clean Air plan, published this week. Greater Manchester has secured £120 million in government funding to help businesses comply with the new emissions rules – and…

After winning its legal case against Uber on workers’ rights, the App Drivers & Couriers Union (ACDU) is turning its attention to rival Bolt, calling for a drivers’ strike and user boycott of the app unless Bolt offers similar rights to its drivers as Uber now does. ACDU said that it believed Bolt drivers worked…

BMW drivers will now be able to use their in-car infotainment system to pay for parking after the car maker announced a partnership with online parking app RingGo. The move means RingGo is now available in more than 150,000 BMW cars in the UK. The app is accessed via the car’s on-board iDrive infotainment system,…

Used car prices are rising dramatically and will continue to do so into the third quarter of 2021, the Vehicle Remarketing Association (VRA) is predicting. The strong used car market is confirmed by used car marketplace Auto Trader, which claims most retailers saw their strongest ever sales month in May, trading around 14% above May…

The expanded Volvo XC40 Recharge pure electric range is now available for UK customers to order online. Three new versions of the compact SUV have been introduced, with updated equipment specifications: Twin, Twin Plus and Twin Pro. On-the-road prices start from £49,950 for Twin, rising to £52,950 for Plus and £56,700 for Pro. The cars…

The Court of Appeal has upheld Transport for London’s appeal against a January ruling which stopped it from turning some London streets into no-car areas. Now the court has given Mayor Sadiq Khan the green light to continue imposing Low Traffic Neighbourhoods (LTNs) on the City. The full judgment is expected in the coming days.…

BP Pulse, the oil company, electric vehicles arm, has opened a dedicated fleet charging hub at London’s Park Lane. The hub has 10 rapid 50kW chargers, and a further 12 chargers are due to be added in the coming months. The Park Lane site is the first of hundreds of similar hubs planned across London…

Addison Lee is to acquire black taxi provider ComCab, creating the capital’s largest private hire and taxi company with a combined fleet of more than 7,000 vehicles. The Addison Lee private hire fleet and ComCab hackney fleet will continue under their own brands. The acquisition will see Addison Lee purchase the London operations of Computer…