A senior union boss has branded the time it has taken the Government to make mandatory the wearing of face coverings for taxi and private hire passengers as “monstrous”. Steve Garelick, GMB regional organiser logistics, gig economy & local government, said in a Tweet: “On April 6 I wrote asking Grant Shapps and the Department…

A decision on whether or not Uber will be granted its London operator’s licence will be announced on September 28, Senior District Judge Tan Ikram announced at the end of the three-day appeal hearing at Westminster Magistrates Court. Transport for London refused to grant the ride-hailing company a new licence in 2019 as a result…

Another new ride-hailing app is taking on the London private hire sector before the end of the year. Wystle, based in London, is set to launch in the capital this winter, aiming to compete with Free Now, Bolt and – if the current court case returns its licence – Uber. Wystle has been granted a…

Transport for London has again extended the deadline for London private hire drivers to complete an English language proficiency test. Blaming the Covid-19 pandemic, TfL has moved the deadline forward by 12 months to September 30, 2021. But plans to draw up alternatives to the controversial and much-maligned written testing policy have been put on…

Uber’s European head Jamie Heywood has admitted that the company made mistakes in London as part of his plea to a judge at Westminster Magistrates Court to renew Uber’s London private hire operator’s licence. In a statement to the court, Heywood (pictured) said: “We have made mistakes and sometimes fallen short of the standards we…

Addison Lee is fitting safety screens to 1,000 Ford Galaxy vehicles after the screens, developed by Ford, passed comprehensive testing to meet all Transport for London’s private hire regulations. Ford’s designers have used a material that complies with all regulations set out by TfL. The screen allows for clear rearward vision when the driver is…

Uber is looking to accelerate plans to convert its entire European fleet to electric power by 2040 by signing a Memorandum of Understanding with the Renault-Nissan alliance to source electric cars such as the Nissan Leaf (pictured) for its drivers at discounted rates. Uber last year signed an initial deal with Nissan to acquire up…

Uber’s appeal hearing against the loss of its London licence has started, with the ride-hailing app claiming in court that London is a “safer place” with Uber operating. Transport for London has twice refused to issue a new operating licence to Uber, citing passenger safety issues as the reason for the refusals. The latest appeal…

Kia Motors (UK) has secured extra supplies of its strong-selling e-Niro electric car. Supplies of the car were extremely scarce in 2019, with just 800 vehicles imported. But production in Korea has been ramped up, and as a result, KMUK sold more e-Niros in July 2020 than in the whole of 2019. The battery-electric e-Niro…

With the taxi trade struggling to survive the loss of trade resulting from the Covid-19 epidemic, Darlington Borough Council is threatening to add further costs to operators by insisting that taxis are sprayed or wrapped in a particular shade of red. As part of a review of local taxi licensing policy, it has been suggested…

Blackburn with Darwen Council in Lancashire has invested £64,000 to fit perspex screens in all of the borough’s 1,000 licensed taxis and private hire vehicles in a bid to protect drivers from the Covid-19 virus.  The project has been backed by Pennine Lancashire licensing officers and Directors of Public Health from across Lancashire. Taxi drivers…

There are few positives from the Coronavirus crisis as far as the taxi and private hire trade is concerned. But one might be the delay – perhaps indefinitely – of Clean Air Zones around the UK. While a cleaner environment is something everyone wants, the looming threat of daily charges for city taxi operators without…

Parker Car Service managing director Joe Polley has issued a strongly worded response to Uber’s acquisition of dispatch systems provider Autocab, accusing the ride-hailing app of acting like a “parasitic wasp” on the private hire trade. Polley has also resigned from the LPHCA over the issue, accusing LPHCA chair Steve Wright of “effectively lending support”…

Uber has always considered itself a disrupter, and the company’s announcement that it had acquired dispatch systems provider Autocab has certainly disrupted the equilibrium of the fragile, taxi and private hire business. In a sector weakened by the ongoing effects of Covid-19, the deal has been the equivalent of a hand grenade in a crowded…

Mercedes-Benz has revealed its all-new S-Class, including major upgrades in technology and safety. The new range, which will go on sale in the UK in December, will include a petrol-electric plug-in hybrid model with an electric range of 60 miles, with an all-electric EQS model to follow. Initial models available will be S350d; S400d 4Matic…

Mobility aggregator Karhoo has added four new partners to expand its exposure in the international travel market. Now owned by Renault, Karhoo connects taxi and chauffeur fleets with travel clients. The new partnerships are with Trip.com; Fareportal, which also operates CheapOair.com and OneTravel.com; accessible travel platform Mobee Travel; and Lyko, a multi-model platform dedicated to…

London-based investment company MBH Corporation PLC has bought Leicester-based taxi operator ADT for £3.4 million. ADT has 600 drivers on strength and the company owns 150 of its cars. ADT is part of the Riide network, and indeed in 2017 changed its company name to Driven by Riide Ltd, though it has continued to trade…