Renault has closed its Karhoo mobility service after seven years. It is the second time the business has entered administration, after the first version of the company went out of business in 2016. A blunt statement on the Karhoo website reads: “Unfortunately, the decision…

The new all-electric BMW i5 Touring estate arrives in the showrooms this month. BMW’s first all-electric estate car offers a range of  up to 350 miles (WLTP) and fast DC charging at up to 205kW. This means it takes around 10 minutes to add…

Israeli parking payments app Pango has acquired ride-hailing app Gett in a deal worth $175 million (around £140m) – a fraction of the company’s $1.4 billion ($1.17bn) valuation in 2018. Pango is buying the shares from a number of private venture capital investors, including…

Leeds-based chauffeur operator Privilege Executive Cars has acquired local rival Elite Voyager Chauffeur Travel. The deal adds eight chauffeurs to the 30-strong Privilege team of over 30 chauffeurs and six more vehicles to the company’s fleet of Mercedes-Benz S-class,  E-class and V-class vehicles. “This…

Uber has re-applied for a license to operate in Aberdeen, having previously surrendered its license in the city in 2018. Matthew Freckelton, Uber’s UK Head of Cities, told the Aberdeen & Grampian Chamber of Commerce that he hoped Uber would be up and running…

South coast private hire operator Cab My Ride has been stripped of its license by Southampton Council after the council’s licensing sub committee found the business was not “fit and proper”. Cab My Ride will be able to keep its licence with the two…

A group of more than 10,000 London black cab drivers has launched a class action lawsuit against Uber, alleging the ride-hailing platform breached taxi booking rules between 2012 and 2018. The drivers are suing for loss of earnings throughout the period, and the lawyers…

The extent to which Wolverhampton has become the UK’s taxi capital has been revealed by new licensing data from private hire insurance provider Zego. In the 12 months from April 2023 to March 2024, Wolverhampton council issued 32,169 Private Hire Vehicle licenses, a rise…

Take Me has strengthened its presence in the Midlands with the acquisition of Nuneaton-based Direct Taxis. This strategic acquisition adds a further 80 cars to the fast-growing Take Me national fleet. Under the deal, Direct Taxis will work closely with the Solihull-based arm of…

Uber has restarted launches in UK towns and cities following the collapse of the Local Car scheme late last year. The ride-hailing giant has announced plans to launch in Swansea, south Wales, and Stockton, north-east England. Uber said there was high demand for the…

Veezu has made another major acquisition with the purchase of Portsmouth-based private hire giant Aqua Cars. The move is Veezu’s first move on to the South Coast, and represents the biggest deal for the fast-growing group since it bought Sheffield-based City Taxis and Britannia…

Fast-growing chauffeur operator Chabé has acquired Farnborough-based Limo Plus. It is the first acquisition that Chabé has made in Britain since the Paris-based company set up its UK subsidiary in 2020. Limo Plus serves a similar portfolio of high-end clients to Chabé – and…

Singapore-based transport giant ComfortDelGro has acquired ground transport management specialist CMAC Group for £80 million. The deal has been done through ComfortDelGro’s wholly-owned subsidiary CityFleet Networks, and is expected to drive CMAC’s expansion into mainland Europe. As well as the UK, CMAC has operations…

The LPHCA has written to TfL Director of Licensing Helen Chapman (pictured), demanding an urgent meeting over “unacceptable” new signage requirements and complaints procedures for all private hire vehicles, due to come into force next July. The new signage rules could see vehicles –…

Bolt has won its appeal against HMRC over whether private hire operators are eligible to use the Tour Operator Margin Scheme (TOMS), which reduces liability for VAT to the margin of a trip rather than the full fare. The ruling is a major victory…

The trade union that won landmark employment rulings against Uber has been plunged into chaos after an internal report highlighted multiple cases of abusive and racist behaviour within the organisation. The report has resulted in the resignation of App Drivers and Couriers Union founder…

Curtis Gabriel, the digital marketing business that specialised in running private hire operators’ social media accounts, has gone into administration. Insolvency practitioners Steven Ross and Allan Kelly, both of FRP Advisory Trading Limited, were appointed administrators in the High Court of Justice Business and…

Uber’s surprising decision to try and add London black cabs to its ride-hailing app has met with a negative response from the taxi drivers’ trade association. Uber said it was opening the platform to taxi drivers, with the intention of starting services in early…