Trade Union Unite has strongly criticised the Scottish Government for “short-changing” taxi drivers and operators in its latest round of Covid-19 support grants. Scottish Finance Secretary Kate Forbes has today announced an additional £62 million of support for 37,000 taxi and private hire operators…

Take Me Group’s Birmingham subsidiary TC Cars has announced a merger with local rival Heritage Cars, with both businesses planning to operate under the Take Me umbrella. The move, which creates a combined fleet in excess of 600 cars, is the latest step by…

BMW Group has launched two monthly subscription packages for BMW and Mini EV drivers who make frequent use of public charging facilities. The new BMW Charging and MINI Charging services mean customers can charge their cars at more than 11,000 charging points across the…

The cost of recharging your electric car at commercial charge points is set to rise after HMRC announced it would impose the standard rate of VAT (20%) on the facilities. Previously HMRC applied ‘de minimis’ provisions, which allowed a reduced rate of VAT of…

Partition screen supplier Driver Bubble is to fit new safety screens behind the front seats of Addison Lee’s executive fleet of Mercedes E-class vehicles, adding to the safety screens already fitted to its standard Ford Galaxy and VW Sharan MPV fleet. This partnership with…

In a landmark agreement, Uber has recognised the GMB Union to represent up to 70,000 drivers, the first time the ride-share giant has done so globally. The move follows the UK Supreme Court ruling that Uber’s UK drivers should be classified as workers, with…

A group of companies and local authorities have announced they will open Europe’s most powerful electric vehicle charging hub in Oxford later this year. The hub, with around 10MW of power on site, will initially feature 38 fast and ultra-rapid chargers (more than anywhere…

Uber has today announced a pilot of its new product, ‘Local cab’, which will enable passengers to book a trip with a local taxi company via the Uber app in Plymouth. The move is the first such initiative following the Competition & Markets Agency’s…

Ride-hailing operator Ola has announced two senior board appointments. Sir Mike Rake has joined the Ola UK Board as non-executive Chairman, while former Transport for London expert Leon Daniels (pictured) is now an independent non-executive director. The two will draw on their experience across…

Veezu has strengthened two of its five major UK hubs by acquiring local competitors in Shropshire and South Wales, and the company is targeting further takeovers in 2021. Go Carz, Shropshire’s largest private hire and taxi firm, has taken over Telford’s Diamond Cars, adding…

Two major Glasgow operators have merged to form the biggest taxi and private hire fleet in the city. The combined Glasgow Private Hire and Hampden Cars operations will be known as GlasGO Cabs and will operate more than 1,000 cars. Both companies have been…

Fast-growing Take Me Group has made a second acquisition in a week, with the purchase of Westside Taxis of Crewe. Under the deal, Westside proprietor Stephen Robinson (left of pic) has sold his business to Take Me directors John Gardner (right of pic) and…

Ride-hailing rent-to-buy provider WeFlex has ordered 200 MG5 electric estate cars, which it plans to existing and would-be ride hailing drivers by the end of 2021. WeFlex, founded by former Climatecars boss Nicko Williamson, announced last month that it was repositioning itself as a…

Fast-growing taxi group Take Me Group has made another acquisition, adding Stoke-on-Trent-based Intercity Taxis to the roster in a deal worth between £3 million and £4m. The deal is again backed by MBH Corporation plc, a diversified investment holding company, which has based its…

WeFlex, which supplies cars to private hire drivers on a rent-to-buy basis, has switched to supplying only battery-electric cars. The company has announced a rebrand to coincide with the change in strategy, with a new green ‘lightning bolt’ logo. WeFlex was founded by former…

Mercedes-Benz has released details of its much-anticipated EQS model – the first all-electric luxury chauffeur car to hit the market. The EQS goes on sale in late summer, and at that time, UK pricing and specification will be announced, ahead of first UK deliveries,…

Hyundai Motor formed a strategic partnership with Uber in Europe that will offer Uber drivers discounted prices on its Ioniq Electric and Kona Electric (pictured), as well as future Hyundai electric vehicles. The agreement is another step in Uber’s plan to become a zero-emission…

Nottingham’s DG Cars, one of the strongest-performing private hire fleets over the past 12 months thanks to its strong diversification into the delivery market, has made a major acquisition in Lichfield, in partnership with another major fleet, 247 Cars of Walsall. The two companies…