Wakefield

Wakefield drivers claim ‘moral victory’ as Council agrees to delay new car rules until September 2022

Taxi and private hire drivers in Wakefield are claiming a moral victory after the local council backed down over plans to force drivers to buy newer, cleaner cars. Drivers had earlier called off a planned strike in protest against the proposals, which stipulated that…

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TfL Helen Chapman

TfL offers free face coverings and hand sanitiser to London taxi and private hire drivers

Transport for London is this week offering free face masks and bottles of hand sanitiser to London’s taxi and private hire drivers. A total of 1.5 million masks and 30,000 bottles of Dettol sanitiser are being distributed to drivers from sites including London Underground…

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Bolt Sam Raciti

Bolt teams up with Splend and Ubitricity to expand electric car use and charging networks for London minicab drivers

Ride-hailing app Bolt has launched two new partnerships aimed at boosting electric car use within its London operations. Bolt has set up a partnership with PCO car hire company Splend to offer discounted prices on EV rentals. And the company is spending £250,000 to…

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York Cars

York Cars’ licence revoked by council over multiple offences

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…

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Wystle

New ride hailing app Wystle opens up rewards programme to supports drivers during lockdown

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…

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Qsi 2021 Image 1 1200 Pix

We’ll be back! Professional Driver QSi Awards will return in 2021

Tonight’s the night we should have been getting together for the industry’s favourite party – the Professional Driver QSi Awards.  Of course, the Coronavirus lockdown means the 2020 event can’t happen right now, and that’s a massive disappointment, both for us and for our…

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Autocab LPHCA

LPHCA members vote to end partnership with Autocab as Uber takeover fallout continues

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…

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Sturgeon

First Minister Sturgeon announces new £30 million fund to help Covid-hit Scottish taxi drivers

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,…

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AL Request

Addison Lee launches AL Request home delivery service to cater for boost in home working

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…

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Addison Lee screens

Addison Lee introduces TfL-approved screens in all Ford Galaxy and VW Sharan vehicles

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…

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Steve McNamara LTDA

Taxi trade body calls for new incentives as pandemic causes black cab numbers to slump

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…

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Driver Bubble TfL

Driver Bubble offers new TfL-approved screens for Toyota private hire vehicles

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…

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Uber GDPR

Uber drivers take legal action against unfair dismissal claims on GDPR grounds

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…

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Liverpool taxi

Liverpool Council to offer Covid-19 grants of up to £210 to all taxi and private hire drivers

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…

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Nichola Mallon

Northern Ireland minister requests power to set up hardship support scheme for taxi drivers

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…

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Amber Gee Gee

Veezu strengthens Leeds operations as Amber acquires local competitor Gee Gee Cars

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…

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Guildford Council launches survey to gauge opinion on new taxi and private hire rules

Guildford Council launches survey to gauge opinion on new taxi and private hire rules

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;…

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Congestion charge

Congestion Charge extension would be ‘catastrophe’ for sector, says LPHCA

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…

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