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…

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,…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

The CEO of iCabbi has launched a ferocious attack on Uber’s takeover of iCabbi’s main rival, Autocab, accusing the dispatch systems supplier of throwing Uber a lifeline, and claiming the takeover was a “trojan horse” for Uber to take business from the private hire…

Autocab has reassured operators that the company’s sale to Uber will open up new opportunities for them, as it will give them access to jobs in towns and cities where the US ride-hailing operator does not operate. Uber yesterday acquired 100% of the Manchester-based…

The Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain has organised a two-hour blockage of Tower Bridge by London private hire drivers in protest against the rise in the Congestion Charge. The protest passed close to City Hall, with the IWGB blaming London Mayor Sadiq Khan…

Taxi app Free Now is now offering both hackney carriage and private hire services via the same app in London. The move follows the merger earlier in the year of Free Now and Kapten, both of which are owned by Daimler. The combined service…

The Department for Transport has drawn criticism for its “robust” new statutory standards for the taxi and private hire vehicle sector – including app-based services – across England and Wales. Among new recommendations announced by Transport Secretary Grant Shapps (pictured), drivers will have to…

Greater Manchester’s combined authority has proposed that the region’s hackney taxis be painted black and all private hire vehicles white as part of plans to “modernise” services. The combined authority said it wanted to introduce common minimum standards for taxi and private hire firms,…

Ford has also launched its first protection screens, designed to fit the Transit and Tourneo Custom models. The screens are part of the manufacturer’s official accessories range, and are likely to be approved by TfL future for use in Tourneos used for private hire…

Transport for London has approved partition screens supplied by Toyota to fit a range of its cars. The Toyota screens are the first to be officially approved by TfL, which earlier forced Addison Lee to remove screens from its fleet after a customer videoed…

The reopening of car dealerships in June and the gradual easing of the Coronavirus lockdown could lead to the release of pent-up new car demand and the start of a revival, industry analysts believe. But the overall market for new cars could be 30%…

Addison Lee has been forced to remove vehicle partition screens after Transport for London threatened action. The move comes after video footage was made public showing a faulty partition screen coming away from its rooftop fixing and folding over into the passenger compartment. Addison…