Apple Taxis, Exeter’s largest private hire company, has said it could stop serving a large area of Exeter where controversial road closures have recently been introduced. Since the scheme was introduced in Heavitree and Whipton on August 3, Apple Taxis general manager Graham Hockey…

Manchester City Council has removed its requirement for all private hire vehicles to display an operator’s name or company livery, following a GMB Union campaign. The council’s Licensing Committee agreed to remove operators’ names and bonnet stickers, which will allow drivers to work for…

A private hire customer’s contract is with the operator, not the driver, a court has ruled in the long-running Sefton Council dispute between Uber, the ACDU union and a number of local operators. The ruling supports an earlier decision relating to London, and could…

Addison Lee has acquired London rival Green Tomato Cars, together with its associated brands Brunel and Travelhire, for an undisclosed sum. The deal takes the combined Addison Lee taxi, private hire and courier fleet to more than 7,500 vehicles. This deal follows Addison Lee’s…

The winners of the 2023 Parliamentary Taxi & Private Hire Awards were announced this week, with prizes going to drivers judged to have made outstanding efforts in charity work, community support and sustainability. The Awards were launched in 2019 by Daniel Zeichner MP, then…

A family-run West Midlands taxi firm has moved into larger premises to cope with growth. Local Radio Cars, which was acquired by Andy Williams in March 2022, has since then doubled its driver numbers to around 100, and has moved to a new office…

The Government is unlikely to meet its target of having six or more rapid or ultra-rapid electric vehicle chargers at every motorway service area in England by the end of 2023, according to new research by the RAC. Only 27 of 119 motorway services…

Take Me Group has made another acquisition, with Crown Cars of Wrexham joining the fast-expanding cab conglomerate. The north Wales-based company was founded in 1983, and has been run from its base in Rhosllannerchrugog by Andy Roberts since 2016. It currently has a fleet…

Electric vehicle owners using public chargers overnight are on track to save up to £260 a year, according to new research undertaken by EV charging app Bonnet. Bonnet reviewed the habits of more than 100,000 drivers using its app, looking at where and how…

Ford has released a new compact electric MPV called the E‑Tourneo Courier. The five-seat vehicle is the latest fruit of Ford’s alliance with Volkswagen on EVs. Ford has committed to offering 10 EV models in Europe by 2024, as it targets zero emissions for…

Petrol and diesel prices are unnecessarily high, according to the UK competition watchdog. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said oil companies could not blame global factors such as the war in Ukraine for high prices, and accused retailers of taking bigger margins than…

The next-generation LEVC London black taxi will be a fully-electric vehicle, the company has announced. LEVC has released images of its next-generation all-electric platform, which will replace the current LEVC series hybrid TX taxi and VN5 van models in the next, which use a…

Hull and Bridgend are the latest locations to receive new Osprey rapid electric vehicle charge points as part of the operator’s ambitious plans to have more than 1,000 rapid chargers in operation by the end of 2023. In Bridgend, the new public charging sites…

Inverclyde Council has reversed a ban on in-cab CCTV cameras following a series of attacks on drivers in the area. In a landmark decision, councillors voted unanimously to allow operators to have cameras in their cabs, following pressure from local trade bodies and unions.…

Transport for London has awarded electric vehicle infrastructure provider Zest a contract to roll out 39 new EV charging bays by the end of 2024. The charge points will be built on 24 sites in south and south-west London, The 39 new bays will…

Addison Lee doubled its profits in the 2021-22 financial year, despite the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and a chronic shortage of private hire drivers. The business achieved an adjusted EBITDA of £19.1 million, up from £7.9m the previous year, on a turnover of…

ProDriver magazine is saddened to hear of the death of Edward (Eddie) Townson over the Bank Holiday Weekend. Eddie was a well-known and popular figure in the private hire industry, having served as Chairman of the Private Hire Board. Eddie was instrumental in securing…