Toyota has unveiled the new fifth-generation Prius in Japan, but despite its popularity with the private hire trade, it won’t be coming to the UK. While taxi operators still love the Prius, most car buyers are moving toward SUVs and crossovers rather than regular…

Street Cars has made a second acquisition in west Manchester with New Moon, a 180 car fleet serving the Stretford area, joining the growing group. The deal follows last month’s purchase of long-standing Chorlton operator Goodwins Olympic, a company whose roots stretch back 45…

Take Me Group has made a further acquisition in the West Midlands, pushing its combined fleet in the region to 900 cars. The deal sees Premier Cars of Oldbury join the Take Me group, adding a further 80 cars to the combined fleet of…

Addison Lee has announced a new partnership with independent electric vehicle charging aggregator Bonnet, designed to provide partner drivers with discounted EV charging. The deal will give Addison Lee drivers access to more than 20 charging networks, including more than 1,000 rapid charge points…

Shell has closed its hydrogen filling stations at Gatwick airport and at Cobham (pictured) and Beaconsfield motorway services, citing a lack of demand for the service. In a statement, the oil giant said sites had “not performed satisfactorily” and had “reached an end of…

Octopus Energy Generation, one of Europe’s largest renewable energy investors, has allocated up to £110 million in funding to grow Manchester-based public EV charging network Be.EV across the UK. The deal will help grow Be.EV’s public charge point network sixfold from 150 chargers at…

Southampton-based taxi operator Cab My Ride has made its second acquisition of 2022, acquiring local competitor Millers Taxi for a six-figure sum. Millers Taxi is a well-known operator in the Eastleigh, Fareham and Winchester area, running a fleet of 70 vehicles. The company offers…

Uber has agreed to pay HMRC £615 million to settle an investigation into unpaid VAT. The payment will resolve all outstanding UK VAT claims against the company Uber had previously argued it was exempt from VAT as its drivers were classified as self-employed. But…

Bolt has launched a new partnership with corporate travel technology specialist HQ that will allow business customers to pre-book Bolt cars when travelling between the US and Europe. Jeff LaFave, managing director of HQ, said: “Our clients’ employees travel significantly between the US, Europe,…

Take Me group has continued its expansion into the west midlands, with Nuneaton-based Direct Taxis merging with the company’s existing TC Cars operation. The move adds a further 70 cars to the Take Me roster, and along with other recent acquisitions makes Take Me…

Veezu has extended its reach eastbound with the acquisitions of Panther Taxis in Cambridge and ABC Taxis in Norwich. Panther Taxis, founded 30 years ago, has more than 600 vehicles across the Cambridge area, while ABC Taxis in Norwich has built a fleet of…

Ford’s controversial decision to end production of the Fiesta supermini in favour of new electric SUVs made the headlines – but buried in the announcement was the news that a favourite in the private hire sector was also for the chop. The Ford Galaxy…

Cambridge taxi drivers say they could take legal action against plans for mandatory in-car CCTV. Cambridge city council is demanding all taxis and private hire vehicles should be fitted with CCTV from April 1 next year. The council said it would not grant licences…

The number of taxi drivers renewing their licences in Glasgow has plummeted since Covid-19 restrictions eased last year. Data from STV News reveals that no private hire licences were renewed in the past two years, while hackney renewals dropped by 44% According to the…

Blackpool council has rejected a proposal to allow private hire vehicles in the seaside town to display advertising. Cllr Tony Williams, leader of the Conservative opposition group, had asked the council to consider the move to boost revenue for drivers. But the motion was…

The Tyneside Clean Air Zone (CAZ) goes live in Newcastle and Gateshead on January 30, 2023 – and the cameras and signs are already in place. Cameras began monitoring vehicles entering the zone on 3 October to “help raise awareness and encourage people to…

Plymouth taxi drivers have slammed the local council for offering them an “insulting” £200 grant to repaint their cabs green and white (pictured). Hackney drivers say the money will only cover 10% of the average bill for repainting or wrapping black cabs, which will…