A Tunbridge Wells taxi driver has exhausted all avenues of appeal after a judge at Maidstone Crown Court upheld the borough council's decision to revoke his taxi/private hire licence.

The ruling, delivered on April 9, 2025, follows an initial revocation in May 2023 due to what the Tunbridge Wells Borough Council described as "serious concerns about public safety."

The driver had previously failed to overturn the council's decision at Medway Magistrates’ Court in 2024. This latest ruling not only affirms the revocation but also awards costs to the council.

Gary Stevenson, Head of Housing, Health & Environment at Tunbridge Wells Borough Council, emphasised the council's commitment to passenger safety, stating: "People who use taxis and private hire vehicles licensed by Tunbridge Wells Borough Council should feel safe."

He further added: "This was a lengthy case but it was important that the council defended the decision to revoke the licence. We will always put public safety first."

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Hundreds of taxi drivers across Blackburn and Pendle have begun registering to drive for Uber this week, following the ride-sharing giant finally receiving a licence from Blackburn with Darwen Council in November.

The onboarding process commenced on Tuesday at Lomeshaye Business Park in Nelson, marking the end of frustrating delays for prospective drivers who were initially told registration would begin in January, then March.

The move comes after a period where private hire vehicles licensed in other boroughs were commonly seen operating via the Uber app in Blackburn and Pendle.

One Blackburn driver who attended the registration event highlighted the strong initial interest, stating: "There was a lot of demand. I got told around 70 people registered and a further 70 will be online by Thursday."

The driver also noted the decision to launch in both districts simultaneously due to high demand, explaining: "We were told to travel over to Nelson as in the district there was a lot of demand and they decided to launch both licences simultaneously."

The arrival of Uber, the world's largest ride-sharing company with millions of users and drivers globally, is anticipated to significantly impact the local taxi landscape. The registering driver acknowledged this potential shift, saying: "This will most likely affect local firms as people will be joining Uber."

While the increased competition could offer more choice for passengers, the effect on fares remains uncertain. "We are not sure how this will affect prices for customers though. As during peak hours, the prices may be more. But we won’t know until the coming weeks," the driver added.

The council's decision to grant Uber a licence was made despite concerns about the potential impact on existing local taxi firms and their drivers.

To operate on the Uber platform, drivers require a private hire licence from the council that licenses Uber. The coming weeks will reveal the true extent of Uber's influence on the Blackburn and Pendle taxi market.

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Figures show one local authority dominates taxi licensing across England, with nearly half of private hire vehicles working in Greater Manchester now licensed ‘out of area’.

The city-region’s out of area figure of more than 12,000 has risen sharply from just under 7,000 in 2023.

Having brought buses under local control in January as part of the Bee Network, Mayor Burnham has now called for radical change to give England’s mayors and city-regions more control of private hire vehicles.

Launching a new campaign ‘Backing our taxis: Local. Licensed. Trusted.’ in Manchester city centre, he outlined the call for the government’s English Devolution Bill to both devolve power on taxis to Mayoral Combined Authorities and put a stop to ‘out of area’ licensing.

Such a legal change would tackle a problem affecting many regions.

Flexibility in licensing laws means vehicle owners are not required to obtain a licence from the local authority where they operate - severing the link between taxi drivers and local communities, through accountability to councils.

Mayor Burnham says such local accountability is critical to ensure public safety and trust in taxis as an essential part of the transport system.

He says the move would not only help drive up standards, but also better support the livelihoods of Greater Manchester’s taxi drivers through control of numbers and better incentivisation.

Greater Manchester kickstarts a 12-week review of its own approach to licensing, working with the taxi trade to get under the bonnet of issues affecting locally-licensed drivers.

Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, said: “Taxis are a crucial part of our transport network. Just as we set out to with Bee Network buses, we want our taxi fleet to be amongst the safest and most trusted in the country. But we can’t do this with the current broken licensing system. Local leaders have zero oversight over nearly half the private hire vehicles on our streets, with no relationship with the drivers, no levers to enforce the standards we want and no control over the numbers of taxis serving our communities.

“We want to guarantee our residents that if they’re getting in a Greater Manchester taxi – no matter how they book it – it’s one that meets high standards we expect across all public transport. To do that, we need national change in the English Devolution Bill to both devolve taxi powers to city-regions and stop the ability for vehicles and drivers licensed in non-GM authorities to operate here. Such a change will give political leaders more control over measures that impact public safety, vehicle standards, emissions and accessibility.

“But this is as much about making Greater Manchester the best place to be a taxi driver – and safeguarding the livelihoods of our cab drivers – as it is about passengers. They’ve been under immense pressure over the last few years, and we want to get behind them.

“We’re today kickstarting in-depth discussions with the trade. We want to get under the bonnet of the issues that affect them, review how we can improve our own licensing and incentivise them to register here without dropping standards. We’re committed to doing what we can under the current system, but it will only be effective if it’s done in lockstep with change on out of area licensing at a national level.”

As well as greater devolution on the issue, the ‘Backing our taxis’ campaign also calls on the government to support drivers to make the switch to greener, more accessible vehicles easier, with recommendations to extend the VAT exemption to new wheelchair accessible taxis; extend the national Plug-In Taxi Grant for electric vehicles; and reduce the rate of VAT on public electric vehicle charging.

Mayor Burnham has also announced a review of Greater Manchester’s current approach to licensing, supported by a 12-week period of engagement with the taxi trade. It was kick-started today (16 April) with a roundtable with key trade representatives. The period will involve online questionnaires, in-person surveys with drivers and in-depth interviews with both trade representatives and those involved in local licensing.

Earlier this year, Greater Manchester agreed an investment-led Clean Air Plan with government to tackle air quality and cut emissions without the need for a charging zone. The 12-week discussions with the taxi trade will include how best to allocate an £8 million fund for drivers of Hackneys carriages (or black cabs), which formed part of the Clean Air Plan deal. Greater Manchester will also explore how private hire vehicles can also be supported to make the switch to modern vehicles, potentially through subsidised, low interest loans.

It has also been confirmed that leaders of Greater Manchester’s ten local authorities have endorsed proposals to give drivers more time to upgrade their vehicles, extending the emission compliance date from the end of 2025 to at least 31 December 2026*.

Whilst the decision will be down to individual licensing committees to consider and agree proposals, leaders have backed the extension, as well as an exemption for vehicles until the maximum age limit (as part of existing licence agreements with individual drivers).

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Lyft, Inc. (Nasdaq: LYFT), a leading ride hailing marketplace, today announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire FREENOW, a leading European multi-mobility app with a taxi offering at its core, from BMW Group and Mercedes-Benz Mobility for approximately €175 million or $197 million* in cash.

FREENOW will continue operating as it does today, with its leadership team and employees in place to drive growth across 9 countries and over 150 cities across Ireland, the United Kingdom, Germany, Greece, Spain, Italy, Poland, France, and Austria.

The transaction is expected to close in the second half of 2025, subject to customary closing conditions.

“We’re on an ambitious path to build the best, most customer-obsessed mobility platform in the world, and entering Europe is an important step in our growth journey,” said David Risher, CEO of Lyft.

“We found the perfect partner in FREENOW and can learn a lot from the team. FREENOW's local-first approach mirrors Lyft's values and embodies our purpose — to serve and connect.”

FREENOW brings market-leading European taxi expertise, fleet technology and strong relationships with regulators, unions and taxi fleet operators in every market. Lyft brings best-in-class marketplace expertise and customer-obsessed features. The business models are complementary and together will serve over 50 million combined annual riders, with plans to deliver a better product experience, improve service levels, strengthen fleet management capabilities, and bring greater global opportunities to existing and potential partners.

In Europe, the taxi aggregation business is strong and growing. Approximately 50% of taxi bookings in Europe still happen offline, but customers are hungry for more online bookings.

FREENOW is primed to capitalise on that opportunity. FREENOW is the leading taxi platform in several major European cities, including Dublin, London, Athens, Berlin, Barcelona, Madrid, and Hamburg, with luxury vehicles making up a significant portion of its fleet. Taxis accounted for approximately 90% of FREENOW’s Gross Bookings in 2024 and will continue to be the backbone of FREENOW’s business.

“Joining forces with Lyft is a powerful step forward for FREENOW and marks the beginning of an ambitious new phase—one where we strengthen our role as a leading force in European mobility,” said FREENOW CEO Thomas Zimmermann.

“Lyft's strong, customer-first track record aligns perfectly with our deep roots in the taxi industry, and together we will push boundaries and raise expectations for fleet owners, taxi drivers, and riders across the continent. We stand with the industry—not above it—and remain proud partners of the community. This collaboration is about combining our strengths, learning from each other, and scaling what works best. We sincerely thank our former shareholders for their trust and enduring partnership throughout the years.”

The strategic acquisition is aligned with Lyft’s disciplined capital allocation strategy of investing in attractive growth opportunities with a customer-obsessed bias. The announcement follows a record-breaking year in 2024 for Lyft, with industry-leading service levels in Q4, record Gross Bookings, GAAP profitability, and record cash flow generation.

WHAT'S NEXT:

While there will be no immediate changes to FREENOW’s customer experience, over time, new benefits will be made available to FREENOW drivers and riders. For drivers in many markets, that may look like more transparency around their earnings such as when to expect incentives and real-time information on the best times to drive. For riders, that may look like more consistent pricing, faster matching, and new features and modes. The companies will also focus on integration for riders to seamlessly use either app across the Atlantic, whether they’re in North America or Europe.

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A man with a history of knife offences has been arrested after police discovered a 30-inch machete concealed in his waistband during a stop and search of a taxi near Kidbrooke, south east London.

The incident occurred on Thursday, 10 April, and marks the sixth time the suspect has been apprehended for alleged or actual knife-related offences in the past year, according to authorities.

Officers from the Metropolitan Police's Uniformed Proactive Team 2, described as "eagle-eyed" by a spokesperson, identified the individual, who was known to them as a previous knife offender, travelling in a taxi.

A subsequent stop and search allegedly revealed the large knife, described as a 30-inch machete with a red and black sheath and curved hand guard, tucked into his waistband.

The Metropolitan Police spokesperson emphasised the proactive nature of the arrest, stating: "On 10 April, eagle-eyed officers from Uniformed Proactive Team 2 spotted a known knife carrier in a taxi near Kidbrooke. He was stopped, searched - and found with a 30-inch machete in his waistband. That’s his sixth knife arrest in 12 months.”

The arrest underscores ongoing concerns about knife crime in London and highlights the efforts of police to target known offenders. Further details regarding the suspect's identity and any charges filed have yet to be released.

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