The future of taxi provision in Lichfield and Burntwood is set to be reviewed.
LichfieldLive reports that Lichfield District Council’s regulatory and licensing committee will hear about plans for for hackney carriage and private hire regulation at a meeting this week.
A report says the review will focus on a number of factors, including whether to use discounted licence costs to boost the number of hybrid or electric and wheelchair accessible taxis.
Fares will also be considered in order to “take account of inflation and to ensure they remain comparable to those set by neighbouring councils”.
The report said: “A meeting was held with licensed drivers and representatives of the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers in October.
"Drivers provided feedback about several matters that they would like to see reviewed which form the basis of this recommendation.
“Officers also believe that improvements could be made to the current policy to ensure that swift and proportionate action can be taken to keep the public safe when conditions are breached. This could be within open and transparent parameters set by the committee.”
The review will also consider moving away from a current penalty points system to a more “prescribed list of contraventions” which would have pre-determined sanctions.
The proposed review will be discussed by the committee alongside reviews to fees for taxi operators.
Drivers will face an increase of 6% to apply for a new or renewal taxi licence, up from £203 to £216.
Vehicle costs will also be on the up, with hackney carriage licences costing £204 instead of the current £177.50 a year; while private hire vehicle licences will rise from £122.50 to £204 – an increase of 67%.
Meanwhile operators will see a hike to £369 for a five-year licence – an increase on the current fees of £264 for those running up to five vehicles and £200 for those with six or more.
The potential review of taxi services and the proposed changes to charges will both be discussed at the regulatory and licensing committee meeting on Wednesday 13th December.
Bolt has expanded its London ride-hailing service into an additional 17 regions.
London-TV reports that the move comes just in time for the busy festive period during which the Estonian company expects business in London to increase by 15%.
The launches also come after demand for the ride-hailing service has already increased during the increasingly dark, cold and wet days of October and November. For example, Bolt saw a whopping 30% spike in rides on October 31st.
In addition to the expected increased demand as a result of the festivities, the Tallinn-headquartered firm is also anticipating the offer being popular since many local customers have either opened the app prior to the expansion, or finished their ride in the region having started their journey in the company’s previous London operating area.
Due to the myriad of ways ride-hailing is valuable to passengers during this time of the year - including trips to Christmas parties, airports and train stations - it’s also a busy, fruitful period for drivers.
Bolt took the step of launching in these districts to further increase the earning potential and flexibility enjoyed by drivers registered with the Bolt platform. It allows drivers who reside in the expanded operating area to pick up passengers on their commute to or from London.
The launches also mean rides can start from and finish at more public transport hubs like train and bus stations. They are typically the most popular pick-up and drop-off spots throughout the year, with this only increasing during the holiday season due to travel to friends, family, and local businesses.
The aim for Bolt as a company is to accelerate the transition from owned cars to shared mobility, with ride-hailing often playing a crucial role for first- and last-mile travel.
Deborah Meijer, Head of Operations for Bolt in London said: “The run-up to Christmas is a busy time for everyone, including passengers and drivers who use Bolt.
"Since shared mobility - including ride-hailing - has such a crucial role within the wider transport ecosystem during this time, and drivers registered on the Bolt platform naturally play a significant part in this, we thought it would be beneficial for both sides to expand the area in which they can access our valuable service in London.”
Bolt is launching its ride-hailing service in the following areas: Southend, Gravesend, Woking, Crawley, Tilbury, Basildon, Epping, Redhill, Harlow, Wokingham, Sevenoaks, Stanford-le-Hope, Bishop’s Stortford, Reigate, Guildford, Billericay, and Dorking.
This follows a busy period for Bolt’s operations team in London, having launched the ‘Pet’ category in September and the ability to schedule a ride in advance for all its passengers in October.
The former allows one passenger to request to bring two small pets - such as small to medium-sized dogs, cats, and other commonly recognised household pets - into the car. The latter allows passengers to schedule a ride and lock in a price 72 hours in advance.
The number of taxi drivers has stabilised in Wiltshire following the decline that occurred during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Gazette and Herald reports that this decline followed a national trend as drivers moved to industries with more sociable and regular hours.
According to a report presented to councillors at the latest Wiltshire Council licensing committee meeting, this trend has now stabilised, and driver numbers have risen by 11% over the last 11 months.
The report was discussed at the meeting on Monday, December 4, and indicated that 30 new licence applications and 114 renewals were processed during October 2023.
The total number of licensed hackney carriage drivers at the end of October was 697.
Although these numbers are rising, the report noted that they are not rising fast enough to meet the increased SEND demand.
According to the report, there is also a noticeable trend of drivers switching from hackney carriage to private hire, reflecting the lower footfall and business in town centres.
Since April 2019, the number of hackney carriage drivers has fallen by 182 and the number of private hire drivers has risen by 30.
Tom Ince, the principal compliance officer presenting the reports, said it must be ensured that improvements in Wiltshire’s taxi service remain “viable”.
He concluded that overall, the figures were “positive news” for Wiltshire.
Source: https://www.gazetteandherald.co.uk/news/23970267.wiltshire-council-hunt-taxi-drivers-covid-19-slump/
A mum wants to find the taxi driver who gave her son "three extra days" before he died.
David Clarke was staying at the Adelphi Hotel in Liverpool city centre on Friday, November 17 for two nights with a friend. In the early hours of the Sunday morning the 32-year-old, who was from Stoke-on-Trent, collapsed and suffered a cardiac arrest.
He was rushed to the Royal Liverpool Hospital and placed on the critical care unit. But on Wednesday, November 22, David's mum - Pamela Williams - said her son died in her arms.
Pamela said a taxi driver saw David "in distress" at around 6am on Sunday, November 19 and stopped and started CPR on the 32-year-old.
She told the Liverpool Echo: "I would love to thank him for his quick thinking and initiating CPR, allowing us three extra days to say goodbye to Dave."
Pamela described David as popular and caring, and the mum and son even worked together.
"On Thursday, November 16 and Friday, November 17 he dressed as Pudsey for Children In Need and raised over £150 with his friend Dan."
Pamela, 55, said David was "very excited" to visit Liverpool as it was one of his favourite cities, as well as Amsterdam.
She added: "Dave and his friend booked into the Adelphi Hotel for two nights, his friend left on the Saturday morning. Dave decided to stay on his own as he didn't want to lose a night's money from the hotel.
"Dave was last seen on CCTV standing in a doorway at 4am on Sunday morning talking to a passers-by. The passers-by left and Dave sat down in the doorway.
"6am in the morning, a taxi driver, seeing that Dave was in distress stopped and started CPR.
"He rang the emergency services who swiftly arrived and continued CPR. Sadly, it was 20 minutes before they got any response.
"We were contacted by Stoke-on-Trent police on Sunday afternoon and rushed to Liverpool Royal (hospital), we stayed until Wednesday, showering Dave with love and kisses.
"Within this time, he had lots of friends and family who made their way to Liverpool to visit Dave and to offer us love and support."
Pamela had to make the heartbreaking decision to turn off David's life support. David died in his mum's arms nine minutes later.
The 55-year-old said: "I want to thank critical care Pod D, for the love, care and dignity they not only showed my son, but showed all our family."
Pamela said she also would like to find the taxi driver who found David, she added: "I would love to thank him for his quick thinking and initiating CPR, allowing us three extra days to say goodbye to Dave."
Source: https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/mums-plea-find-taxi-driver-28253676
The founder of a new association for taxi drivers has spoken out against fellow trade members being treated as “human punching bags".
According to The Bolton News, Shaz Malik has previously called for drivers across Bolton to follow his lead in bringing Hackney and Private Hire drivers together under a single association.
Now, following cases of violence against drivers in Bolton and beyond, the founder of Chorley based Four Sixes Taxis says this can also help protect members of his trade.
Mr Malik said: “Having a violent or aggressive customer is every taxi driver's worst nightmare.
“It can result in abuse, racial abuse, physical harm to the driver, or damage to the vehicle.
“These situations usually arise because the customer refuses to pay their taxi fare.
“I strongly encourage all taxi drivers to report any such incidents to the police.
“While the process may be challenging and time-consuming, it is important to take legal action to prevent these crimes from happening again to other taxi drivers.”
Recent prominent incidents have included an attack on a taxi driver in Bromley Cross, who was pelted with stones and mud in July this year.
In February last year, police and councillors in the Breightmet area pledged to take action to protect drivers after a brick was thrown at a moving taxi.
But Mr Malik says the emphasis should also be on how customers behave.
He said: “To customers, my advice would be to avoid putting yourself in such a position in the first place.
“Taxi drivers have rights, and they can refuse service if they feel threatened.
“Racially abusing a taxi driver, damaging their vehicle, or assaulting them is offensive and against the law.
“Taxi drivers provide a service and should not be treated as human punch bags just because you are paying for their services.”
Mr Malik says that Bolton drivers would be safer if they followed his lead in forming a new, united association as he has done in Chorley.
He has drawn on the example of a colleague of his who was attacked by a man he had agreed to take to Preston, who he has supported since.
The Chorley driver said: “I picked up a customer from the taxi rank and he requested a quote to go to Preston.
“However, as soon as we started driving, he suddenly changed his destination to McDonald's.
"I informed him that this change would result in additional charges, but he became verbally abusive towards me.
“Despite this, I proceeded to drive him to McDonald's.
"Once we arrived, he then asked me to take him to a cash machine, all the while continuing his abusive behaviour.
“At this point, I realized that if I were to continue the journey to Preston, the situation might escalate and become violent.
“Concerned for my safety, I made the decision to take him back to an area with surveillance cameras in Chorley.
“During the return trip, he began throwing punches at the screen in an attempt to reach me.
“It was an extremely frightening experience, as we were unsure if he was carrying a weapon.”
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