Isle of Wight taxi drivers have to sign up for more frequent criminal record checks — and there is a crackdown on those who have not yet done so.
The County Press reports that under a new requirement, all existing and new drivers have to sign up to the DBS Update Service.
This means the council's licensing service must undertake at least twice-yearly checks to ensure its records are up to date.
Several drivers have yet to sign up for the service, the council said, and it is undertaking enforcement action to ensure that they do.
If the drivers do not sign up, they risk having their taxi licences suspended.
The council has said it is regularly reviewing progress as drivers sign up.
As part of the conditions of holding a hackney carriage licence, drivers are required to inform the council within seven days if they have any conviction or caution imposed on them during their licence period.
All licensed taxi drivers do have a current DBS certificate, the council has confirmed.
Sourcve: https://www.countypress.co.uk/news/23892523.isle-wight-taxi-dbs-checks-updated/
Councillors are set to debate proposals to increase taxi fares next week across Barrow, South Lakeland and Eden.
According to the Westmorland Gazette, members of the regulatory committee for Westmorland and Furness Council are set to make a decision on whether to raise the cost of taxi fares by seven per cent on Tuesday 7 November.
If councillors decide to increase taxi fares, the head of public protection at the council will conduct a direct engagement and consultation exercise with the licensed hackney carriage proprietors and report back to the committee any representations made during the consultation.
After the end of the 14-day consultation period, if no representations are made, the proposed changes to the taxi fares will be implemented a month later.
According to the report prepared for committee members the average cost of a two-mile daytime journey with no waiting time is currently £6.50 in Barrow, £6.60 in Eden and £6.70 in South Lakeland. This is lower than the national average of £6.97.
With the proposed increase, taxi fares will rise to £6.80 in Barrow, £6.80 in Eden and £7.20 in South Lakeland for the average cost of a two-mile daytime journey with no waiting time.
Members of the committee voted unanimously in favour of raising taxi fares on September 28 in light of the cost-of-living crisis.
Councillor Les Hall (Hawcoat and Newbarns, Conservative) previously said: “The price of insurance has gone through the roof and the number of taxis available, I can only speak for Barrow, is much reduced because drivers can’t make a living. We’ve got to do something, doing nothing is not an option.”
Tariffs were last reviewed in South Lakeland in April 2022 and in Barrow in September 2022.
A unified taxi policy for Westmorland and Furness Council is set to be discussed by the committee at a future meeting.
Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council (RMBC) is set to review its licensing policy, and will introduce new rules to tackle a "proliferation" of out-of-town private hire drivers operating in the borough so there are "no unacceptable risks to public safety".
The Star reports, if approved, operators must inform the customer when accepting a booking that it will be sub-contracted to another private hire operator
A report said drivers are moving away from local firms and are working for firms that have licences to operate in a number of different districts.
Firms in Rotherham are reporting a decrease in the number of drivers, and they are looking at other options to enable them to fulfil bookings.
“The proliferation of out-of-town vehicles is concerning, not least because this activity undermines the standards that are set by the council’s hackney carriage and private hire licensing policy, ” adds the report.
"It is essential that private hire operator licence holders are competent in the operation of their business and have appropriate safeguards in place".
It said drivers licensed elsewhere are benefiting from an ‘unfair commercial advantage due to lower operational costs’.
Obtaining a licence elsewhere could save a driver up to £3,000, due to tighter regulations in Rotherham, such as newer vehicles being required as well as CCTV.
In a bid to ensure that operators ‘meet the high expectations that the council and the residents of Rotherham have of them’, additional conditions will be attached to operator licences for private hire vehicles.
These include informing the customer that a booking will be sub contracted, and keeping detailed records of each booking.
RMBC will also take into account a wider range of an applicant’s previous convictions, including motoring offences, illegal drug offences, and offences relating to discrimination, public safety and immigration.
More vehicles may also be granted a licence, as the council proposes to remove the current limit of 52 hackney carriages able to operate at any one time – on the provision that new hackneys are wheelchair-accessible.
The policy will be presented to cabinet in December, and implemented immediately if approved.
Pet owners across the UK can now request a ride for them and their pet after ride-hailing platform Bolt launched a dedicated ‘Pet’ category in a further 15 cities.
This comes after a successful launch of the category in London in September.
The designated service will give pet owners peace of mind that they will seamlessly and conveniently be able to travel with their furry friend at a push of a button. Bolt is the first ride-hailing platform to launch such a service in the likes of Cardiff, Edinburgh and Newcastle.
The launch comes after October was National Pet Wellness Month and 30th October was National ‘Treat Your Pet’ Day.
There’s an estimated 13 million pet dogs and 12 million pet cats in the UK, with more than half of UK households owning at least one pet as of 2022.
The spending power of pet owners is significant, with spending on pets and related products reaching almost eight billion British pounds in 2020, a notable increase from a mere 2.9 billion British pounds in 2005.
As a result, the Estonian company expects the service to be popular. Furthermore, demand for ride-hailing in general is expected to continue to grow as days get darker and colder.
With the fare for the category including a small additional charge for passengers, Bolt believes this represents an opportunity for drivers to increase their earnings.
In order to ensure the launch period brings value to both passengers and drivers, Bolt is offering riders £4 off their first ‘Pet’ category journey with the discount code ‘PETSONBOARD’. More information can be found at the firm’s Instagram page, @bolt_uk.
If there’s only one passenger, they may bring two small pets. These include small to medium-sized dogs, cats, and other commonly recognised household pets. Those with an assistance dog do not need to request the ‘Pet’ category.
The category brings a level of transparency and peace of mind for pet owners and drivers.
Passengers can inform drivers about their pet’s breed and size via the in-app call and messaging functions.
Bolt has taken steps to educate passengers on what they can do to ensure a smooth and comfortable journey. For example, passengers are recommended to have a blanket on their person. Cats and dogs don't have to be caged, but other common household animals should be.
The category is not mandatory for drivers. They can easily opt out of the category once it’s live by unticking it in the Bolt Driver app. Drivers who remain opted into the category will be able to see if a passenger is requesting a ‘Pet’ category ride, and will be free to accept, decline, or ignore the request as they wish.
Markian Iwaniw, Senior Operations Manager at Bolt said: “Research told us that over half (51%) of dog owners say the main reason they own a dog is because it makes them happy.
"It’s my pleasure to play a small role in reciprocating this love for dogs and all other domestic animals with our dedicated ‘Pet’ category, especially as it continues to get darker, colder and wetter.
"Just make sure you’ve got a blanket on you if a certain someone has enjoyed the mud and puddles a bit too much!”.
A debate on whether it should be mandatory for all taxis in Derby to have CCTV cameras inside them is set to resurface after a heated political row broke out on the public safety matter.
According to DerbyshireLive, a Derby City Council licensing meeting is due to be held later this week which will see councillors decide on whether or not to “instruct officers to carry out a 12-week (public) consultation on the installation of CCTV in taxi and private hire vehicles to identify whether a local need exists”.
A similar debate was held last year before a political split led to a row inside the city council chamber – in which one councillor asked if there had to be a murder before action was taken.
A report states: “The appetite is increasing nationally where it is felt to be locally appropriate following consultation”.
But Derby City Council is only able to mandate the use of CCTV in taxis and private hire vehicles “if it can demonstrate that it is a proportionate response to local issues which can be justified”.
In September 2022 it was reported by the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) that Derby City Council’s licensing committee held a vote on whether CCTVs in Derby taxis should be mandatory, which saw a divide of opinion.
The vote saw the majority of the councillors on the licensing committee - mainly Labour and Liberal Democrat councillors - vote to not pursue action in making CCTV cameras in taxis compulsory due to a lack of evidence - angering Conservative and Reform Derby councillors who argued that CCTV was needed urgently in taxis.
Ahead of the vote, Derbyshire police released limited details of 176 incidents in the county involving taxis within a six-month period. The police details released only give a description of the alleged incidents between February and August 2022 but not what happened following the allegations.
Mike Kay, head of services at Derby City Council, said at the meeting the number of incidents reported to police was considered “low” given the number of drivers licensed in Derby and the number of journeys undertaken by licensed vehicles. But this reflection caused concern among Conservative and Reform Derby councillors on the licensing committee.
Reform Derby councillor John Evans said the police details showed urgent action was needed. He said: “I just noticed some of the items listed as potential offences. There’s one saying someone held a knife to the throat of a taxi driver, a knife to the throat.
“I mean what are we going to do? Wait until we get a death? I wouldn't want to be sitting here in a few months and saying we have had an incident and a taxi driver has been murdered.”
Conservative councillor Ged Potter, who serves Allestree, added: “Appendix 2 (the police incidents) is of some considerable concern. I believe this information from police needs expanding and we need to ask further questions.
"There are 176 reported incidents - some are extremely serious in just under seven months - roughly 25 per month. It’s not just against taxi drivers.”
Councillor Potter then proposed deferring a decision based on getting further information from the police authorities but this was lost. He then made a second proposal to say the evidence given was justifiable in making CCTV in taxis mandatory - this was again lost.
A motion was then approved by Liberal Democrat councillor Ajit Atwal to accept the recommendation not to mandate CCTV in Derby taxis but to continue to monitor police incidents and bring back a report in the future.
Labour councillor Nadine Peatfield said: “It’s an interesting list that’s been gathered over the last six months. And obviously as pointed out it's a small proportion of the amount of journeys that have been taken.
"But I think this is something that should be monitored. When you look at the list quite a few of the incidents occur outside of the taxi so cameras inside wouldn’t actually make a difference.”
On Thursday November 2, the council’s licensing committee will discuss the issue again. The meeting is likely to set the ball rolling where fresh evidence will be submitted on the matter if a public consultation is agreed.
Source: https://www.derbytelegraph.co.uk/news/derby-news/you-think-taxis-derby-should-8869550
Taxi drivers across the Fylde Coast are set to receive a briefing note aimed at clearing up confusion over out-of-area private hire vehicles.
Police are appealing to find a taxi driver who may have "vital clues" about the murder of Ryan Passey seven years ago since he was fatally stabbed in a Stourbridge nightclub.
A joint operation by Hull City Council, Wolverhampton Council, and Humberside Police has uncovered a number of safety issues with taxis operating in the city.
French taxi drivers are calling for government compensation after suffering significant revenue losses during the Paris Olympics.
Coventry city centre has introduced a new taxi marshal service aimed at improving safety and efficiency for late-night revellers.
A court heard harrowing details of the moment a drink-driving uninsured motorist killed three people in a 90mph crash.
The Taxi Charity for Military Veterans was amongst the thousands who enjoyed the Battle Proms at Highclere Castle on 3 August.
Swindon residents could be facing a hike in taxi fares from October after councillors gave the green light to a £1 increase in the standard fare minimum charge.
Ricky Harold, a 20-year veteran of the town’s taxi trade, was parked in a lay-by when his vehicle was struck from behind by a black Audi A2.
Chinese automotive giant Geely has deepened its commitment to the UK electric vehicle market with a £120m cash injection into London Electric Vehicle Company (LEVC).
North Tyneside Council is facing a backlash over plans to increase taxi fares by 6.3%.
Nazim Asmal preyed on his victims after nights out in Preston and Darwen, driving them to secluded spots before carrying out horrific sexual assaults.
Newcastle is set to see a surge in pink taxis driven by women as part of a new initiative aimed at improving passenger safety.
An unlicensed taxi driver who picked up two vulnerable women in Aberdare has been ordered to pay nearly £1,500 in fines and costs.
Cleethorpes taxi drivers are breathing a sigh of relief after council enforcement officers cracked down on vehicles illegally parked in designated taxi ranks.
A Barry man has avoided jail after launching a drunken attack on a taxi driver who refused him entry to his vehicle.
Jersey’s taxi service is in crisis, with driver numbers plummeting by more than a quarter since 2014, a new report has revealed.
On Wednesday 27 July, more than 300 vulnerable youngsters were taken on an all-expenses paid trip to Southport.
Taxi drivers in the town will be able to charge passengers more following a decision by the borough council on 31 July.
A taxi driver has been sentenced to a community order after admitting causing the death of a pedestrian by driving at excessive speed.