Over 200 people have signed a petition calling for taxi drivers to be granted access to bus lanes along Reading's A33 Basingstoke Road.

The A33 is a major north-south route, and the council's South Reading Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project has introduced bus lanes to improve journey times.

Currently, only buses can use these lanes bit there is a push for hackney carriages to be allowed access as well.

Asif Rashid, chairman of the Reading Taxi Association, presented the petition to the council in June, arguing that the lanes are often empty and that allowing taxis would be beneficial.

However, the council's highways team has recommended against the change, citing concerns about safety hazards, as bus stops along the route lack laybys, potentially forcing taxis to swerve into traffic to avoid buses.

The final decision on the petition will be made at a council meeting on 27 November.

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Buckinghamshire Council has refused licences to taxi drivers over serious offences including sex crimes, drug use and using mobile phones while driving.

In the year to September 30, 2024, 53 cabbie applications were rejected, more than double the previous year's figure of 20.

The council's principal licensing officer, Simon Gallacher, said: "Although this represents only four per cent of total applications, it highlights the importance of maintaining high standards."

Common reasons for refusal included:

• Motoring offences: Driving without insurance and using mobile phones.
• Dishonesty: Failing to disclose offences and providing false information.
• Criminal convictions: Sex offences, drug possession, knife possession, burglary, theft, battery, fraud, dangerous driving, speeding, and licensing offences.
• DVLA disqualifications.

The council successfully defended itself in six out of seven driver appeals, with costs awarded in several cases.

In addition to licence refusals, 26 drivers had their licences revoked, and ten vehicle licences were revoked including for motoring offences, such as using phones at the wheel and driving under the influence of drugs.

Violence offences, including one murder investigation and arrests for assault and criminal damage, were among the other reasons.

Dishonesty, such as failing to notify authorities of arrests, convictions, or changes in personal details, was also a ‘significant factor’, according to the council’s annual report.

Other grounds included safeguarding concerns, medical unfitness to drive, and ‘serious concerns’ over driving standards and judgement.

Meanwhile, ten vehicle licences were revoked during the period, most of which were due to taxis sustaining ‘significant damage’ in accidents.

The licensing service received 310 online complaints in the year to September 30, 2024, slightly less than the 335 received during the previous 12-month reporting period.

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A cabbie has been jailed after his own dashcam recorded him sexually assaulting a female passenger.

Police say Imran Yaseen targeted the woman at about 11pm on 14 February after picking her up in Nottingham city centre. 

The victim, a woman in her 30s, was sittting in the front passenger seat when the 40-year-old began making inappropriate comments and touching her leg.

Nottinghamshire Police said he later pulled over near Clifton and subjected the woman to a serious sexual assault.

Yaseen was arrested the following day after the taxi firm identified him.

His car was then seized along with an internal facing dashboard camera installed to protect him and other drivers from harm, the force said.

When officers downloaded the footage, they were able to see and hear the entire incident.

Yaseen, from Bilborough, Nottingham, pleaded guilty to three counts of sexual assault at Nottingham Crown Court in March.

Appearing at Nottingham Crown Court on Thursday 14 November he was jailed for 16 months and added to the sex offenders’ register for ten years.

He was also made subject to a sexual harm prevention notice that will prevent him from driving a taxi when he is released from prison and placed on the sex offenders' register for ten years.

PC Tom Gregory said: "This was an opportunist assault on a vulnerable female passenger and I am pleased Yaseen has now been jailed.

"The victim in this case put her trust in him to take her home safely and he utterly abused that trust by subjecting her to a prolonged sexual assault.

“Thanks to the evidence contained on his own dashcam camera, he had little option but to plead guilty and will now spend a significant amount of time in time in prison."

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Midlothian Council has relaxed its strict rules on tinted windows, acknowledging concerns from local drivers.

The previous regulations required taxi windows to meet a specific light transmission level, which often clashed with the factory-fitted windows of newer vehicles.

This forced drivers to incur significant costs to replace the windows, as highlighted by the Midlothian Taxi Owners Association.

The association argued that the stringent rules were outdated and unnecessary, particularly given the advancements in vehicle technology. They emphasised the financial burden and potential safety implications of replacing factory-fitted windows.

In a letter to the council's general purposes chairperson Councillor David Virgo, the association said: "We feel a relaxation of the strict vehicle window tinting requirements would form best practice and save operators money and improve safety.

"We recently had an owner change the rear windows in their vehicle to meet requirements. This cost was in excess of £2k. Unless you own a 'window tint light meter', then it's often very difficult, if not impossible, to tell if windows are compliant or not when purchasing a vehicle for use as a private hire."

In response to these concerns, the council has adjusted the regulations.

The new rules now require a minimum light transmission level of 65% for rear windows, excluding tailgate glass, a more lenient standard than the previous 70%.

Councilors acknowledged the changing landscape of the taxi industry and the need for regulations to adapt to modern vehicle designs.

The committee unanimously approved the changes to the regulations.

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Tunbridge Wells could soon become Kent's second most expensive place to hail a taxi.

Local taxi driver Clayton Berry has submitted a proposal to the borough council seeking a 60p increase for a standard two-mile journey.

The proposed fare hike, if approved, would take effect next month.

The increase is attributed to rising operational costs, including vehicle maintenance, licensing fees, card transaction charges and the overall cost of living.

Currently, a two-mile journey on 'tariff one' costs £8. With the proposed increase, it would rise to £8.60. For 'tariff two' journeys, the cost would increase from £11.80 to £12.70.

If implemented, these new rates would place Tunbridge Wells second only to Sevenoaks in terms of taxi fare costs within Kent.

Mr Berry has also requested an increase in the 'additional passenger capacity charge' from £2 to £3 for journeys with more than four passengers.

The borough council's licensing committee debated the proposal on Tuesday, November 19th. 

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