Last month, Uber announced plans to be a “one-stop shop” for transport.
The Evening Standard reports that today, it’s announced the next step on that journey: the ability to book both domestic and international flights from the same app that Londoners have used for private hire services for more than a decade.
Flight booking will be provided by the online travel agent Hopper and, according to Uber UK’s General Manager, Andrew Brem, will take “as little as one minute”.
Upon entering travel details and the dates, Uber users will be able to select both the departing and returning flights of their choice, before paying in the app.
Uber says that with “major carriers” you’ll also be able to select seats in the app.
While holidaymakers with an eye for a bargain will likely prefer to shop around using the likes of Skyscanner, the change certainly has convenience on its side.
And travellers will enjoy the benefits that Hopper offers its customers directly. These include a Flight Disruption Guarantee, the ability to cancel or change for “any reason”, and Price Freeze — where you can lock in a price for a small deposit while you make other arrangements.
With Uber recently introducing step-by-step airport directions, and now supporting trains across the National Rail network and Eurostar; coaches with National Express and Megabus; and even Thames Clippers, it really is turning into a one-stop app for travel in the UK and beyond.
However, to begin with, flights will be exclusive to UK customers.
“We’re incredibly pleased to introduce flight bookings as the latest addition to Uber’s suite of travel booking options,” said Brem.
“Over the last 12 months with the addition of rail, coach and now flight bookings, Uber is truly a one-stop travel solution.”
The feature will be available to all UK users “this summer”. However, if you’re booking your flights for the school summer holidays, you probably won’t want to leave it until then, no matter how convenient it aims to be.
Source: https://www.standard.co.uk/tech/uber-flight-booking-uk-transport-app-b1080045.html
Police and council officials have done routine stop checks on licensed taxis in the Skipton area for the first time since North Yorkshire Council took over the responsibility from Craven District Council.
Rombalds Radio reports that working alongside North Yorkshire Police’s roads traffic team, hackney carriages and private hire vehicles locally were stopped and checked by the council during April.
Former borough and district councils have routinely carried out regular operations, but these were the first checks since the launch of the new unitary council for North Yorkshire on 1st April 2023.
The checks included ensuring all vehicles were roadworthy and had the correct vehicle and driver signage and documentation.
The joint operations allow checks to be carried out on all taxis and PHVs travelling through a specific area to be checked irrespective of their licensing authority.
North Yorkshire Council’s executive member for managing our environment, Cllr Greg White, said: "The safety of vehicles operating across the county, and those driving them, is important.
"It reflects well on the taxi trade in the Craven area that no major concerns for North Yorkshire licence holders where found.
"We will continue to carry out these operations to ensure standards remain high, and I would like to thank the team for their hard work and North Yorkshire Police for its support."
No formal enforcement action was required as all vehicles checked had the correct documentation and signage. However, during the operation one taxi licensed by a neighbouring authority was caught in Skipton doing speeds in excess of the 30mph speed limit.
Sergeant Pete Stringer from North Yorkshire Police said: "It is important to ensure the safety of everyone using the roads and we will continue to work alongside the council to make sure taxis using the road network are safe."
Since the launch of North Yorkshire Council, a single hackney carriage and private hire licensing policy for the county has been introduced.
The new policy incorporates the DfT’s taxi and private hire vehicle best practice guidance and statutory standards, to ensure that the public continues to be provided with safe and accessible vehicles.
It also provides a coherent regulatory framework for the trade across the county.
Drivers are being urged to be aware of new rules coming in this year which could see more motorists facing fines - including a £100 fuel warning.
The Mirror reports that the changes are being implemented to the Highway Code this month with new driving laws impacting electric car parking fines, introducing more clean air zones, and a seeing handful of Highway Code changes.
Newly passed younger drivers could face strict new rules, as any new motorists under the age of 25 may soon be stopped from carrying passengers under the same age limit in their vehicles to boost road safety.
The proposed move would see a 'graduated driving licence', restricting fresh-faced motorists from certain activities for a set, short timeframe.
Regulations in the Highway Code are also changing.
While it's not illegal, motorists who run out of fuel while driving and obstruct traffic can face £100 fine and points on their licence.
This penalty has been extended to electric car drivers.
The AA previously said it attended more than 10,500 breakdowns last year where members had run out of fuel or electrical charge.
It believes this may be caused by motorists delaying filling up due to high fuel prices and the cost-of-living squeeze.
Tougher rules on mobile phones have also come in. Previously, drivers using their phones at the wheel were fined up to £200 and get six points on their licence.
But now, it is completely illegal for drivers on the roads to use their phones, or any other electronic device - such as a sat nav or tablet.
Experts have spoken out about the potential move for a probationary period for youngsters, with further talks on this set to be debated by Transport Minister Richard Holden come May 16, at a road safety meeting.
Speaking previously Seb Goldin, CEO of RED Driver Training, said: "We know that people of all ages rely on the freedom that driving provides, and graduated driving licensing risks placing restrictions on this.
"However, data shows that in countries where graduated driving licensing is in effect, it is being received well and, in an environment where incidents on our roads are commonplace, taking steps to reduce the risks of death and serious injuries is a protocol we support.
"Road safety remains our ultimate concern, and this probationary period for drivers who are more likely to be involved in an incident allows us to prioritise this even further.”
Source: https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/new-fuel-rule-drivers-mean-29930668
Taxi firms have called for more action from government and City Hall to address failures in London’s EV charging infrastructure, which they argue is slowing the transition to electric fleets.
“There’s work to be done on infrastructure,” Liam Griffin, CEO of Addison Lee, told City A.M.
“When we signed up to this, there were all sorts of promises of the amount of chargers that will be available in London and they haven’t materialised in the way that we’ve been promised, so that has affected some of the drivers’ appetite to take on electric vehicles.”
EV taxi sales have surged since 2018, when TfL introduced guidance that all new cabs must be “zero emissions capable.” However, multiple groups contacted by City A.M. argued that problems with the current charging set-up are slowing the sector’s move towards greener vehicles.
Steve McNamara, general secretary of the Licensed Taxi Drivers Association (LTDA) said “the availability of public charging points, particularly rapid charging points for ‘on the go’ charging, is a big concern for taxi drivers as they need to know it’s viable to run an electric taxi commercially.”
He added: “without action from City Hall and Government, the shortage will become more acute and risks slowing down the record pace of investment we are seeing currently in our sector.”
Taxi firms told City A.M. that EV charge points are currently located in the most affluent areas of London and are often a significant distance from where cab drivers live, adding time and delay to their journeys.
“Drivers often tell me that accessing reliable charging near their homes is critical to their decision to switch to an electric vehicle,” Andrew Brem, Uber’s UK general manager, said. “The uncomfortable truth is that the richest boroughs in London currently have the best access to charging.”
Data from Uber and Freenow reveals that the most common areas London cabbies live are Tower Hamlets, Newham, Brent, Redbridge, Greenwich, Dartford and Barking and Dagenham.
None of these areas feature in the top five boroughs for EV chargers, which are Westminster, Kensington and Chelsea, Hammersmith and Fulham, Wandsworth, and Richmond, according to DfT data.
Mariusz Zabrocki, Freenow’s UK general manager, said that it is a “paradoxical situation,” in which those who have the most need for EV chargers are often the furthest away.
“We definitely need to increase the number of chargers together with increasing vehicles, but I would say that’s been happening. But what hasn’t happened is placing them where they’re needed.”
Roberto Cancini, a 36-year-old Freenow driver from Wimbledon, said that reliable access to charge points would affect his decision to transition to an electric vehicle.
“I was thinking of switching to electric cars but I live in South-West, next to Wimbledon. I was looking for a charger… but I couldn’t spot any close by,” he said.
As the UK edges towards the 2030 EV mandate and taxi firms push for larger electric fleets, Cancini told City A.M. that the high costs associated with going electric, coupled with wider economic problems, have added to drivers’ fears of making the switch.
“Sometimes it is quite stressful when I start thinking about it, which car should I take, you know, are there going to be enough chargers.”
A man living with tonsil cancer who struggled to use public transport has given thanks to an Ipswich-based taxi firm for helping him attend a special concert in London.
Suffolk News reports that Andrew Beaumont, from Beccles, was due to appear at the Royal Over-Seas League as part of a choir on April 3, but illness meant it was difficult to use public transport, which meant he would be unable to attend.
However, Hawk Express Cabs offered to give him a lift from his home to the venue free-of-charge so he could watch them perform.
Andrew is part of Shout at Cancer, a laryngectomy choir consisting of people who underwent the procedure, which performed that night.
Andrew said: “I am deeply grateful to Hawk Express Cabs and their driver Mick for getting me to London to see the choir’s performance. I was guest of honour and was greeted warmly.
“Although I’m no longer able to perform, just to be there at the concert was tremendous.
“The generosity and compassion shown by the team has been quite overwhelming. And it was such a special day – I’m full of gratitude at this act of kindness.”
Andrew was first diagnosed with stage 4 tonsil cancer in 2006. Later, in 2013, he was diagnosed with stage 2 cancer in his larynx and tongue.
Later that year, he underwent a laryngectomy – the surgical removal of the larynx – which saw the organ removed, alongside 60 per cent of his tongue.
Despite the operation, he was regularly able to perform with Shout at Cancer, and has graced stages such as the Wellcome Collection and the Barbican.
He has been in the care of St Elizabeth Hospice since September 2022.
Kim Morphew, from Hawk Express, said: “As soon as we heard Andrew’s story we reached out to the hospice team team in order to help Andrew attend this special performance by the Shout at Cancer choir.
“His story is truly inspirational and we are so glad he had a brilliant time at the concert.”
A taxi firm boss has branded the criminal justice system "broken" after new figures revealed almost a third of offenders in the town reoffended within a year.
Dramatic CCTV footage has captured the moment a hooded figure set a taxi alight on a residential driveway.
A Drongan taxi driver has been convicted of sexually assaulting a female passenger after offering to waive her fare in exchange for sex.
Artur Nowostawski has been jailed for six years and nine months after he attacked a taxi driver earlier this year.
Taxi drivers in the city are facing significant financial losses after a series of electric vehicle charging point failures left them unable to operate.
Police are appealing for help to trace a man who disappeared after getting into a taxi bound for the Otley area of Leeds.
The company’s operator licence includes a condition ordering all drivers to undergo the same training as those from other companies.
Police have stopped a private hire driver who was driving the wrong way on the M1 close to Junction 8 at Hemel Hempstead.
Newcastle City Council is set to introduce strict new measures to tackle illegal and inconsiderate parking near Newcastle International Airport.
West Mercia Police is appealing for information following a rape that took place in Malvern's Priory Park early on Sunday, August 4th.
Glasgow taxi users could be facing a near-10% fare increase and extended night-time charges.
At least 14 cars have been damaged since June, with drivers suffering financial loss and emotional distress.
The attack happened at around 12.45pm on Etruria Vale Road, Stoke, when the victim, driving a Toyota Avensis, was punched in the face by one of the men.
Cumberland Council has taken decisive action to protect public safety by revoking the licence of a taxi driver charged last week with a serious racially aggravated offence.
A historic bridge has been closed indefinitely after an Uber car became wedged on Saturday morning.
A local councillor has sparked a debate on passenger safety after claiming that using locally licensed taxis is safer than hailing an Uber.
A taxi driver was attacked and subjected to racist abuse after two brothers refused to pay him up front.
Christopher Hilling, 64, admitted to engaging a child in sexual activity at Chelmsford Crown Court on Thursday 8 August.
Abdigani Ebrahim, 38, of Grangetown, admitted charges of affray and criminal damage following the incident in Northcote Street, Roath, last July.
The crackdown targeted drivers operating across council boundaries to ensure public safety and compliance with regulations.