After their private hire firm was sold to a larger company, a group of employees have banded together and created their own business.
The Nottingham Post reports that ten friends from County Cars, which was sold to DG Cars in March 2023, have created their own local taxi firm called NG8 cars which is due to launch this week in the Broxtowe area.
The eight taxi drivers and two board operators were due to launch their new business on Monday, April 10, but now expect to open it later this week after some unexpected delays.
The partners say that after their firm was sold it changed how they had to work and it took them far from their local area which they have been servicing for years.
However, the new business will focus on the NG8 area west of Nottingham, but will be servicing other areas too.
Liam Chapman, 39, has been a taxi driver for 15 years, and explained that many of the group had worked at the previous company for a number of years.
He said: "Myself and nine other employees and drivers have clubbed together and started our own company in the same area. We worked there for 15 to 20 years and then it was sold to DG Cars.
"We all worked in the NG8 area and we know the area and we know all the customers and where everyone goes."
Liam explained that they created the company so that they "can basically get back in the area that we were already in, it's like coming home for everyone."
He continued: "We've had lots of messages from drivers that worked here before asking if they can start here. It's been the excitement amongst the drivers that has made it so great."
The business was due to open in the former premises they worked in, however, the group has since had to relocate which caused the delay in their opening.
Liam added: "This is the first working day since we should have opened so we have to get systems installed today."
Another one of the co-owners, Keith Leatherland, has been a taxi driver for 30 years. The 57 year old, of Nottingham, said: "We just can't wait to get started to be honest.
"Some of the customers are delighted that we are going to service them again, and they are not just customers some of them turn out to be friends.
"It's like the pensioners we pick up, they just can't wait, they are buzzing that we are starting back again and we just can't wait to get started."
The company currently has around eight drivers but by the end of the week expects to have almost 20.
The service operates from 6am until midnight seven days a week, but plan to expand hours as they get more drivers.
Source: https://www.nottinghampost.com/news/taxi-firm-employees-band-together-8340639
Sadiq Khan should regulate minicabs rather than charge Hertfordshire drivers who use roads in the capital, a cabbie has said.
HertsLive reports that Cheshunt South councillor Tony Siracusa, who drives an electric taxi, has successfully called on Broxbourne Borough Council to formally oppose Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) expansion.
Councillors in Broxbourne, which shares a border with Enfield, fear a £12.50 daily charge on drivers of the most polluting vehicles in outer London will harm residents who cannot afford a greener vehicle. The ULEZ is already in place between the North and South Circular roads.
On August 29, 2023, TfL will expand the zone to cover most of Greater London. According to TfL, nine in 10 cars on outer London roads already meet ULEZ standards so their drivers would not face a charge.
In a motion which received unanimous support from Conservative and Labour councillors in Broxbourne, Cllr Siracusa said expanding the ULEZ "will result in a significant and detrimental effect on residents of the borough, many of whom need to travel into London for work and leisure".
The Conservative councillor added: "It is highly regressive in effectively targeting the least well off who are less likely to be able to replace their vehicle." He said: "Transport for London is licensing close to 600 private hire drivers per week.
"If we keep on at that rate, it will always make pollution worse because the roads will become clogged and traffic comes to a standstill. It certainly feels like traffic is slowing down in London, with more congestion than before."
In the week ending Sunday, April 2, TfL issued 516 new private hire licences, bringing the total number of London licences to 101,472. But between 2019 and 2022, delays eased on 43 out of London's top 50 most congested roads, according to Westminster government figures.
Cllr Siracusa added: "What we are doing in Broxbourne is looking at how roads are designed. We have a Broxbourne Transport Plan which sets out ambitions for problem junctions such as the A10 roundabout at Park Plaza, which we want to become a hamburger-style roundabout with the main road running through the middle.
"We want no right turns off the A10 in both directions eventually to keep traffic moving. Old River Lane in Cheshunt will feature zebra crossings not traffic lights, so drivers will only need to stop when someone is going to cross, not at red lights which aren't letting traffic flow."
TfL claims the existing ULEZ has been "transformational" for inner London. Authority data shows pollution is down 21 per cent compared with a no-ULEZ scenario. "Thanks to the ULEZ expansion to inner London, over four million people now breathe cleaner air, including children in 1,362 schools," a Mayor of London report notes.
The Labour mayor Sadiq Khan has previously said: "The evidence from this landmark report is clear – the ULEZ works. This is beyond dispute. It has already reduced toxic air pollution by almost half in central London and by over a fifth in inner London, transforming the quality of air for four million Londoners."
Broxbourne Borough Council is not the only authority in Hertfordshire to raise concerns. County Council leader Richard Roberts (Con, Kings Langley) has said he will not support signage or cameras aimed at "fining our drivers" in Hertfordshire.
Hertsmere Borough Council, which is based in Borehamwood, said better bus connections are needed between its towns and north London before the ULEZ is expanded.
And in Watford, Mayor Peter Taylor (LD) said town stations should be brought into London's Zone 6 - rather than zones 7, 8 and 9 - to promote a shift towards public transport. TfL has previously confirmed there are no plans to re-zone parts of Hertfordshire.
Source: https://www.hertfordshiremercury.co.uk/news/hertfordshire-news/sadiq-khan-must-look-ulez-8343437
West Midlands Police has released a video, which shows a stolen Toyota Prius private hire vehicle being pursued along the A449 into Wolverhampton by traffic officers.
According to the Express and Star, the video shows the PHV, which was stolen at knife point in a car-jacking on the evening of April 3, being pursued by two police cars into the city centre, then turning up the A4150 city roundabout from the Penn Road Island.
As the chase continues up the Birmingham Road, the Prius is seen on a police helicopter's infra-red camera attempting to turn down a by-pass between Birmingham Road and A459 Dudley Road, only to be hit by one of the pursuing cars.
The car then rolls down and comes to a stop at the entrance of the bypass, before officers surrounded the car and arrested the two occupants, two 16-year-old boys, the second after a foot chase as he tried to run away.
Both youths were subsequently sentenced to 18 months imprisonment for a number of offences.
A spokesman for Traffic West Midlands said: "This Toyota Prius taxi was stolen in a knife point car-jacking shortly before we saw it in Wolverhampton.
"The driver made off on seeing us & was pursued before both 16 yr old occupants were arrested.
"Both have been sentenced to 18 months imprisonment for various offences."
Watch the video here: https://youtu.be/NZPW4RGtF1Y
Preston Council is planning a taxi rank shake-up in the wake of a £14.7m scheme to transform Friargate and Ringway.
According to the Lancashire Post, Cabinet members are to debate closing the night-time crank opposite the Dog and Partridge pub as part of County Hall's pedestrianisation of the city's second shopping street.
Alternative ranks will be opened in nearby Heatley Street and further up Friargate - towards the university - to ensure passengers are not left stranded, especially at night.
At the moment the current Friargate stand between the junctions with Heatley Street and Hill Street, which can accommodate up to six black cabs, is only in use from 8pm to 6am. The new plans will create a brand new 24-hour cab stop for two taxis in Heatley Street close to the New Britannia Inn.
Passengers will also be able to get a cab at another new rank at the UCLan end of Friargate, at what used to be a bus stop outside the newly pedestrianised area which will have room for four vehicles.
Preston's cabinet will be asked to revoke the existing rank because it will no longer be accessible due to the pedestrian zone currently being built. The cab stand was first opened in May 2014 following a request from the taxi trade.
It is one of 15 ranks across Preston, all-but one of them in the city centre. Only four - the railway station, Church Street, Lancaster Road and Tithebarn Street - are open to cabs 24 hours a day, with the remaining 11 available just for fares to supply the night-time economy.
Lancashire County Council is currently carrying out highway improvement works to Friargate North and Ringway to deliver an enhanced public realm and improve connections between the two halves of Friargate.
A report to the cabinet says: "As part of the redevelopment process, consultation took place between officers from Lancashire County Council and the hackney carriage trade, with input from officers of the City Council, representatives of Preston Business Improvement District, together with a wider public consultation including local businesses.
"As part of the scheme, there will be no overall loss in hackney carriage spaces, but to enable the highway changes the hackney carriage stand requires revoking. No objections or representations to the proposed revocation have been received.
"Not revoking the hackney carriage stand will mean that an area of highway will be restricted for the use of hackney carriages, but without any feasible access to be able to use the stand once all of the proposed access restrictions have been implemented as part of the wider scheme."
Cabbies are calling for strict licensing tests to be relaxed. It comes as Thanet has seen a huge drop off in the number of taxi drivers operating in the area.
KentLive reports that Thanet District Council is being urged to overhaul the difficult and “increasingly pointless” local knowledge requirement. It is hoped this would tackle the shortage in the area.
A group presenting private hire firms says they are now operating with just half the number of drivers compared to three years ago, leaving customers struggling to book journeys.
They say, in the age of sat-navs, the local knowledge test is too difficult and unnecessary.
Under the council’s licensing regime, both taxi and private hire drivers have to pass a four-part test, with sections on safeguarding, local knowledge, numeracy and traffic signs. The local knowledge section requires prospective drivers to get 18 marks out of 20 to pass.
Andy Doody, chairman of the Thanet Private Hire Association (TPHA), represents the three biggest operators in the district. The 60-year-old veteran taxi driver said: “It’s pointless, because the systems now do it all for them.
“We’re not saying we want it to be easy, but with respect, I was a driver for 30-odd years. I’m not a silly man, and I failed it twice.
“Last year alone there were 101 fewer licensed vehicles in the area. That’s a terrific amount of drivers to lose in one year, and that was 2021-2022. 2022-23 is going to be even harder.
“Only nine new drivers have been licensed this year. That’s a drop in the ocean. This is why nobody can get taxis.”
Mr Doody says the drop in the number of licensed drivers is causing problems for operators. He added: “You just cannot physically get enough drivers licensed in a timely manner to get them through. It’s an absolute headache.”
TPHA raised its concerns with the district council in a letter, telling the authority: “All three of our companies are now running with roughly 50% the number of drivers we had three years ago.”
The council’s licensing board met on March 21 to discuss changing the tests required to obtain licences, with the aim of getting more people qualified.
A council officer told members that “last year there were quite a lot of drivers that didn’t renew their licence”.
Council documents detailed how in 2022 alone, 101 drivers either closed or did not renew their licences, and 322 have let their licences lapse since 2017.
The council officer added: “I would personally like to see it split a bit more so that there’s a private hire test and a hackney test, and then obviously the hackney one can concentrate more on local knowledge or how to get from A to B.”
Cllr Linda Potts (Ind) told officers and members: “The knowledge test we have is very difficult, not just for foreign drivers but English drivers too. For everyone across the board, I think it is a bit too difficult.”
Cllr Alan Currie (Lab) expressed similar sentiments, saying: “I don’t think the drivers these days need extensive knowledge of the local area, but as you say the hackney cabs are different. We currently have 391 licensed private hire drivers, and we’ve got seven that are currently going through their renewal process."
The licensing board instructed council officers to prepare changes to the knowledge test – simplifying the local knowledge needed for private hire drivers – and to report back to the board in the summer.
However, Mr Doody said: “I honestly can’t see that happening by June or July.”
In November last year Mr Doody and other local taxi operators met South Thanet MP Craig Mackinlay (Con) to discuss the state of affairs Mr Doody backs one of the ideas council officers were told to consider – that of an in-house trainer, hired by the council to teach prospective drivers for the course.
He alleges that, since their November meeting, Mr Mackinlay arranged funding through the DWP to help with implementing in-house training, but the council refused this.
Mr Mackinlay said: “I have regular meetings with the local DWP (JobCentre) who are always on hand to promote candidates towards vacancies.
“They did offer to manage a training scheme to assist those trying to pass the local taxi licensing requirements given the obvious high number of vacancies. I am reliably informed by a senior local DWP officer that this offer was made to Thanet Licensing but it was rebuffed. This is hugely disappointing.”
A TDC spokesperson said: “Craig Mackinlay made an informal offer to the council, to approach DWP regarding setting up a course to train taxi drivers. Any proposed changes to the process of training taxi drivers must be presented formally to the council’s Licensing Board first of all.
“Additionally, the council was already in the process of identifying ways of delivering these courses in-house, and this has now been approved by the Licensing Board.”
Source: https://www.kentlive.news/news/kent-news/thanet-cabbies-call-increasingly-pointless-8349904
A former paratrooper turned pet taxi driver is in the running for an Animal Star Award for his work in Wakefield and Pontefract.
Tariq Rehman, 75, from Stechford, had his licence removed by Solihull Council in November last year following a complaint from a passenger.
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.