A woman has founded her own taxi firm, and has spoken of the challenges of starting out as a cab driver.
Suffolk News reports that Joanne Carr started Diamond Cars last month.
As the company’s sole driver, she will be offering rides in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk and beyond.
Ms Carr believes there is a demand for female cabbies in a traditionally male-dominated industry, noting that many women are reluctant to get in a male-driven cab.
She states: “I’m all for females being independent. I hate the idea of somebody walking the street at night, not being able to find a cab.”
At present, people applying for a taxi licence have to submit to multiple, time-consuming checks.
Ms Carr – who applied last November – says driving is a “great” way to earn a living.
But she argues that the application process puts many drivers off.
She says: “People aren’t wanting to renew their licence because it’s such a difficult thing.
“It’s a process we have to go through, but I’m speaking to the council to try and get all that simplified.”
Source: https://www.suffolknews.co.uk/bury-st-edmunds/news/one-woman-taxi-firm-on-a-mission-9302584/
Three south London cab drivers have won a gruelling 3,200-mile Atlantic rowing race, emerging boney, bearded and ecstatic about their unexpected victory.
Stuart Lockhart, 50, from Rotherhithe, Daren Parr, 56, from Backheath, and Bob Barber, 57, from Sidcup, took eight weeks to row from Lanzarote, on January to 3, to Antigua, arriving on Saturday, March 4.
Southwark News reports that the intrepid trio was met by crowds of people who banged pots and pans having followed their crazy adventure on social media over the last two months.
Photos shared by the team have revealed their shocking weight loss from living off dehydrated food for months.
Their rival team, the Atlantic Dragons, had a professional rower and ultra-marathon runner yet couldn’t keep up with the cabbies.
They have already raised £11,475 but need another £4,525 to help get their trusty ocean rowing boat back home.
Finally back in the UK after paying off a long Antiguan bar tab, Daren Parr reflected on the team’s against-the-odds triumph.
“A lot of it had a lot to do with not only the British bulldog spirit but representing our family, friends and our trade,” he said.
Daren compared the challenge to learning ‘The Knowledge’. “They both discriminate against no one. Whatever your sex, whatever colour you are, whether you’re fat – it doesn’t matter. You either complete it or give up.”
During their adventure, the team battled towering waves and were followed by dolphins, whales and shoals of flying fish.
But the days were characterised by a relentless “ground-hog-day” rowing regime, which pushed them to the limits physically and psychologically.
“You can’t understand how draining and overwhelming it all is until you do it. Seeing land was an incredible thing…” Daren said.
He said he was so exhausted in the airport on the way home that customs officers pulled him out of the queue to get him through as fast as possible.
He said: “I’m absolutely like Quasimodo… everything hurts. If there had been a ‘I’m a Cabbie Get Me Out of Here’ button, it would have been smashed to bits.”
Donate to their fundraiser here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/cabbiesdoatlanticrow
The Parliamentary Taxi and Private Hire Awards return for 2023 on Tuesday 6 June, in the House of Commons, with founder Daniel Zeichner MP hosting the event.
This year’s Awards are proudly sponsored for the fourth year by Europe's Mobility Super App, FREE NOW.
The annual Awards give Parliamentarians a chance to nominate a driver from their constituency who has gone above and beyond the call of duty in their community.
The 2023 nominations are now open and will close on Friday 28 April 2023.
This year, the Awards are open to more Parliamentarians than ever before, with members of the House of Lords eligible to nominate drivers and London Assembly Members are also now able to nominate drivers for the first time.
Previous nominations have recognised drivers for delivering food parcels to the vulnerable, giving medical attention to those in need, helping rough sleepers with free rides to shelters and working with FREE NOW to provide vaccines to elderly people.
At the June event, which will take place at Parliament’s prestigious Terrace Pavillion, overlooking the river Thames, nominated drivers will have a chance to meet with their peers, their MP or Assembly Member and will be presented with a certificate in recognition of their efforts, highlighting why they have been selected to be their constituency’s Taxi and Private Hire Driver of the Year.
The Awards were founded in 2019 by Daniel Zeichner, MP for Cambridge and chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Taxis, with the aim of bringing the industry together to celebrate drivers and inspire passengers.
FREE NOW, a multi-mobility app that offers black cabs and private hire vehicles together on a single platform, continues to back the Awards as a sponsor for this annual event.
Mariusz Zabrocki, UK General Manager, FREE NOW says: "These Awards are an opportunity to celebrate the huge contribution taxi and PHV drivers make to people’s lives and to our local communities. At FREE NOW, we believe in backing UK drivers and championing the work that the taxi and private hire industry does on behalf of the UK public.
"By extending nominations to include the House of Lords and the London Assembly, this year’s Awards are an opportunity to recognise more drivers than ever before.”
Daniel Zeichner MP commented: "These Awards are all about celebrating the huge - often unsung - contribution of the UK’s 330,000 taxi and PHV drivers.
"It’s a chance to shine a light on those drivers who - in the course of their day-to-day work - have gone above and beyond to support their customers or their local community.
"I would encourage all my colleagues here in Parliament and at the London Assembly to nominate those drivers who they have come across who they feel would merit recognition.”
fonaCAB is the first Northern Irish taxi operator to partner with the “Females in the Fleet” Initiative (FITF/ www.femalesinthefleet.com).
Set up to promote equality in the taxi sector and encourage more females to become drivers, the FITF primary function is to ensure that female drivers maximise their opportunities and operate safely.
FITF actively recruits female drivers into the industry by marketing a career in driving to them. They then help them to get started as a driver by providing training, assistance with licensing and car setup, followed by placement with a suitable operator local to them.
Support continues after this with ongoing mentoring for the female drivers, along with member services and initiatives that promote safety, gender equality and inclusion.
While the number of female taxi drivers working in Northern Ireland is much smaller than the number of men, the feedback we hear from those at fonaCAB echoes what their male counterparts say – flexibility for family, and flexibility to work (and earn) as much as you want are key factors in choosing to be a taxi driver.
The question is then, if the benefits are similar, why do we not see more “Females in the Fleet?” Taxiing has historically been a male dominated sector, but there are no reasons why this should be the case anymore.
fonaCAB is currently offering its New Driver Development Programme free to all prospective drivers. This offers bespoke training to help applicants pass their theory test and to guide them on all other aspects on how to gain their taxi licence.
The programme is easy to join and is delivered at a time and pace (and online or in person) that suits the applicant. While the tutoring and advice is free, applicants still have to pay for their testing fees and licence applications.
To mark International Women’s Day fonaCAB will fund DVA testing and licensing fees for five aspiring female taxi drivers on the New Driver Development Programme
Those considering a career as a taxi driver who would like to join the fonaCAB New Driver Development Programme, and female applicants wishing to benefit from zero DVA testing and licensing fees should get in touch at www.fonacab.com/training.php or call us on (028) 90 330 333.
A taxi driver is taking legal action over claims that a Wakefield Council licensing error left him unable to work.
Cabbie Ishfaq Hussain said the mistake has left him up to £1,000 out of pocket after he was issued with an out of date licence plate.
The Wakefield Express reports that Mr Hussain made a successful application to the local authority to have his hackney carriage licence renewed earlier this year.
The father-of-five said a new licence plate was posted to his home which had an expiry date of February 19, 2023.
Mr Hussain, 36, said the plate was already four days out of date by the time he received it.
He said: “When I showed it to my operator they spotted the mistake and told me I couldn’t work until it got sorted.
“By then it was a Friday afternoon and I tried to ring the licensing office but couldn’t get through. It meant I couldn’t work over the weekend
“It was the last weekend of the month when a lot of people go out after getting paid. It’s a big weekend for lots of taxi drivers. I would have expected to have made between £800 and £1,000.”
Mr Hussain has now returned to work after being reissued with a new plate but said he has made a formal complaint against the council and is seeking legal action to recover lost income.
Mr Hussain, from Bingley, added: “I didn’t notice the mistake at first because you don’t expect mistakes like that to be made.
“The council are constantly saying to drivers that they expect us to be professional at all times. It’s only fair that we should be able to expect them to be professional too.
“It was a lot of money for me to lose and I will struggle to pay my mortgage this month.”
Mr Hussain later received an email from the council’s licensing office stating: “As you have pointed out, the licence was issued with incorrect dates. This was a genuine mistake as a result of human error.
“Although we endeavour to minimise mistakes, the licensing office processes thousands of licences each year and, from time to time, small mistakes are inevitable.”
Yasar Ahmed, president of Wakefield Drivers Association, said: “The fact that Wakefield Council can dismiss their life-changing incompetence as “human error” simply highlights the dismissive nature and pure incompetence that taxi drivers have to face.
“No urgency or action was taken when notified. If we were to make a “human error” mistake, it would be a five-year ban for dishonesty.
“This is simply appalling and disingenuous to our profession. West Yorkshire Major Tracy Brabin called us the ‘fourth emergency service’.
“Wakefield Council treats us with discontent. We have had enough.”
Glynn Humphries, the council’s corporate director for communities, environment and climate change, said: “We are aware of the issue raised by the complainant and we are responding in line with our procedures.”
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.