Wherever you go in the country, it seems you're never far from a Wolverhampton private hire vehicle.
BirminghamLive reports that new data has confirmed the city as the country's PHV capital - with a licensing rate a staggering 500 per cent higher than the second-placed location.
The city, with a population of barely 260,000, had 85.3 licensed taxis and private hire vehicles per 1,000 people - a figure 580 per cent higher than next-placed Newcastle-upon-Tyne, according to a new study by private hire specialist Zego.
Data indicated there were 0.6 licensed taxis per 1,000 people in Wolverhampton, with a huge 84.7 licensed private hire vehicles per 1,000 people.
The figures emerged after other statistics showed 95.5 per cent of drivers applying for a licence from Wolverhampton did not live there. PHVs with Wolverhampton plates have been spotted in Manchester, Bury and York, according to recent social media posts.
One X user also highlighted an "increasing numbers of cars in Blackburn", adding: "Anyone know what that’s all about? It’s not as though the two places are cheek by jowl, is it?"
Wolverhampton Council previously denied it was 'quicker and easier' to get a private hire licence in the city. But data last year showed nearly 9,000 drivers with licences from Wolverhampton lived in Greater Manchester.
Last October, the Bury Times reported a significant price difference between authorities. Under Manchester City Council, it cost £255 at the time to register as a new private hire driver plus costs for tests and between £222 and £342 to register a vehicle, depending on its age.
Under Wolverhampton Council, the application fee for a new private hire driver was £49 for a one-year licence or £98 for a three-year licence and £95 to register a vehicle under ten-years-old.
A Zego spokesperson said: "The results reveal there is a much greater availability of private hire vehicles in the vast majority of cities in England and Wales, than equivalent taxis when accounting for each city’s population.
"The difference between private hire vehicles and taxis is often misunderstood however, with many people assuming the two terms are interchangeable.
Zego looked at data from the Department for Transport to work out the total number of licensed taxis and private hire vehicles per 1,000 people in each city across England and Wales. Results were ranked from highest to lowest to determine which city had the most and least licensed taxis and private hire vehicles per 1,000 people.
A Wolverhampton Council spokesperson previously said: "While Wolverhampton Council has never actively encouraged applications from drivers outside the city, existing legislation requires that if an application is submitted and requirements are met, then the application must be granted.
"The council may not refuse an applicant simply because they live in a different area and it is illegal for licensing authorities to impose a limit on the number of private hire licences it issues.
"Our early adoption of digital technology has allowed us to offer a simple and efficient online application procedure, with the requirement that drivers attend in person for training and strict assessment before an application can be processed. Public safety is of paramount importance to us.
"Partnership working with our licensing colleagues and other agencies shows our commitment to upholding our responsibilities; we expect drivers and vehicles licensed by us to always maintain the highest standards. This is irrespective of the administrative boundary within which they are operating at any particular time.
"Wolverhampton Council takes its enforcement responsibilities seriously and our officers are out across the country, every Friday and Saturday night, working to protect the public."
Source: https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/black-country/youre-never-far-wolverhampton-taxi-29105833
The accelerator pedal in a car, when pressed, releases controlled amounts of fuel into the vehicle's engine. The driver controls this process, actively making micro-decisions that influence the car's speed. This decision-making process demands attention, agility, and immediate action. It's essentially an ongoing mental and physical activity, making it akin to a light cardiovascular exercise.
This comparison is crucial because cardiovascular (aerobic) workouts are known to reduce blood pressure.
The repetitive action of pressing the car accelerator pedal activates certain neural pathways that promote relaxation and reduce stress levels. This phenomenon is similar to the effects observed during activities like stretching your foot, meditation or deep breathing exercises, where rhythmic movements induce a calming effect on the body.
Additionally, the concentration required for driving can distract the mind from stressful thoughts, further contributing to lowered blood pressure.
The competition between demand for blood flow by contracting muscles and maximum systemic cardiac output is discussed as a potential challenge to blood pressure regulation during heavy large muscle mass or whole body exercise in humans. During large muscle mass exercises like running or cycling there are two potentially competing physiological needs. First, because the metabolic costs of muscle contraction can be high and prolonged, skeletal muscle blood flow needs to be matched to the metabolic demands of the contracting muscles.
Second, regulation of blood pressure is also needed to ensure there is adequate perfusion pressure to all organs.
When a driver presses the accelerator pedal, three aspects come into play:
Dominic Wyatt elucidates, 'It's about being in control, the mind-body coordination that driving demands. It's not just helpful for maintaining a healthy blood pressure but can also aid overall well-being.'
Engaging the accelerator does have potential benefits, but it should not be considered a definitive cure-all for hypertension. Please note:
In essence, the prolonged usage of the car accelerator can indeed lower blood pressure, but it's mostly a supplement to a healthy lifestyle, not a standalone solution
Dominic Wyatt, an expert motorist from the International Drivers Association, recommends some tips for maximising the health benefits of driving:
Dominic cautions: '"Remember, driving is no substitute for regular exercise, a balanced diet, or correct medical care. Be aware of its benefits, but don't depend solely on it for your blood pressure regulation."
As the journey ends, you're now aware of how the humble car accelerator might contribute to your health. The next time you press that pedal, remember that you're not just moving forward on the road. You're also potentially working towards a more balanced blood pressure and overall health.
Who knew driving could have such a 'heartening' effect? Drive safe, stay healthy!
Taxi drivers across North Northamptonshire have spoken out against the council's plans to 'de-zone', with cabbies overwhelmingly disagreeing with proposals.
NorthantsLive reports that plans to bring the four legacy boroughs of Kettering, Corby, Wellingborough and East Northants under one unitary set of rules have been branded as "blind ambition" by a frustrated member of the trade.
Harmonising the zones would mean that drivers would only need to apply for one licence to cover the whole of North Northants and with it would come a new all-encompassing knowledge test and freedom to pick up customers in all zones.
North Northants Council (NNC) held a consultation on the proposal to remove the four separate licences at the end of last year with cabbies across the county taking part.
Of the 168 responses received that clarified their opinion on the plans, 110 drivers disagreed or strongly disagreed and just 52 agreed or strongly agreed - the rest were uncertain.
At a Place and Environment Scrutiny Committee held by NNC on Tuesday, April 30, disgruntled cabbies attended to voice their opinions on the potential legislation.
One taxi driver said: “I’ve spoken at many meetings about the issues that the council created with a blind ambition to harmonise all services at all costs.
“Myself and others have tried to explain the complex nature of our industry and how these changes will not only impact taxi operators but could also impact others due to the lack of drivers available.
“You’re discussing the merger of zones, but one of the key points in it is the merger of the new knowledge test to include the whole of North Northamptonshire.
“If you don’t start listening to us, you’re going to see the demise of the hackney trade across North Northamptonshire.”
Instead of sitting a test on their ‘home’ area, all drivers will have to take an exam assessing their knowledge of the entire county - an area covering 382 square miles.
NNC said the new test - which has not yet been finalised - will consist of a mix of knowledge of key places across the county, such as train stations and town centres, and also being able to use a satnav to get to other locations.
Another cabbie said at the meeting: “I would suggest to all of you if you’re going to any other town, city or anywhere else in the country, and you get into a black cab and you tell them where you want to go you don’t expect them to put it into a satnav.
“The knowledge test at the moment says the following - English knowledge proficiency, general knowledge of local locations, driver and vehicle conditions, highway code, basic arithmetic.
“This is fundamentally what you would expect from a black cab - a detailed knowledge of the local area by zone, route planning and byelaws. We need to know where we’re going.
“For the geographical area to know all of that is impossible. It is in the interest of all parties that we work in our own local areas and the zones be retained.”
NNC maintains that the de-zoning will allow businesses who want to trade across the whole of North Northamptonshire to be able to, without applying for four separate licences.
It added that it is a ‘personal decision’ for drivers and that if somebody wants to stay in their original zone they have every right to.
However, the same county-wide knowledge test must be taken regardless of the drivers’ intentions for where they work.
Iain Smith, assistant director of regulatory services, said: “We do need to make sure that we set the test at the right level which effectively reflects what’s required in a modern test, the increased size of North Northants as an area and the key locations that people would need to know.
“It’s not in anyone’s interest for us to set the bar in relation to this geographical knowledge test so high that people can’t meet that.”
The scrutiny committee recommended that the report be taken to the executive for their next meeting at the beginning of June to make a decision on the de-zoning.
A recommendation was also put forward for officers to conduct a consultation on the relevant tests and ensure that it is ready simultaneously with the introduction of any single zone scheme that comes in.
Taxi driver fees in part of Derbyshire are set to be increased for the first time in nine years.
DerbyshireLive reports that Erewash Borough Council is looking to hike a wide range of fees applying to taxi and private hire drivers for the first time since 2019.
This plan has been met with three objection letters from Erewash cabbies claiming the increases are unfair in the face of inflation and fuel price hikes. However, council officers write in a report that inflation has dropped and so have fuel prices, while fees for drivers have not been increased in some time but fares have been hiked.
A report to be discussed next week details that the fee for a five-year private hire operator licence is due to be increased from £416 to £441; a three-year driver’s licence would increase from £203 to £245; a one-year driver’s licence would increase from £80 to £85; and the Knowledge test would increase from £25 to £38 – along with many other fees.
Objectors wrote: “I am objecting to an increase in licensing fees as proposed by the council. My reasons are because of inflation. Interest rates have increased, as well as fuel prices too have increased.”
“Taxi drivers are still sat here waiting to hear on the newer rules on vehicles, tinted windows, age of vehicles etc. I just think it’s a bit of an insult that you’re putting the fees up but we don’t know what we’re going to get back in return.”
“I’m objecting to an increase in taxi fees. My reason is because of the increase in fuel and inflation. The increase would have an impact on our livelihood.”
Council officers said in a report to be discussed next week that the planned increases are based on the authority’s “reasonable administration costs”, along with inflation.
They write that “it is acknowledged that operating costs for taxi drivers and operators will have increased” and that taxi fares were hiked in 2022 to “recognise the impact of inflationary pressures on the taxi trade”.
Officers say that inflation has since peaked at 11.1 per cent in October 2022 and currently stands at 3.2 per cent. They write that “fuel prices (pump price per litre) have also reduced over the last three years or, in the case of petrol, shown only recent marginal increases”.
A table showing fuel prices per litre shows petrol standing at 161.91 pence per litre in 2022 and 146.91 in 2024, while diesel stood at 176 pence per litre in 2022 and 156 pence in 2024.
Source: https://www.derbytelegraph.co.uk/news/local-news/taxi-driver-fees-erewash-set-9262935
A taxi driver whose dangerous driving caused a pedestrian's death just sixteen minutes after he had been warned about his speed by the police was jailed for six years and ten months on Thursday 2 May.
Punchline reports that dad of four Shakoor Ahmed, 46, was also banned from driving for five years five months by a judge who told him he had behaved with 'gross arrogance' on the roads on the night he crashed into 32 year old landscape gardener Dan Beames in Cheltenham.
Ahmed, carrying two passengers in his electric Toyota Prius cab, was doing 53mph on a 40mph road when he hit Mr Beames, who was crossing the road after attending a Christmas party.
Sixteen minutes earlier, Ahmed had been carrying a passenger in Denmark Road, Gloucester, when he was pulled in by two police officers who gave him a formal warning for speeding.
The officers had charitably decided not to charge him with the offence because of the impact a conviction might have on his sixteen year taxi driving career.
But Gloucester Crown Court heard that Ahmed did not heed the warning - in fact, he boasted about it to his next two passengers when he picked them up at Gloucester Bus station and drove them to Cheltenham.
He also told them that he had driven at 100mph along the A40 Golden Valley by-pass between Gloucester and Cheltenham in the past - and he then proceeded to do so again on their journey.
Driving along Lansdown Road in Cheltenham, Ahmed pulled out at traffic lights to overtake a slow moving car ahead of him and then cut back in front of the vehicle to get back into the correct lane.
But as he did so, at a speed of 53mph with his foot flat down on the accelerator, Mr Beames started to cross the road from a Texaco garage on the right hand side and Ahmed could not avoid hitting him.
Mr Beames was rushed to hospital in Bristol but did not survive his catastrophic brain injuries.
His mother, Yvette White and his partner Jessica Beames, both read emotional statements to the judge describing the devastation his loss had caused to them and the rest of his family.
His barrister, Catherine Spedding, said "He is genuinely remorseful about what happened and the premature death of Mr Beames that he caused and which has had such an effect on Mr Beames' family."
She asked the court to take into account that Mr Beames had a blood/alcohol reading of 193mgs at the time of his death - almost two and a half times the limit for a driver.
He had also tested positive for cannabis and was using his mobile phone as he crossed the road, she said.
"My client has not driven since the collision. He has given up his profession as a taxi driver, which was a long standing one."
Jailing Ahmed, Judge Rupert Lowe said he had read character references which showed that he was a caring, honest and hard-working man who looked after his extended family and had, despite some criminal convictions more than 23 years ago, led a law-abiding adulthood.
The only exception, he said, had been a speeding conviction nine months before the tragedy, in March 2021, when he did 45mph in a 30mph limit and was fined and issued with three penalty points.
The judge pointed out that immediately prior to the fatal collision, if Ahmed had been driving at the 40mph limit there was only a 30% chance of Mr Beames being killed. But at his speed of 53mph the chance of fatality was 80%.
"This was the most awful waste of a young life," he said.
The judge said the aggravating factors were Ahmed's speed with two passengers on board, his ignoring of the earlier police warning and the fact that the victim was a pedestrian. He had shown 'gross arrogance' in those respects.
But in Ahmed's favour were that Mr Beames had contributed significantly to the collision by his own inattention, Ahmed's largely good character, the effect of his imprisonment on his children, the strong prospect of him being rehabilitated, the low risk of him re-offending and his co-operation with the police investigation.
The judge said he also took into account Ahmed's genuine remorse. Overall, he said, the mitigating factors in Ahmed's favour marginally outweighed the aggravating features.
The judge reduced the starting point sentence of eight years to seven years and eight months to reflect the mitigation and then allowed a 10% reduction in recognition of Ahmed's guilty plea.
He said the sentence would therefore be a jail term of six years and 10 months, of which he would serve half before being paroled.
Ahmed would have to take an extended driving test before being allowed on the road again after his five years and five month disqualification, the judge added.
Source: https://www.punchline-gloucester.com/articles/aanews/taxi-driver-jailed-for-cheltenham-death-crash
Ways of increasing the amount of wheelchair-accessible taxis across the city are set to be explored to make it easier for those who need one to get one.
Cumbrian taxi drivers are fighting back against proposed licensing changes they fear will cripple their livelihoods.
Bolton taxi drivers are urged to sign up for free safeguarding and disability awareness training before the deadline on October 31st, 2024.
A Conwy Council meeting on Monday revealed a critical failing that allowed a taxi driver whose license had been revoked to continue transporting children to school.
Worcester City Council is seeking public opinion on a proposal to make safeguarding training mandatory for taxi and private hire drivers.
A proposal to increase driver, vehicle and private hire operator licences was discussed on Friday 19 July 19 at Sheffield City Council’s waste and street scene committee.
Through this collaboration, FREENOW willl provide additional benefits giving drivers up to 25% off pay-as-you-go rates across the entire bp pulse electric charging network and discounted fuel at all UK bp branded sites.
Wakefield Licensing, working alongside West Yorks Police Roads Policing unit, NPT, Off-Road Bike Team, Police Intercept Team, DVLA & DVSA, held a Partnership Day of Action at Thornes Park.
A pilot emissions reduction grant scheme providing financial support for hackney carriage drivers to upgrade to cleaner EURO 6 and fully battery powered vehicles has been launched.
The ride-hailing giant has submitted an application for an operator licence to Darlington Borough Council, with a decision expected in August.
Darlington could soon see Uber cars on its streets after the ride-hailing giant applied for a licence to operate in the town.
Stratford-upon-Avon District Council has revoked the licences of two taxi drivers following a series of speeding offences.
A Northampton taxi driver has been found guilty of trafficking cocaine between his home city and Milford Haven.
The move comes after concerns were raised by the taxi industry about the rising cost of purchasing new vehicles.
Guide Dogs charity has asked licensing authorities in England for their support in sharing guidance on the law on carrying guide or other assistance dogs with all taxi and private hire operators.
Reading Taxi Association (RTA) chairman Asif Rashid has slammed Reading Borough Council's proposed phase-out of older petrol and diesel cabs by 2028, calling it a financial burden for drivers.
Dorset Council is poised to review taxi fares across the region, excluding Weymouth and Portland which have separate regulations.
A North Belfast man, Ruairi Fintan Muldoon (31), has been sentenced to 12 months in prison with an additional 12 months on supervised release for a botched attempt to rob a taxi driver.
Passengers are been invited to take part in a survey aimed at finding out if the taxi trade in West Suffolk is accessible to all.
A Glasgow man, Darren Gray, 31, launched into a verbal tirade and racially abused a taxi driver on Paisley Road West on August 19th, 2022.