Lone women catching trains from Trowbridge Railway Station are being warned to beware of ‘rogue’ taxi drivers offering them a free ride.
Wiltshire Police and British Transport Police have launched an investigation after the issue was flagged by an anonymous rail passenger.
Wiltshire Council is also checking its licensed taxi drivers to highlight the issue after the female passenger raised it on local social media.
The woman said: “I was at the train station in Trowbridge. I’m a female and there was a young girl opposite me.
“Three different taxi men, all in the space of ten minutes, came to us, no one else, and told us all trains were cancelled. They are offering free taxis please come with them.
“We said the train is in ten minutes we’re okay thank you but they were persistent with us getting in the taxi. Which we did not and to no surprise the train turned up.
“I just wanted to post this in case anyone’s young children are travelling via train just to beware as it was a bit strange.
“Luckily the young girl who was sat there alone too she got on the same train as me so everyone is safe."
The Wiltshire Times has raised the issue with Wiltshire Police, the British Transport Police and Wiltshire Council who are all treating it very seriously.
Wiltshire Police said they would forward the details to their intelligence department and local Neighbourhood Police team.
British Transport Police said nothing has been reported to them in the past 48 hours.
Wiltshire Council said they would check with their taxi licensing team to see if there have been any reports on the issue.
A woman has praised a taxi driver for saving her after a group of people 'on drugs' chased her across a road in the centre of Torquay late on Friday night, 5 April.
DevonLive reports that Natalie Wills was trying to get home from a night out with a work colleague and began waiting at the taxi rank on Cary Parade in front of the Pavilion in the centre of Torquay at around 1am on Friday night.
She said she started talking to a group of people who also appeared to be waiting, but instantly realised they were under the influence, and she felt threatened and unsafe.
They began approaching her and she said she saw a taxi on the other side of the road, and left to cross Cary Parade and the central reservation, and realised the group at the taxi rank were chasing after her.
The private hire taxi driver initially said she couldn’t get in, but then realised the situation and not only let her jump in, locked the doors, drove off quickly and made arrangements so Ms Wills, a nurse, could book the taxi she was already in and got her home safely.
Ms Wills said the incident was very scary, and wanted to tell her story to praise the taxi driver and the Torbay Taxis 211611 firm for rescuing her and supporting her.
“I have never felt so vulnerable in my life,” the 46-year-old said. “I had a great night out in Torquay with colleagues. I left my friends and went to the taxi rank opposite the Pavilion but there were no taxis.
"There was a group of people, in their 30s, sitting there too and one of them was a woman, so I thought it would be safe to talk to them.
“I asked them how long they’d been waiting and instantly realised they were high and on something more than just alcohol.
"I don’t know what they had been taking, but their behaviour towards me made me feel really unsafe straight away.
"I politely tried to leave and saw the taxi so started towards it across the road,” she added.
“I jumped in and begged the taxi driver to take me, but he started saying he couldn’t and I’d have to book but then he saw the group of people chasing after me across the road.
"I have never felt so scared, but the taxi driver Chris realised what was happening, locked the doors, drove off quickly and arranged for me to book the taxi.
“He was brilliant, he saved me. If this driver had not been there for me I dread to think what the outcome would have been when I was crying for him to drive away.
"He not only sorted out the ride situation, but was able to make sure I got in at home safely. Although the night was good fun it ended with drama, torment and upset,” she added.
Ms Wills tried to report the incident to the police but, at 1am, but she says she was told there would be a three-hour wait for a call back from the police.
Now, she said she wants to thank the taxi company publicly for their quick-thinking. “They should be recognised for their help in this situation and for not leaving me,” she added.
Source: https://www.devonlive.com/news/devon-news/terrified-nurse-chased-group-people-9210835
British taxi passengers are the second chattiest in Europe, a new survey has revealed.
A Europe-wide survey by Free Now found that Brits were more sociable in the back of the car than people in Italy, Spain and Germany.
Only the Irish were found to be more conversational than British passengers, after 73 per cent of UK respondents said they enjoyed talking to their taxi drivers during journeys.
Whilst in a cab, 41 per cent said they enjoyed engaging in small talk, while a third said they preferred talking about the news and the local city.
People also liked to complain about the traffic and conditions on the road (32 per cent), while half of passengers said they enjoyed talking about their love-life with their cab driver.
The survey also found that more than half of Brits (54 per cent) preferred a chatty driver over silence, with 43 per cent saying the they appreciate the non judgmental ear of the cab driver.
While the majority enjoyed talking to their drivers, 54 per cent of those surveyed see their journeys as a time for relaxation and introspection.
Passengers often take an interest in the daily lives of drivers, the research revealed, but cabbies often prefer to talk sports, holidays, celebrity encounters and local insights.
Mohammed Ewasha, a black cab driver in London for 41 years, told the Telegraph: "The customers are the best part of the job. Meeting new, interesting and exciting people every day is the reason I have stayed in the job for such a long time."
According to research published in the journal Social Psychological and Personality Science, engaging in conversations with strangers, including taxi drivers, can significantly enhance life satisfaction and overall well-being.
In a significant move to support the adoption of green transportation, LEVC has introduced a new finance deposit contribution for its TX electric taxi.
This initiative comes as a direct response to the recent reduction in the Plug-in Taxi Grant (PiTG), which saw a decrease from £7,500 to £6,000 at the beginning of April 2024.
LEVC's campaign aims to fully offset this reduction by offering a £1,500 deposit contribution on all new TX taxi models.
This offer is available across all finance types provided by LEVC Financial Services, requiring zero customer deposit and featuring a subsidised finance rate of 10.51% APR representative.
Since its launch in 2018, the TX electric taxi has seen growing demand, marking a significant shift towards zero-emission capable vehicles within London's iconic black cab fleet.
Now, more than half of these taxis are capable of operating without emitting any CO2, thanks to LEVC's innovative electric model.
Chris Allen, Managing Director at LEVC, said: “Demand for our award-winning TX continues to accelerate, but with the recent £1,500 reduction in the PiTG coupled with currently high national interest rates, drivers need support to continue their transition into new, green taxis.
“LEVC recognises this and it’s why we’re making this new contribution and subsidised APR finance offer available, initially bridging the gap for our customers.
"Looking ahead, LEVC will continue to work closely with government to provide long term support to the trade, including provisions beyond the current one-year PiTG extension.”
Source: https://www.onearabia.me/global/levc-new-finance-deal-boosts-electric-taxi-purchase-011-20617.html
Tesla will reveal its robotaxi product on August 8, CEO Elon Musk has said in a social media post on X.
Musk has promised shareholders a robotaxi for years, but has not yet managed to deliver on his self-driving dreams and promises.
A date for the unveiling event comes as some investors grow wary of the company during a period of slowing growth.
CNBC reports that Tesla shares rose over three per cent in extended trading after Musk’s tweet.
Musk shared the reveal date on Friday 5 April, after Reuters earlier reported that plans for a highly anticipated low-cost electric car by Tesla had been scrapped. Musk accused Reuters of “lying” without specifying any incorrect detail of their story.
In 2015, Elon Musk told shareholders that Tesla’s cars would achieve “full autonomy” within three years.
In 2016, he said Tesla would able to send one of its cars on a cross-country drive without requiring any human intervention by the end of the following year.
In 2019 during a fundraising call, Musk told investors that Tesla expected to have 1 million vehicles on the road the next year that would be able to function as “robotaxis.” Each car should be able to do 100 hours of work a week for its owner, making money as a robotaxi he told investors at that time.
But Tesla still has to deliver a robotaxi, autonomous vehicle or technology that can turn its cars into “level 3” automated vehicles.
However, Tesla offers advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), including a standard Autopilot option or premium Full Self-Driving “FSD” option, the latter of which costs $199 per month for U.S. subscribers or $12,000 upfront.
In a push for end-of-quarter sales last month, Musk mandated that all sales and service staff install and demo FSD for customers before handing over the keys.
He wrote in an email to employees, “Almost no one actually realises how well (supervised) FSD actually works. I know this will slow down the delivery process, but it is nonetheless a hard requirement.”
Despite its name, Tesla’s premium option requires a human driver at the wheel, ready to steer or brake at any moment.
Musk has continued to bet that Tesla customers and shareholders will stick with the Tesla brand regardless of self-driving delays, and regardless of his incendiary rhetoric on X, the social network he acquired in 2022 and now runs as CTO while also running Tesla, and the rocket and satellite internet company, SpaceX.
Some autonomous vehicle competitors are gaining ground.
Alphabet’s AV unit Waymo, operates commercial, driverless ride-hailing services in Phoenix, San Francisco and Los Angeles, and is ramping up in Tesla’s home base of Austin, Texas.
Waymo also recently struck a multi-year partnership with Uber and will put its robotaxis to use delivering food for Uber Eats in Arizona.
In China, Didi’s autonomous unit operates commercially in markets including Guangzhou.
Companies including Wayve in the UK and Zoox in the US continue testing their robotaxis.
Other companies have had a tough time in the crowded market.
On Friday, Apple shuttered its self-driving unit and laid off about 600 people who had been associated with the project.
GM’s Cruise service previously offered self-driving car services in San Francisco before being wound down under regulatory scrutiny after an accident. Since the incident, Cruise’s robotaxi fleet has been grounded, local and federal governments have launched their own investigations and Cruise leadership has been gutted.
At Tesla, “unveil” dates do not predict a near-future date for a commercial release of a new product. For example, Tesla unveiled its fully electric heavy-duty truck, the Semi, in 2017 and did not begin deliveries until December 2022.
It still produces and sells very few Semis to this day.
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.