This milestone marks a substantial growth for Take Me Group, adding an impressive 80-car fleet to its arsenal.
David Hunter, CEO of Take Me [left], alongside Lee Roberts, Manager of Direct Taxis [right] jointly announced the acquisition, expressing their mutual excitement for the venture.
Renowned for its expansive footprint across major UK cities such as Plymouth, Leicester, Milton Keynes, Stoke, Birmingham, and Darlington, Take Me Group solidifies its industry dominance with this latest acquisition.
The move underscores the company's dedication to enhancing its services and operational capacities nationwide
David Hunter, Take Me CEO, conveyed his enthusiasm via social media, stating: "It was great to complete the purchase of Direct Taxis in Nuneaton, an 80 car fleet managed by Lee Roberts.
"Lee is looking forward to have access to the Take Me Solihull team to expand in and around his area.”
Lee explained: "As part of Take Me, we're excited to embark on a journey of expansion that promises mutual benefits for our drivers and customers alike.
"With access to the resources and support of the Take Me Solihull team, we're poised to enhance our services, broaden our reach, and deliver unparalleled experiences to our valued clientele.
"This partnership heralds a new era of growth and opportunity for Direct Taxis, one that is bound to elevate our business to new heights while ensuring exceptional service standards for our customers."
Take Me’s merger with Direct Taxis not only extends its reach but also reinforces its position as a frontrunner in the UK's taxi and private hire landscape. With a commitment to excellence and innovation, Take Me continues to redefine the standards of transportation services nationwide.
2024 is looking like it will be another busy year for the teams at Take Me, and David Hunter explained: “This year is shaping up to be a turbocharged ride for Take Me as we rev up to welcome several new taxi businesses into our ever-expanding network.
"It will be a year of growth, innovation, and seamless rides. If you are ready to hop on board or just want to discuss your taxi business needs, give us a call and let's make 2024 the year we take the transportation game to a whole new level together!”
Taxi business owners should strongly consider joining Take Me, a dynamic network of taxi companies across the UK. This collaborative platform offers a wealth of invaluable resources, including shared knowledge, insightful information, and practical support.
By becoming a part of this vibrant community, business owners gain access to a collective pool of ideas, effective marketing strategies, and crucial financial advice.
The group serves as a hub for exchanging hints and tips, fostering a collaborative environment that propels individual businesses forward.
Additionally, Take Me aids in recruitment efforts, connecting business owners with skilled drivers to enhance and strengthen the taxi trade.
Joining this network ensures a competitive edge and shared success within the thriving UK taxi industry.
North Yorkshire Council still feels “detached” from its residents one-year on from its launch, says a House of Lords peer.
The authority replaced the now defunct Harrogate Borough Council in April 2023 with the promise of making savings.
One year on from its launch, the Stray Ferret has looked at whether people feel the council has improved governance in the county.
Lord Wallace of Saltaire, a Liberal Democrat peer, was highly critical of the move 12 months ago.
At the time, Lord Saltaire told the House of Lords that local democracy in North Yorkshire had been “destroyed” by devolution and described the introduction of a unitary authority as an “incoherent mess”.
Asked if he still stood by his criticisms 12 months on from the council’s launch, Lord Saltaire said he felt that people feel detached from their local authority and that councillors could not cope with the number of constituents within their divisions.
He added that a district and county council model still worked, despite being criticised as “inefficient”.
He said: “We still have county councils and district councils in some places. That in some ways is less efficient, but it does at least give people a connection. People do not feel any connection with their local authority.”
Since its launch the changes in governance in the Harrogate district have been far reaching. Among the most controversial has been taxi licensing.
Under the authority’s harmonisation agenda, the zone in which taxis can operate was made county-wide rather than district-wide.
In theory, the move would allow drivers to operate anywhere in North Yorkshire.
The council argued that the move would provide “flexibility, encouraging environmental efficiencies and creating a wider distribution of wheelchair-accessible vehicles”.
But, Richard Fieldman (pictured), who has operated his cab in Ripon for three decades, said he did not feel the move had improved the trade.
He told the Stray Ferret: “I cant comment on what is going on in other area, but the drivers in Harrogate are pulling their hair out. They [the council] do not want to know.
"We have been told that they are on the verge of sending out a new consultation. I have encouraged all the drivers to respond to that consultation.”
At the time of the launch of North Yorkshire Council, Cllr Carl Les, the Conservative leader of the council, said the move was a “watershed” for how public services could be delivered to the county’s residents.
Meanwhile, Richard Flinton, chief executive of the authority, said in March last year: “Millions of pounds in savings will be made by streamlining operations and the delivery of services could not have come at a more important time.
“We are faced with major financial pressures and the new council will need to drive the transformation of services at pace, taking every opportunity to support green economic growth and working with communities and partners to ensure the money of North Yorkshire’s taxpayers is used most effectively.
“Public services could have been placed under even greater pressure without the move to bring together eight councils into one organisation to create the new North Yorkshire Council."
The Stray Ferret has asked North Yorkshire Council how it feels governance has been improved in the county.
Source: https://thestrayferret.co.uk/north-yorkshire-council-still-feels-detached-one-year-on-says-peer/
Taxi drivers who say they are having to work longer hours to make ends meet have seen their calls for a cap on cabbie numbers refused.
KentOnline reports that unlike most of its neighbours, Tonbridge does not limit the number of taxis that it licenses but as a consequence some cabbies say there are too many taxis in town and spend too long idling on the rank waiting for fares.
At present there are 173 licensed hackney carriage vehicles - slightly fewer than there was pre-Covid (179).
Over the years, the figure has remained remarkably stable - but had been as high as 180 a decade ago in 2014.
However, Anthony Garnett, the licensing manager for Tonbridge and Malling council, said there was anecdotal evidence some drivers were working longer hours, which could have the effect of making more taxis available at any one time.
There has also been a change over time with more drivers holding dual licences. In 2014, there were 169 hackney carriage drivers and 112 dual drivers, making 281 in total.
Today, there are 61 hackney carriage drivers and 197 dual drivers making 258 in total.
Under the law, a borough is only able to put a limit on the number of taxis it licenses if it can show there is no “unmet demand” for taxis.
An unmet demand survey is expensive but the cost is borne by the taxi drivers themselves, who have it added to their licence fee. A rough estimate was that it would cost each of them £40.
Despite that, in a quick electronic poll by the council, 35 drivers said they would want such a survey to be carried out. But that was from 261 polled and so represented only 13%.
The vast majority - 80% - did not respond at all.
If a cap were imposed, by law the unmet demand survey would have to be repeated every three years.
The council’s licensing committee agreed with Conservative Cllr Martin Coffin’s proposal that no action be taken and that Tonbridge should remain without a cap on the number of taxis.
However, one of the 49 taxi drivers who had signed a petition calling for a cap on numbers made their feelings known afterwards.
He said: “They don’t seem to realise that our work has halved since Covid, with so many people working from home and choosing not to go out.
“Drivers are having to work extra hours just to get a decent wage. I used to stop work at 4pm, now I’m still out till midnight or 2am trying to make my target.
“There are now too many drivers chasing too little work. Tonbridge has licensed 173 vehicles, but Tunbridge Wells has capped theirs at 107.
“Why do councillors consider Tonbridge needs so many more cabs than Tunbridge Wells? Tonbridge is dead at night!”
Brothers who run a local taxi firm are continuing the tradition of giving back to the community which their shopkeeper parents did for years.
According to the Falkirk Herald, Mo Farid, managing director of Grangemouth-based Farid Travels, along with brother Zain, organised an Easter egg collection for Edinburgh’s Royal Hospital for Children and Young People.
The brothers used the power of social media and Facebook to get things rolling, asking people where they could source large quantities of Easter eggs.
Mo said: "After people got back to us we were also able to source a large quantity by speaking direct to management at our local supermarket.
"We chose Edinburgh sick kids as a hospital to donate to because we decided we can bring a sense of joy, normalcy and celebration to children who may be undergoing medical treatment or facing challenging circumstances.
"Being parents and uncles ourselves we know the importance of festive holidays which brings cheer to kids’ faces.
"It also provides an opportunity for us to come together in support of these children and their families and to make our community aware we are just not here to provide a service but to also help the community in need.”
Mo and Zain’s parents used to run a shop in Grangemouth’s Bowhouse Square and were heavily involved in helping the local community – now there sons are carrying this on.
"We want to continue our parents’ legacy who were very much a community driven couple and we want to continue their work when we can.”
Women’s safety is being put at risk by taxi drivers refusing their fares, a councillor has alleged.
Cllr Anna Cope (Green) claims there is a problem with some taxi drivers at Tonbridge Station who were refusing to accept passengers travelling only a short distance or who didn’t have cash.
Under the regulations, taxi drivers must accept the first fare that hails them, no matter what the distance. But one driver has claimed it leaves them out of pocket if the distance is too short.
Since February, in Tonbridge, they have also been obliged to carry equipment to take card payments, but Cllr Cope said that was being frequently ignored with drivers saying their machines were not working.
She said: “The result is that women are being forced to walk home alone, which at night, can be quite worrying.”
Cllr Cope experienced this herself when she arrived at Tonbridge Station at 11.30pm after a night out in Tunbridge Wells with a friend. The taxi driver refused to take her the four-minute journey to her home just under a mile away.
When she posted about her experience on the Tonbridge Mums Facebook page, she was deluged with a wealth of responses from other women who had had similar ordeals.
Cllr Cope said: “Obviously, what we should do is take the details of the cab and report the driver - he would probably be suspended for a period.
“But as a woman alone, it is quite intimidating to stand there and take down their details, especially when you have just told them your address.”
Among those who say they have been refused a ride are pregnant and disabled women.
Cllr Cope said: “Some even said they are now getting off at Sevenoaks Station and getting a cab from there, rather than face the issues at Tonbridge Station.”
Cllr Cope believes the problem is widespread. She said: “There have been too many instances for it to be just one or two rogue drivers.”
Other people who experienced the issues including a woman claiming up to 12 taxis denied her custom, another saying they don't even try to get a cab anymore and a third saying it had happened on numerous occasions and once had to walk home in the rain "for an hour".
But it seems that it is not just women who experience difficulties, with one woman saying: “My husband tried to get a taxi around midnight and was refused by three drivers as his journey was too short.”
Cllr Cope suggested one solution might be for the council to engage a taxi marshal to be present at the rank to ensure taxis are accepting fares correctly.
She said: “A permanent marshal would be too much to expect, but if one could be there in the evenings on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, I think that would cover the peak period when this happens.”
Cllr Cope tried to get the matter introduced at a recent meeting of the borough’s licensing and appeal committee but was told it was not a sufficiently urgent enough matter to be added to the agenda in that way.
Instead, it will be discussed at the next meeting of the committee in June.
A taxi driver who works at the rank and asked not to be named, suggests the issue is with transaction fees not making the journey worthwhile.
As regards drivers refusing to take short journey fares, he said that was because there were too many taxis chasing too little business.
On Tuesday 26 March, Tonbridge and Malling councillors considered a petition from taxi drivers to put a cap on the number of driver’s licences they issued.
The council refused.
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.