As London’s premium ground transport provider, Addison Lee’s unique position in the market has seen business go from strength to strength over the last three years, with FY23 seeing the firm in robust health with a turnover of £224.8 million.
The acquisition of Green Tomato Cars in June 2023, and the earlier acquisition of black taxi firm ComCab in July 2021, has also enhanced the suite of services available on the Addison Lee platform and significantly bolstered its supply of drivers to over 7,500.
Addison Lee’s CEO, Liam Griffin, commented: “It’s been another positive year of growth, success, and expansion at Addison Lee. Through our integration of Green Tomato Cars and ComCab, we have grown our premium services and been able to take on higher value journeys while reducing our on-demand time to less than 10 minutes for journeys across the capital.
“By scaling our operating platform in this way, we have delivered another impressive set of financial results. Demand for premium transport only continues to grow and we’re now poised to take the business to the next level, with a focus on further expansion and growth.”
Now operating the largest sustainable fleet of vehicles in London, Addison Lee offers zero emissions capable vehicles including executive, premium cars, and black taxis – investing significantly to meet growing demand from customers who value a quality and sustainable service.
Over the last three years, the firm has spent over £80 million to upgrade its fleet. This includes bringing 600 PHEV VW multivans on board to replace its signature people carrier vehicles and Audi A6s and A8s to grow its executive fleet. This comes in addition to the 1,000 fully electric fleet of VW ID.4s and Addison Lee’s entire standard passenger fleet is set to be zero emission capable by Spring 2024.
Griffin continued: “The power of the Addison Lee brand and technology combined with our state-of-the-art, sustainable fleet means we are perfectly positioned to capitalise on the growing demand for quality, professional services like ours.”
During FY23, Addison Lee strengthened its pool of professional private hire and taxi drivers, offering the most lucrative earnings opportunity for drivers in the capital and extending its education initiatives.
Griffin concluded: “With a superb set of FY23 results under our belt, coupled with strong performance in the first quarter of FY24, we are confident that the business will continue to outperform, and we’re excited about the year ahead.
“When I look back on the past four years, I’m delighted to see how far we’ve come. The commitment from the team has been unrelenting, despite the challenges we have faced since we took the reins in March 2020. I couldn’t be prouder of the incredible job that they have done in getting us to where we are today. I can’t wait to see what the year ahead has in store.”
A taxi driver suffered a broken nose after being punched in the face by an intoxicated man in an unprovoked attack.
WaleshOnline reports that the driver has been left paranoid he will be assaulted again while doing his job.
Radoslaw Wilczek, 27, punched Parviz Hydary repeatedly after the victim pulled up in his taxi outside the Tramshed, in Cardiff, at around 11pm on October 12, 2022.
The defendant initially approached the car and was shouting and swearing and punched the side of the vehicle.
A sentencing hearing at Cardiff Crown Court heard Mr Hydary attempted to speak to Wilczek who continued being aggressive. Wilczek reacted by punching the victim to the face through the open window of the taxi.
The defendant began to walk away from the Grangetown venue as Mr Hydary got out of his car and checked for dents.
Wilczek returned and punched the victim to the face again causing his nose to bleed.
Mr Hydary returned to the safety of his vehicle as the defendant continued to shout and swear aggressively and punched the taxi.
Members of the public who witnessed the assault intervened and told Wilczek to go away. A police car was flagged down and the defendant was arrested.
During his police interview he claimed he was crossing the road when Mr Hydary pulled up in his taxi and began shouting at him.
Prosecutor Abigail Jackson said the defendant claimed he had reacted in self-defence.
Following the assault Mr Hydary attended the University Hospital of Wales to receive treatment for a dislocated nose.
In a victim personal statement he said: "I now suffer from long-term sinus issues. I can't smell properly and 80% of the time I can't smell.
"It has affected me mentally: when I am working I am worried people will go in my vehicle and become paranoid I will get attacked again. I had to have four weeks off work."
Wilczek later pleaded guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm. The court heard he was also due to be sentenced for failing to surrender to court after failing to turn up to two court hearings which resulted in him being remanded in custody.
The defendant has previous convictions for possession of a firearm in a public place, shoplifting, and a conviction for affray and assault in Poland.
Recorder Corinna Ferguson sentenced Wilczek to 36 weeks imprisonment.
Due to the amount of time spent in custody on remand the defendant will be released imminently.
Source: https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/taxi-drivers-nose-broken-unprovoked-28736790
Two men spent six years engaged in an extraordinary vendetta against a taxi firm which saw cabs fired at with air guns, a court has heard.
According to the Eastern Daily Press, Adrian Ling (pictured) launched the "revenge campaign" against Goldline Travel, along with Daniel Garrison, after being sacked by the firm in 2012 having been accused of stealing diesel.
Their trial heard that over the following seven years the company's vehicles were repeatedly shot at while picking up and carrying fares.
In other attacks, the pair slashed tyres, broke wing mirrors, and hurled corrosive substances over bodywork.
The pair carried out a total of 83 acts of criminal damage against the taxi and private vehicle hire firm's property between March 2013 and May 2019.
Ling, 63, even used a radio scanner to monitor Goldline's communications systems in order to plan ambushes, in what the judge said was a "revenge campaign of Hollywood proportions".
Both men were found guilty of a string of offences at Ipswich Crown Court with Ling sentenced to eight years in prison.
Garrison was bailed, awaiting pre-sentence reports.
The company, which is based in Ellough, near Beccles, operates a fleet of coaches as well as taxis.
Ling, from Beccles, started working there in 2008 as a mechanic but was sacked by owner Ian Trussler in 2012 after being accused of stealing diesel - although his conviction for the offence was later overturned
In a victim statement read out to the court by prosecutor Andrew Thompson, Mr Trussler said: “I could never have imagined the destruction that Mr Ling would cause to my life when he left the company.
“The events of the past 12 years have left me at breaking point and I feel like my life has been put on hold since 2012."
“Everything got on top of me and I felt like I had no space to breathe because the number and frequency of damage to company vehicles was relentless," he said.
Mr Trussler told the court he had to install a system to block Ling from intercepting the company's radio system to prevent ambush attacks.
Mr Thompson told the court it was thought the vandalism had caused at least £250,000 of damage but this is disputed.
The court also heard from Claire Tillett, an office manager at Goldline who claimed Ling had followed her home and said she “felt on edge everyday”.
She added: “I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve been reduced to tears and I’m mentally exhausted.”
Many of the cabs were attacked with shots fired from a passing car, shattering windows and denting bodywork, while they were picking up or carrying passengers.
The court was told metal cylinder projectiles were sometimes recovered inside vehicles or nearby after the attacks.
Cabs were targeted on four occasions while carrying passengers, though none were injured.
However, a driver was injured by a projectile when her car window was smashed.
Ling and Garrison were arrested after police analysed CCTV and ANPR footage, phone cell location and mobile phone data, as well as witness statements.
Officers discovered the pair were buying vehicles and using cloned registration plates to avoid detection.
The vehicles included a second hand red Ford Focus which Garrison bought in 2016 and registered under a false name to an address on an industrial estate in Beccles.
A red Ford Focus was then captured on CCTV in the vicinity of several incidents of criminal damage against vehicles, with a cloned registration plate.
Crucially, Garrison had sent Ling a text message with the cloned registration number prior to the incidents.
CCTV captured a red Ford Focus displaying the cloned plates in Ellough in April 2016.
The footage showed it driving slowly past a Goldline Travel taxi, turn around and pass the cab again before a rear offside window suddenly shattered. The Ford Focus then drove off at high speed.
Garrison later tried to sell the car with its original registration plates.
An off-duty police officer in Beccles recognised Garrison driving a blue Ford Ka behind a Goldline Travel taxi with a man crouched down in the back-passenger seat
Enquiries later established the registration details had been cloned.
Eight days later a blue Ford KA was captured on CCTV following an attack on another tax in Beccles.
Ling and Garrison were then arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit criminal damage.
Passing sentence, Judge Martyn Levett told Ling he was “a vengeful person”.
Judge Levett said: “In my judgement it’s the oldest story in the book: after being accused of stealing diesel from the company in 2012 you took it upon yourself to take a revenge campaign almost of Hollywood-style proportion.”
He ordered the destruction of Ling’s air rifles and his radio scanner but did not order a compensation payment as Ling did not have the funds to pay.
Ling and Garrison, 35, from Woodbridge, were found guilty of conspiring to commit criminal damage to property belonging to Goldline Travel between December 2012 and November 2019 and damaging company vehicles.
Ling was also convicted of four offences of having an air rifle with intent to commit criminal damage between 2013 and 2019.
Source: https://www.edp24.co.uk/news/24157817.goldline-taxis-shot-six-year-campaign-beccles/
A consultation has been launched to see if the number of taxis in Torbay should be increased. Torbay Council currently only allows 169 vehicle licences to be issued at any one time.
DevonLive reports that it is asking taxi drivers, businesses and customers for their views on whether there are enough taxis to adequately serve public demand in the area.
This ‘unmet demand study’ has to be carried out every three years as set out in guidance issued by the Department for Transport (DfT).
If the results show public demand is being met, the limit can be retained until a further survey is carried out. If public demand is not being met, measures should be taken which could include making more licences available.
Torbay Council carried out a study in 2023 which included more than 600 hours of rank observations, more than 100 on-street surveys and discussions with user groups, key stakeholders and the taxi trade. The findings revealed that passenger demand for hackney carriage vehicles within Torbay has stayed the same compared to when the last survey was carried out in 2020.
However, passenger waiting times to use a hackney carriage vehicle in 2023 then increased, meaning customers are waiting for longer at taxi ranks. Before making any changes, a consultation is taking place on the proposals.
It was launched on Monday, February 26, and runs until Sunday, May 19. Following the consultation, a report will be presented to the Licensing Committee so members can make a final decision.
In 2023 Torbay Council instructed LVSA (Licensed Vehicle Surveys and Assessment) to carry out the required unmet demand study. It showed there is an extremely high level of significant unmet demand and steps must be taken to return passenger waiting times to a reasonable level.
The two recommended options now being consulted on are:
To take part in the consultation, click here: https://shorturl.at/irwSW
Source: https://www.devonlive.com/news/devon-news/torbay-taxis-could-increased-demand-9129863
Sefton is facing a taxi shortage after a new report detailed the huge fall in licensed taxi drivers since the pandemic.
The Liverpool Echo reports that analysis of the taxi industry within Sefton revealed a startling 19.5% decrease in licensed drivers and a 12.9% drop in active hackney carriage vehicles since 2020.
The decline in numbers is so severe, current vehicle owners are unable to find enough drivers to operate the 271 licensed taxis across Sefton.
The report into taxi issues was heard at an Overview and Scrutiny Committee meeting on 27 February to explore how to increase the number of hackney drivers.
The report examined the current state of taxi services in the borough including current numbers, levels of demand and pressures on the trade.
Since 2020 active hackney carriage vehicles have fallen from 271 to 236 whilst available licensed drivers has dropped from 330 to 266.
The committee also heard some of the reasons for the decline which included rising costs of fuel and insurance.
Significantly, it was reported some drivers felt a 'perceived decline in demand for late night journeys' was negatively impacting the profession due to decreased earnings.
Another factor cited by the report was the effect of private hire firms. It said: "Many hackney drivers now accept journeys via private hire operators which will likely mean that they could be working anywhere in the LCR and not within Sefton.
"Despite a rise in hackney carriage tariffs in October 2023, private hire fares are unregulated and many drivers are finding income via this method more attractive especially when fare ‘multipliers’ are applied during busy periods."
This year will see a new Unmet Demand Survey launched across Sefton, which is conducted at intervals of 4-5 years.
The 2024 survey will consult with taxi drivers, vehicle owners, users, business owners and trade representatives and assess rank activity throughout Sefton.
The hope is that the survey will facilitate a better understanding of the pressures cabbies are facing and find solutions to declining numbers.
Source: https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/merseyside-borough-facing-taxi-shortage-28716516
Taxi drivers in the town will be able to charge passengers more following a decision by the borough council on 31 July.
A taxi driver has been sentenced to a community order after admitting causing the death of a pedestrian by driving at excessive speed.
A joint operation by council, police, and DVSA officials has seen three taxis taken off the road in Oldham due to safety concerns.
Taxi drivers licensed by Mid Sussex could soon be forced to accept card payments, following a surge in complaints about cash-only services.
Two men have avoided immediate jail time after a high-speed race left a taxi driver with serious injuries.
BYD, manufacturer of new energy vehicles and power batteries, has announced a multi-year strategic partnership with Uber, designed to bring 100,000 new BYD EVs onto the Uber platform across key global markets.
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.