Northumberland County Council is facing calls to increase taxi fares just weeks after it was agreed to leave them at their current level.
ChronicleLive reports that councillors on the local authority's licensing and regulatory committee felt the stabilising of fuel costs meant fares did not need to increase this year, despite acknowledging rapidly rising insurance costs.
However, officials from the trade body representing taxi drivers have warned that the current regulations will drive workers away from the trade.
New rules in the county mean new or replacement vehicles must be under the age of four years old to be used as a taxi from April 1 2024, while they will only be allowed to be licensed for eight years from that date.
Mark Heston, Secretary of the Northumberland Taxi and Private Hire Association, said the group would be putting a proposal forward to the council.
He said: "The licensing committee hasn't got a clue. For them to say 'don't fix it, it's not broken' - we have got astronomical increases in our insurance, the cost of fuel is on the up again and the cost of living is still rising.
"The new age policy with regards to the age of new vehicles means drivers are looking in the region of £20,000 to £25,000. On the current fare tariff, you can't justify buying a new car.
"Drivers are earning below the living wage as it stands, and it is due to rise in April. We are working an hour and a half to earn the minimum wage.
"The council needs to listen to the trade and take on board what they have said, engage with us. We just want a fair, level playing field, we want to be able to make a living.
"Over 100 drivers have left the trade within a year. I worry about school transport - what happens when there's not enough taxis to do the school work? It's not sustainable."
The association's proposal to the council recommends increasing the flag price - where the taxi fare metre starts - from £2.70 to £3.30.
Furthermore, the fare should increase by 20p every 230 yards, as opposed to the current rate of 10p every 500 yards.
Mr Heston added: "We're not asking for massive amounts. They seem to think we don't need a fare increase and that's wrong and we will make sure it gets passed.
"It is time they worked with the trade representatives quickly to implement a plan to ensure the safety of the public and ensure the trade survives. Mark my words, if we don't, in the Berwick area I think we will be left with five or six taxis."
A spokeswoman for Northumberland County Council responded: “A report was recently considered by committee, fulfilling the authority’s commitment to keep hackney carriage fares under regular review.
"The previous review carried out in 2023 had resulted in a fare increase. The committee acknowledged the tariff set by the authority is the maximum that can be charged.
"Since then, despite inflation having risen by 4.2% during the period, average fuel costs had gone down and the licence fees charged by the authority had remained the same.
"Overall, costs therefore were considered to have balanced out. The committee noted the authority had received no formal approach from the trade requesting it implement a further increase in fares.”
The council said that since the meeting of the licensing committee, it had received a formal request for the tariff to be increased and that this would be "appropriately considered".
It was also explained that the new rules around vehicle age was brought in to improver air quality by reducing the emissions of licensed vehicles.
It was also pointed out that this condition would not extend to those vehicles already licensed by the authority and presented to it for licence renewal.
Source: https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/its-not-sustainable-warning-taxi-28714877
A Castleford cabbie has had his licence revoked for careless driving as he was driving too slow in the middle lane on the motorway..
Yasar Ahmed chair of Wakefield Drivers Association said: "CD10 is a careless driving offence - he was driving too slow in the middle lane on the motorway and was given three points.
"This incident happened in 2022 but when he recently went to renew his taxi licence they revoked it.
"This decision was made by a licensing officer. However, it should have been sent to the licensing committee for elected members to make this decision
"The driver is currently working on appeal
"Since this policy was passed in January 2020 we have seen many protests and strikes. The policy has been amended many times but I have always said it needs to be scrapped altogether because it’s not fit for purpose.
Unite the Union called this policy 'draconian'.
" I urge the elected councillors to review this policy and the recent decision as a matter of urgency. The trade will never accept this policy and we will fight this policy in the courts and on the streets.
"We need a urgent meeting to discuss a possible strike or a protest at full council meeting."
A taxi driver was attacked in North Tyneside after refusing to give a man a discounted fee.
Police received a report that a taxi driver had been involved in an altercation with an unknown man on High Street East in Wallsend around 1.10am on December 29.
It was reported the offender entered the taxi and asked for a discounted fee before assaulting the driver when his request was denied.
The man got out of the taxi but returned a short time later and kicked the driver’s side door, causing substantial damage to the vehicle.
Officers investigating the incident have released an image of a man who they would like to speak in connection with the report.
He was in the area at the time the incident is reported to have taken place and officers believe he could have valuable information that may assist the ongoing investigation.
The man, or anyone who recognises him, is asked to contact police via the 'Report' page on the Northumbria Police website or by calling 101, quoting reference number NP-20231229-0037.
Source: https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/taxi-driver-attacked-customer-who-28711083
A PSNI officer was punched while making an arrest.
The Belfast Telegraph reports that they were trying to detain a suspect who robbed a taxi driver in west Belfast.
Police said the 20-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of robbery, assault on police and resisting police.
A PSNI spokesperson said: “The arrest followed an incident in which a taxi driver was robbed by a passenger in Glenalina Park in west Belfast shortly before 11pm last night, Friday 23 February.
“During his arrest the suspect assaulted an officer by punching him and attempting to bite and head-butt him.
“He remains in police custody at present.
“Enquiries are ongoing.”
UK black cab app, Gett, and Octopus Energy announce a partnership to bring easy electric vehicle (EV) charging to over 4,000 electric taxis in London.
Available from Tuesday 27 February, the offer includes charging discounts and credits, as well as reduced prices on home charging equipment for cab drivers on the Gett platform.
Octopus’ award-winning EV charging platform – Octopus Electroverse – is already integrated with most charge point brands in the capital.
As part of this latest tie-up, taxi drivers will get exclusive discounts when they charge up at thousands of Source London and MFG EV Power charge points across London.
As well as easier and cheaper public charging through the Electroverse EV roaming service, Octopus is also making getting a home charger simpler for Gett’s taxi drivers.
Octopus will install chargers at cab drivers’ homes, where they can then sign up to Octopus’ EV smart tariff Intelligent Octopus Go and enjoy cheaper, greener charging.
Customers on this tariff also get an extra 8% off all their public charging costs on Electroverse.
Drivers who are Octopus customers have the option to link all of their public charging costs onto their existing home energy bill, putting their electricity costs in one simple payment.
Electroverse has been revolutionising on-the-go charging for drivers with its ‘one card, one app’ approach, removing the need for multiple subscriptions. It is the go-to choice for over a quarter of UK EV drivers and the biggest EV roaming service in the country.
This latest partnership follows Gett’s other incentives for drivers, including vehicle maintenance discounts, monthly drop-in sessions and lotteries.
Matt Davies, Director of Octopus Electroverse, said: “We’re making it even easier and cheaper for London’s iconic black cabs to go electric – an integral part of green mobility in the UK’s capital.
"Our new Gett partnership will transform EV charging for thousands of electric taxis and give drivers straightforward access to fantastic charging deals.”
Harjit Dhami, Global Head of Procurement at Gett commented: “We are really pleased to launch this offer for the drivers on the Gett app. The partnership will provide access to nearly 9,000 public charge points in London alone and will help to reduce downtime for black cab drivers.
"The number of e-black cabs has been growing steadily over the past few years and we are keen to play our part in accelerating the transition to a 100% electric future.”
Electroverse has features embedded to improve the charging experience, including its interactive global map that shows charge points and their availability, a route-planner, in-car support with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, Plug & Charge support, and more.
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.