A proposal to keep taxi fares in West Lothian at their current level is set to go to public consultation.
In its latest consultation the majority of the licence holders voted to keep fares as they are. The vote 25-7 against a rise, from 32 local taxi licence holders.
A report the council’s Executive said: “The Taxi Owners Association (TOA) representatives stated that the consensus at the ranks was for no change and that a rise at this time would be detrimental to business due to competition from discounting schemes and fixed rates offered by private hire cars with lower running costs.
“They felt that the previous fare rise was significant and it was too soon for a further rise and they would seek a rise at the next statutory review in 18 months time.”
Neither the TOA nor the West Lothian Taxi and Private Hire Car Owners and Drivers Association sought any changes to the current fare table.
However members of a third group representing taxi drivers - The Fellowship - had suggested rises citing inflationary pressure on costs as the reason for the required increase.
The council’s Executive backed a motion to advertise a proposed new fare table, with no changes to the current fares and charges.
The council is legally required to carry out a review of taxi fares every 18 months, after consultation with local taxi licence holders.
It is then required to publish notice of any proposed changes and consider any representations in writing before agreeing a new fare table, which would take effect in May 2024.
For more details of the current fares and charges for taxis and hire cars in West Lothian, please visit: www.westlothian.gov.uk/taxi-private-hire-cars-fares
Source: https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/local-news/brakes-put-taxi-fares-increase-32195178
Three drivers employed by private hire firm Addison Lee have reached an out-of-court settlement in a long-running dispute around holiday pay and the minimum wage.
The claim was originally brought by the drivers, represented by law firm Leigh Day and members of trade union GMB.
The settlement follows a 2017 employment tribunal judgment that ruled Addison Lee drivers are workers, which was upheld by a 2018 employment appeal tribunal and 2021 Court of Appeal case.
The details of the settlement were not disclosed.
Despite the settlement, more than six hundred other drivers have also lodged claims for compensation, using law firm Leigh Day.
However, Addison Lee argues that the 2017 judgment does not apply to the other claimants who have since brought claims against the company.
Leigh Day stated that a hearing is due to take place in October and November 2024 to determine whether the rest of the claimants are workers and entitled to workers’ rights.
GMB Union said that its members have been waiting seven years for compensation, as it noted that some have died while waiting.
The union estimates Addison Lee’s final compensation bill could run into the “tens of millions of pounds”.
Commenting on the news, Steve Garelick, GMB organiser said: “For seven years, GMB has stood alongside our members in this fight for justice. We are proud to have played a role in securing this outcome, which ensures that Addison Lee will pay drivers the millions they are owed.
“One of our lead claimants has a terminal illness and we have lost other members during this battle for them and their families the win is bittersweet. We urge other companies to learn from this case and ensure their workers are treated fairly,” he added.
While, Liana Wood, a senior associate at Leigh Day said: “This settlement is yet another blow to big firms operating in the gig economy.?
"It is a reminder that companies cannot ignore their legal obligations and must treat their workers fairly.”?
A spokesperson for Addison Lee stated: “Following the Lange determination in 2017, Addison Lee continued to evolve its working practices to address the issues raised. This was also reinforced under new management in March 2020.
"Despite the challenges posed by the pandemic, on our return we introduced entirely new contractual arrangements.
“This includes providing drivers with the London Living Wage guarantee, explicit holiday pay entitlement, and access to an industry leading pension – without compromising on the flexibility our drivers demand.
"These changes reinforce the self-employed status of our drivers, who consistently tell us they prefer the freedom and flexibility to work on their own terms – when, where and how often they see fit,” they added.
Source: https://employeebenefits.co.uk/addison-lee-drivers-reach-settlement-in-workers-rights-dispute/
A private hire driver has lost his licence after using his phone while driving a customer on the M25.
The Watford Observer reports that Sajid Mahmood, from Hemel Hempstead, has had his private hire licence revoked by Three Rivers District Council after he was issued a fixed penalty notice from Surrey Police.
He had been stopped by officers for using his mobile phone while driving to Gatwick airport in the early morning on July 7, 2023.
Based on the conviction, which involved six penalty points and a £200 fine, the council revoked the licence “with immediate effect” a week later.
However, it later received an appeal, which led to an hearing at St Albans Magistrates’ Court on February 12.
Delivering their decision, the magistrates said: “The law is clear and by using your mobile device whilst driving you have not only put yourself at risk but also members of the public, therefore we find you no longer fit and proper to be a licensed driver and uphold the decision of the licensing authority."
Mr Mahmood was also ordered to pay the local authority costs of £1,200.
He will not be permitted to reapply for a licence for a minimum of four years.
Source: https://www.watfordobserver.co.uk/news/24137332.taxi-driver-banned-using-phone-m25-gatwick-ride/
The busiest taxi rank in Reading has been revealed as more than a million journeys are made each year from ranks.
According to the Reading Chronicle, the horseshoe taxi rank directly south of the train station accounts for 11,628 journeys per week, which is 52 per cent of the total.
The taxi rank in Station Hill to the west accounted for 2,948 of weekly journeys (13 per cent), with 2,582 (12 per cent) of journeys being made from the rank at the north exit of the station.
These three station taxi ranks together account for 77 per cent of the cab trade.
Remarkably, approximately 2.73 million taxi journeys are made annually in Reading, with 1.17 million journeys being made from taxi ranks.
Figures show that 210,000 passengers use cabs, 368,200 hirings are made through apps and 982,000 passengers call to book a private hire journey.
These figures were revealed in a survey conducted last year to determine whether there is ‘unmet demand’ for cabs in Reading, which would justify more hackneys being added to the fleet.
The current limit of hackney carriage licences is 216.
Options to keep or relax the limit were recently discussed at a Reading Borough Council’s licensing applications committee.
Asif Rashid, chairman of the Reading Taxi Association (RTA) said: “This report was very thorough, it’s overdue, the results aren’t surprising.
“What does stick out is that there has been a drop in trade.”
The data from the survey conducted by Ian Millership, of CTS Traffic and Transportation, showed a 27 per cent drop in cab trade since 2019.
Mr Rashid said the ‘most significant’ statistic was that 85 per cent of passengers travelled at times when there was no delay to get a cab at all.
Syed Abbas, a driver who rents his cab, called for the limit to be eased so that he and others can make the switch from being cab renters to cab owners.
Mr Abbas said: “We only request to the licensing committee, officers and our RTA union and all other owners of hackney cabs to come forward and give the right to deserving drivers to have opportunities to get their licences.
“If the council issues five licences per year for three years that will help all the deserving drivers who have been working for more than 15 years.”
Councillors argued that removing the limit could only be justified if there is an increase in demand.
Cllr Tony Page (Labour, Abbey) said: “Given the catastrophic government we have, it’s hardly surprising.”
He also thanked cab drivers for their work during the pandemic.
Cllr Paul Woodward (Labour, Church), the committee chairman hoped the demand for cabs would increase as the economy improves.
Ultimately, the committee decided to retain the limit on hackney carriage licences at 216 at the meeting on Tuesday, February 20.
Source: https://www.readingchronicle.co.uk/news/24135592.busiest-taxi-rank-reading-revealed-cabs-limit-set/
A formal bid to increase Wearside’s hackney carriage fares is due to be discussed by Sunderland City councillors next week.
The Sunderland Echo reports that at a meeting of the council’s Licensing and Regulatory Committee on Monday, February 26, councillors will consider a formal request from the Sunderland Hackney Carriage Operators’ Association (SHCOA).
Bids to increase Hackney Carriage fares have been approved in recent years, including at a meeting in 2022 and a further increase being agreed in 2023.
A new bid from the SHCOA aims to increase “some elements of the present hackney carriage fares and other charges”.
A report prepared ahead of the meeting lists fare increases across the city’s three main tariffs and increases to waiting time and “soiling” charges.
A letter from the SHCOA, published on the council’s website, sets out the reasons for the proposed changes.
This includes “addressing the need to cover our increased operating costs during the present cost-of-living crisis” and other factors, such as the cost of repairs due to “large increases in the cost of parts, labour and energy”.
Other reasons include increased insurance premiums and the “almost prohibitive cost of a replacement wheelchair-accessible vehicle”, which was described as a “cause for serious concern within the taxi trade”.
New proposals set out charges based on three fare tariffs with a report prepared for the meeting setting out six example journey distances for each tariff, ranging from one mile to five miles.
Tariff one applies to journeys undertaken between Monday- Saturday, 7am-11pm, except public and Bank Holidays and the Christmas / New Year period.
The proposed changes would see an increase of 20p for a one-mile journey, an extra 40p for a 2.5-mile journey and an extra £1 for a five-mile journey, with an average percentage increase of 6.45 per cent.
Tariff two applies to journeys undertaken between 11pm and 7am each day and all day Sunday, except public and Bank Holidays and the Christmas / New Year period.
The changes for this tariff would see an increase of 20p for a one-mile journey, a 60p increase for a 2.5-mile journey and a £1.40 increase for a five-mile journey, with an average percentage increase of 6.8 per cent.
Tariff three applies to journeys undertaken from 6pm on December 24 to 7am on December 27, and 6pm on December 31 to 7am on January 2 and all day on other public and Bank Holidays.
The proposed changes to this tariff would see an increase of 20p for a one-mile journey, an extra 60p for a 2.5-mile journey and a £1.40 increase for a five-mile journey, with an average percentage increase of 6.2 per cent.
Elsewhere, the SHCOA has requested the “waiting time” rate for vehicles to increase from 20p per minute to 30p per minute.
The current maximum charge for “fouling of vehicle” is also being proposed to rise by £10, from £60 to £70.
If the revised fares and charges are approved by councillors, there will be a notice period allowing for objections to be made.
If no objections to the variations are made, the variations would come into operation from April 1, 2024.
The debate on taxi fares and charges will take place at City Hall and members of the public are welcome to attend.
Jersey’s taxi service is in crisis, with driver numbers plummeting by more than a quarter since 2014, a new report has revealed.
On Wednesday 27 July, more than 300 vulnerable youngsters were taken on an all-expenses paid trip to Southport.
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.