Proposals for the Wirral to have the highest taxi fares in the Liverpool City Region are to be reconsidered amid opposition from drivers.
Wirral Council’s regulatory committee approved an increase in the tariff following representations made by hackney carriage drivers and Unite the Union in November. This would lead to an increase in fares as well as a new £5 fee for anyone being dropped off in Liverpool.
Birkenhead News reports that the proposals will now be looked at again after drivers and members of the public have expressed their concern.
The current day rate is £3.60 for the first 300 yards and 20p for every 207 yards but this would change to an additional 20p every 175 yards – effectively £5.40 per mile.
This would mean it will cost 40p more to travel a single mile and £3.60 more to go 10 miles. However on bank holidays it would actually be cheaper to go five miles or more but on Christmas Day and the New Year, it would cost £9.30 and £47.70 to go one mile and 10 miles respectively.
The new fares would be the highest in the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority. During the day, it costs someone £5 to go one mile in Liverpool, £4.70 in Sefton, £4.30 in St Helens, £4.80 in Knowsley, and £4.60 in Ellesmere Port and Neston.
According to documents released ahead of the committee meeting on 31 January, one objector said: “We are currently losing customers to private hire companies. Uber, Alpha, and more are cheaper. The £5 charge discriminates [against] people who work or live in Liverpool, not to mention those who go there for the nightlife.”
Another said: “I am a hackney driver on the Wirral for over 40 years and would like to see an amendment to the fare increase, the suggested £5.00 surcharge to Liverpool should be scrapped.
"Liverpool city centre is nearer to Birkenhead or Wallasey town centres than Ellesmere Port, Chester, even Eastham, Heswall, West Kirby, Bromborough, and you don’t get jobs back to town from those destinations.”
One driver said: “Firstly, I don’t agree with the fare increase at all during the current economic climate. Customers are finding it hard to make ends meet and to add a further burden by increasing taxi fares I feel is unacceptable. The current fair table is more than adequate.
"Secondly, as a licensed taxi owner/driver I find it unacceptable to charge an extra £5 just for going to Liverpool.”
They said there was no recommendation on when the £5 charge should be applied, adding: “Some drivers would be more than happy to charge anytime however I for one wouldn’t be happy to be charged the £5 excess and would never let it happen twice and I’m sure no customer would be happy with it.”
Other drivers said they did not feel another price was needed so soon as one was approved in 2022, adding how it could “penalise” wheelchair users and young families.
Another felt it would “kill the hackney trade” while one objector said they opposed the increase in day fares but did think tariffs at night needed to increase and was in favour of the £5 Liverpool charge.
The increase had been brought in following a request by Unite the Union for changes. Gary Gregory, representing around 85 drivers for Unite, previously said: “in a perfect world” fares wouldn’t increase but cited rises in insurance costs as a contributing factor.
Explaining the new Liverpool charge, he said: “If the traffic’s bad, it can take an hour to get back. We can’t work in Liverpool, we can’t pick anybody else up so that’s been factored in to pay for that lost time.”
He added, “There has to be something because the fares are non-economical, they’re not viable to do. You get £16 for the fare, you take £4 for the tunnel leaves you £12 and you’re working for an hour and a half. That’s not even minimum wage.”
Source: https://www.birkenhead.news/wirral-taxi-fares-to-be-reviewed-following-complaints/
Octopus Energy and UK black cab app Gett have collaborated to enable electric vehicle charging for over 4,000 electric taxis in London.
Energy Live News reports that this partnership provides charging discounts, credits and reduced prices on home charging equipment for cab drivers on the Gett platform.
Octopus Energy’s EV charging platform, Octopus Electroverse, is integrated with major charge point brands across the capital.
Taxi drivers on the Gett platform will receive exclusive discounts when using Source London and MFG EV Power charge points in London.
Octopus Energy will install chargers at cab drivers’ homes, offering them enrollment in the Intelligent Octopus Go EV smart tariff for more affordable charging.
Customers on this tariff enjoy an additional 8% discount on all public charging costs via Electroverse.
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.”
“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.
Harjit Dhami, Global Head of Procurement at Gett commented: “The number of electric 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.”
Source: https://www.energylivenews.com/2024/01/25/octopus-electrifies-londons-black-cabs/
Rotherham Council’s cabinet has agreed an increase of almost seven per cent for hackney carriage fares at a meeting on Monday 22 January.
The Star reports that the current charge for the first mile is £4.50, with each additional mile costing the passenger £1.50.
Drivers have asked that the council allow them to charge £4.80 for the first mile, an increase of 6.7 per cent, and £1.70 for each additional mile thereafter – a 13 per cent increase.
Pending the outcome of a consultation, the waiting charge will also be increased from 20p to 30p per minute, and to raise the soiling charge from £50 to £60.
Rotherham’s Hackney Carriage Association has requested the changes as the cost of running a vehicle has increased since the current rate was set in 2022.
Drivers have also proposed that the time the night time tariff is brought forwards from 9pm to 8pm.
During the meeting, Cllr Denise Lelliott, cabinet member for jobs and the local economy, said: “The local hackney carriage association has asked the council to increase the fares that they charge, to take into account of their increased operating costs, which is fuel, insurance, and the general increase in cost of living expenses.”
Cllr Lelliott added the increase may help tackle out-of-town drivers.
Leader of the council Chris Read added: “Taxi drivers are facing the same kind of pressures we’ve talked about. Everybody needs to be able to make ends meet.”
A 14-day consultation period will now begin, and the plans will be brought back to cabinet if objections are received.
A Norwich taxi firm has stressed that customer safety is its "number one priority" after one of its drivers was charged with sexual assault.
The Norwich Evening News reports that Alexandru Tapurin, 35, has been charged with three counts of sexual assault at a number of locations across Norwich last weekend.
He was also charged with false imprisonment and causing a woman aged 16 or over to engage in a non-penetrative sexual activity between January 20 and 21.
Tapurin was a driver-partner with ABC Taxis, which has operated in the city since 1994.
The taxi company, which was taken over by Welsh digital hire firm Veezu in November 2022, issued a statement saying: "Safety remains the number one priority.
"The company can confirm that it acted swiftly when it became aware of these allegations.
"The self-employed driver-partner, who has the freedom to take bookings from multiple ride-booking platforms available in Norwich, was removed from the booking system and reported to the local authority.
"Every ride on the system is tracked door-to-door so once a booking is made, passengers can see the details of the driver-partner and the vehicle registration.
"All driver-partners undergo an enhanced DBS check, underscoring the paramount importance placed on the safety of passengers.
"Due to the current legal proceedings, the company is unable to provide any additional comments at this time.
"However it is actively cooperating with the ongoing police investigation concerning a driver-partner."
Norfolk Police said Tapurin was arrested on Sunday morning, 21 January, and taken to Wymondham police station for questioning.
He was subsequently charged and appeared at Norwich Magistrates Court on Tuesday, being kept in custody ahead of his next court appearance on February 20 at Norwich Crown Court.
Taxi and private hire drivers are set to be warned after complaints have been made about “parking” and “illegal U-turns” in Bolton town centre.
According to the Bolton News, this comes after a special police operation around Bradshawgate just before Christmas, where officers, joined by councillors, dealt with several outbreaks of disturbances.
Cllr Ryan Bamforth said he noticed several concerns about taxi manoeuvers and parking, which Bolton Council now says that the licencing unit will warn drivers about.
Cllr Bamforth said: “It was clear that the police have a lot to contend with and that was with one extra sergeant and eight extra constables on the ground.
“One matter arising was taxi drivers parking as and where they liked causing a risk to health and life along with illegal U-turn manoeuvres on a busy road.”
As well as Cllr Bamforth, Cllrs David Grant, Rabiya Jiva, John Walsh and Melanie Livesey joined the operation on December 22 last year
They were out between 11pm and 7am along with the Chief Inspector and Inspector of Greater Manchester Police’s Bolton district.
Addressing a full meeting of Bolton Council, Cllr Bamforth asked the authority’s leadership if they would meet with him and the others who came to discuss what could be done.
In response, cabinet member for regulatory services Cllr Sue Haworth said that taxi drivers would be warned about behaviour like this.
She said: “In addition to the joint enforcement work, the licencing unit is going to be asking for a communication to be circulated to all private hire and hackney carriage services and their operators.
“This will outline concerns in respect of the compliance with parking regulations, the illegal U-turns and other safety concerns.”
But Bolton Private Hire Association secretary, Yasif Khan, has said drivers in the town already know not to perform illegal manoeuvres despite the huge pressures they face.
He said: "Where does Bolton Council want us to go? They want the taxi drivers to bring the punters in, to help the night time economy and then to bring them home.
"They want us to do that but we've said we haven't got enough space there."
He added: "Our drivers, the Bolton drivers, we already tell them not to perform illegal manoeuvres.
"But there are licensed drivers from Wolverhampton and drivers from Uber there, not the Bolton drivers."
Source: https://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/news/24062074.bolton-taxi-drivers-warned-town-centre-concerns/
An unlicensed taxi driver who picked up two vulnerable women in Aberdare has been ordered to pay nearly £1,500 in fines and costs.
Cleethorpes taxi drivers are breathing a sigh of relief after council enforcement officers cracked down on vehicles illegally parked in designated taxi ranks.
A Barry man has avoided jail after launching a drunken attack on a taxi driver who refused him entry to his vehicle.
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.