Top five private hire taxis
As we continue the drive towards cutting pollution, a vehicle’s green credentials are top of the list for taxi drivers when it’s time to change their cabs.
While their new vehicle has to be suited to private-hire taxi work, its emissions are now just as important to drivers as the amount of room for passengers and luggage.
Reading’s five-year plan to ban petrol and diesel taxis
Taxi drivers have had their say on plans to ban petrol and diesel cabs in Reading from 2028.
Consultation on Reading Borough Council’s Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Strategy 2023-28 ended recently, with one of the main goals being to “phase out the use of petrol and diesel-only cars and vehicles in an effort to improve air quality and reduce carbon emissions”.
Taxi age changes are a ‘lifeline’ to city’s drivers
Buying a car is a huge financial undertaking that requires years of planning and saving by taxi drivers.
Many factor in the cost of replacing their vehicles every 10 years – or the maximum time allowed by their licensing authority.
Taxi driver has 1k fines wiped after CAZ errors
A taxi driver who wrongly received eight Clean Air Zone penalty charges has received an apology from a council after fines totalling almost £1,000 were cancelled.
Abdul Raheem is one of a number of taxi drivers who have complained to Sheffield City Council that they received the penalty charges, even though their vehicles meet emissions standards or were exempt from the scheme at the time.
Taxi drivers’ fears over ULEZ expansion
Drivers of older, more-polluting vehicles in central London have had to pay the Congestion Charge, Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) and/or Low Emission Zone (LEZ) charges, which has already had an impact on professionals such as taxi drivers.
But from today, the ULEZ scheme has been expanded to include the whole of Greater London within the M25 – adding a further 5 million people.
Flying taxis could break records at Olympics
As the world’s elite athletes focus on next summer’s Olympic Games in Paris, flying taxis are also preparing to make history.
Aviation start-up Volocopter is aiming to have its two-seater electric aircraft carrying passengers around Paris – which would make it the first service in Europe to use an electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft.
Taxi boss wants black cabs and PHVs to be treated equally
Plans for a £36 million city-centre pedestrianisation scheme have come under fire from private hire taxi drivers who would be banned from the area, while black cabs would still be allowed to operate.
And STV News reports that Edinburgh Council could face legal action from at least one private hire boss who called the decision to ban PHVs “ludicrous”.
Boost for Sheffield taxi drivers who already own greener cars
As more Clean Air Zones appear around the country, it’s good to see help is available to taxi drivers to make the switch to less-polluting vehicles.
We recently mentioned Newcastle Council’s grants to help taxi drivers replace older, polluting vehicles with newer, greener models operating in its Clean Air Zone.
Financial help to replace Newcastle’s most-polluting taxis
Like several other cities, Newcastle has introduced a Clean Air Zone to cut pollution – and is offering financial assistance to help taxi drivers meet the cost of replacing older, more polluting vehicles.
The Clean Air Zone was introduced on January 30 to help to improve air quality by reducing the number of high-polluting vehicles on the roads both within the zone and in the surrounding areas.
Flying taxis ready for virtual take off at Paris Air Show
Flying cars have always been part of science fiction, but now they could be just around the corner, offering a new dimension to the taxi fleet.
On Monday, guests at the Paris Air Show will be treated to a virtual flight of Eve Air Mobility’s electric vertical take-off and landing vehicle (eVTOL).
Will you be fined for driving your cab in low emissions zones?
Clean air and low emissions zones are expanding across the UK and taxi drivers whose vehicles don’t meet tougher environmental standards fear the daily charges could force them off the road.
As Glasgow city centre’s LEZ goes live next month, taxi drivers were worried that the £60 charge for older, non-compliant vehicles would stop them operating in the area.
Uber & BP Partnership is a major step towards electrifying the taxi fleet
The lack of fast and reliable EV charging points has been one of the biggest barriers stopping taxi drivers from making the switch to electric.
Drivers of black cabs and private hire vehicles need to spend more time on the road than they do charging their vehicles in order to earn a living.