Fleet Insurance Guides & News

The founder of an Isle of Wight taxi firm is so hooked on electric vehicles that he will never buy a petrol or diesel car again.

Kevin Barton, CEO of We Go Local Solutions LTD and Go Taxi, used his tech background to help create sustainable businesses on the popular holiday island which enjoys a bustling hospitality and entertainment sector.

Although you must have taxi insurance to operate legally in the UK, there are other types of insurance needed to run a taxi business.

And, typically, the bigger the operation, the more cover is needed to protect staff, passengers and the entire operation.

Taxi drivers need one thing to make the switch to EV – to be sure that it will do at least what their current petrol or diesel cab will do. Anything less isn’t worth bothering with.

In simple terms, they want something with a decent range and can charge up whenever they need to so they can be on their way again in a matter of minutes.

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”.

Soaring costs and frozen pay have caused real problems for taxi drivers in London, forcing some to find other ways to make a living, while those who stay struggle to recover with the effects of the pandemic and cost-of-living crisis.

Covid-19 restrictions had a huge impact on London’s black taxi drivers who missed out on the millions of tourists and visitors they would normally transport around the capital.

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.

According to the office of national statistics, there are approximately 330,000 taxi drivers in the UK – so it is no surprise they are all flocking to price comparison websites to save money on their taxi insurance!

Just like most things in the UK, the taxi insurance market is changing.

The country’s newest Clean Air Zone came into operation on Monday and means many taxi drivers have to pay more to use Bradford’s streets.

It has taken four years to bring in, and now only vehicles such as EVs, that meet greener standards, will avoid the charges.

Technology is being used to show taxi drivers how electric vehicles can help their business and the environment.

Cheshire West and Chester Council have teamed up with EB Charging for a pilot scheme which will see telematics devices installed in a selection of petrol and diesel taxis in the area.

As taxi firms struggle with shortages of drivers, a taxi boss believes bringing more women into the industry will not only solve the problem, but will improve services, especially as the majority of taxi customers are women.

Rachel Dale, head of operations for AAA Taxis, is among a number of people calling for change in the male-dominated taxi industry.

Fuel prices at the pumps have soared this year, reaching averages of 191p per litre of petrol and 199p per litre of diesel in June.

For months, motorists have continued to feel the squeeze as petrol stations in some parts of the country were charging more than £2 per litre.

Improving technology has changed the way most people think about driving. A lot of the focus has been on electric vehicles and the drive to steer us all towards a greener future.

There have also been advances on driver assistance tools, such as cruse control, lane assistance, adaptive braking, self-parking and, more recently, autonomous vehicles.