Hybrid Vehicles

As one authority moves towards letting private hire drivers use a bus lane on a busy route, we look at why they aren’t allowed to use them in the first place, and what happens to drivers who ignore the rules.

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.

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”.

As the drive for cleaner motoring continues, taxi drivers are already ahead of the curve when it comes to using less-polluting vehicles.

The Government’s Taxi and private hire vehicle statistics, England: 2023 report, which was published last month, offers a fascinating insight into the makeup of the taxi and private hire fleets.

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.

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.

Running a private hire taxi is expensive but rewarding, so here are three key things that will reduce costs and help keep drivers enjoying life on the road.

The past 12 months have seen the cost of motoring soar for everyone from commuters and shoppers to taxi and lorry drivers.

Taxi drivers are calling for action to tackle the problem of catalytic converter thefts which can leave their cars off the road for weeks and facing hefty repair bills.

Since the pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis, thieves have become more inventive and ruthless as they find new ways to make money.

London’s famous public hire taxis have been getting greener – and now the capital’s private hire fleet is following the same route.

Since January 1, all new private hire taxis licensed for the first time must be able to operate in zero-emission mode. Vehicles that fail to meet the greener criteria will not be granted licenses.

As taxi operators tackle the huge task of switching their fleet to electric vehicles, taxi insurance specialist Patons Insurance has created a special partnership to help make the transition go more smoothly.

Patons has teamed up with a leading EV charging equipment provider and installer to fit EV charging equipment.

Taxi drivers are calling for tariffs to be increased as the cost-of-living crisis continues to put the squeeze on people’s finances.

For the past year, we have all battled with rising fuel and energy costs, which have helped push up inflation. For public hire, private hire drivers and others who earn their living on the road, there has been little choice but to take a hit at the pumps.

The pandemic put the brakes on the taxi industry and many others as lockdown and social-distancing measures continued for almost two years.

We recently shared that more people are now getting back behind the wheel of a taxi or are starting out their career as taxi drivers. And, as numbers continue to climb, interesting trends and changes have occurred which could shape the future the taxi trade.