Legal

Whether it is a deer bounding across a motorway or a badger trying to cross an A-road, drivers can be faced with a variety of four-legged or winged hazards and have only a split-second to act.

National taxi standards designed to protect the most vulnerable would improve services for all cab and PHV passengers. With a focus on safety and accessibility, the Government says it is committed to introducing national minimum standards for the taxi and private hire vehicle industry, following a written question by Shadow Minister for Transport, Simon Lightwood.

Manchester’s Clean Air Zone plan could see millions of pounds made available for greener taxis and commercial vehicles, while no one will be charged or fined for driving on the region’s roads in older, more polluting vehicles.

Huge public backlash led the region’s leaders to do a U-turn over the original plans.

Taxi drivers earn their living by taking passengers from one place to another. When a refuses to pay, surely it is theft. But, for some reason, some people view it differently to someone stealing an item from a shop.

Now one taxi driver wants more to be done about the growing problem.

Officials have put the brakes on plans to scrap the Knowledge test for taxi and private hire drivers in Bury and have instead updated it to improve safety. Bury Council had considered removing the Knowledge test from its licensing process following claims it is outdated and unnecessary. Opponents felt instead that taxi and private hire

A council says it is keeping a close eye on thousands of private hire taxi drivers who are registered with it but could be working hundreds of miles away. City of Wolverhampton Council had faced a backlash from some authorities for licensing almost 9,000 private-hire drivers working in Manchester, and 300 operating in the capital.

Drivers in London will see the speed limit cut from 30mph to 20mph along 65km of the capital’s roads as part of an ongoing drive for safety – but many motorists are unhappy about it.

As the scheme is rolled out across multiple London boroughs, drivers are also being targeted by plans which would see them penalised for travelling just 1 mile over the speed limit.

Professional drivers know what it costs to run their business and put food on the table for their family.

This is why there has been concern about the 2030 ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel vehicles in the UK, especially when many feel the EVs replacing them aren’t yet up to the job.

There have been calls for national taxi legislation to ensure standards across the UK, as well as closing loopholes that benefit some taxi drivers over others.

One of the biggest issues has been legislation which allows taxi licences to be issued by one authority while the driver is actually operating in another. A consequence of this loophole has been that some drivers have benefitted from some licensing authorities charging different fees.

Plans to give Newcastle’s black cabs a distinctive makeover have been parked for now following concerns from the city’s taxi drivers.

Newcastle City Council planned to introduce white bonnets to the city’s fleet of almost 600 public hire black taxis – to reflect Newcastle United’s famous black and white shirts – in a bid to make travelling by taxi safer for everyone.

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”.

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.