News
More taxi drivers face five-year bans for using mobiles at the wheel
8 April 2024More taxi drivers will lose their badges for five years if they are convicted of using their mobile phone while operating their cabs as licensing authorities update their safety policies.
The latest move is part of new safety measures brought in by Sefton Council and is in addition to any punishment issued by courts. This includes the automatic six penalty points and a £200 fine all drivers face for using a hand-held phone, sat nav, tablet, or any device that can send and receive data while driving or riding a motorcycle.
More PHVs are being allowed to use bus lanes
30 March 2024Bus lanes are usually reserved for buses, taxis, motorcycles and cyclists, but now more local authorities are allowing PHVs into the lanes to beat traffic.
The idea behind bus lanes is that fewer vehicles, carrying larger numbers of passengers, get through traffic more easily. It also helps promote sustainable modes of transport. Those against allowing PHVs into bus lanes argue that the more vehicles that use them, the more congested they will become and they will no longer be effective.
Which of our top 5 cars will be your next taxi or PHV?
22 March 2024Finding the right car is the most important decision a taxi or PHV driver has to make. It is a huge investment in their business and one they must get right.
They need the right tool for the job, whether they work in busy towns and city centres or focus on longer journeys such as airport runs. Whatever they go for must be affordable and practical – and something they can trust will do the job from day one.
Taxi drivers hit out at rising licensing costs
11 March 2024Taxi drivers want a council to explain why their licensing fees – which they say are already among the highest in their region – are about to rise again when the service they receive is “appalling”.
Taxi and private hire drivers registered with Dudley Council are unhappy that their fees will increase by 2.3% from from April 1. Both taxi and PHV drivers currently pay £475 for a three-year licence, on top of their taxi insurance and rising fuel costs.
‘Taxi tax’ will be final nail in the coffin, say PHV drivers
4 March 2024PHV drivers are calling on Chancellor Jeremy Hunt to stop the ‘taxi tax’ in his Budget on Wednesday, amid fears a 20% fares hike will hit drivers and passengers “like a train”.
Fares could rise after a High Court ruling last year that taxi companies were liable for VAT – not drivers. Now, HMRC wants 20% VAT levied on the full fare of all PHV rides – which would raise prices for passengers across the country.
Should Private Hire Vehicles be allowed to use bus lanes?
26 February 2024As 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.
Access to bus lanes is decided by each local authority and it is usually only buses, public hire taxis, cyclists and motorcyclists can use them. Some are permanent bus lanes while others are only operational from set times, such as morning and evening rush hours, or throughout the day.