Private Hire

New taxi business celebrates ‘fantastic’ first year

Tap A Taxi was launched in Carlisle in May, 2024, and has now has 18,000 members and 40 drivers.

 private hire vehicle with uber sticker on door

Should there be a limit on private hire driver numbers?

Union bosses want to limit the number of private hire badges issued in London so that drivers can make a decent living.

 Uber and Lyft stickers displayed in a private hire vehicle

Lyft moves into Europe to challenge Uber’s dominance

The San Francisco-based tech company has confirmed that it has bought the Freenow ride-hailing business from BMW and Merecedes for £146 million.

 Tired driver taking eyeglasses off

Coroner wants changes to law governing drivers’ eyesight

Being able to see clearly is one of the most important factors to driving safely, especially for professionals such as taxi drivers and HGV drivers.

Licensing delays are forcing taxi drivers into debt

Delays to London’s taxi and private-hire licensing are continuing to force drivers off the road and into huge debts.

 Diesel nozzle from a gas station filling a truck tank.

Warning to drivers as fuel prices continue to fall

Drivers are bring warned not to take their eye off the ball when it comes to their fuel spend as prices can go back up as quickly as they have come down.

 A Veezu taxi parked in front of the Liver building in Liverpool. Leafless trees line the sidewalk, and a few pedestrians are visible in the background. The sky is overcast.

Veezu rebrands Britannia Taxis after takeover on Merseyside

There is a new name but plenty of familiar faces in Merseyside’s private-hire scene after Veezu’s takeover of long-standing Knowsley operator Britannia Taxis.

 Cityscape of Deansgate outside the Deansgate Station, a famous area known for its shops, bars and restaurants on June 04, 2021 in Manchester, England

Manchester mayor’s drive to fix ‘broken’ taxi licensing laws

Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham is calling for changes to taxi licensing laws to stop private-hire drivers operating “out-of-town”.

Call for knowledge test for private-hire drivers who don’t know ‘simple’ destinations

One Scottish Highlands authority is considering introducing a knowledge test for private-hire drivers following complaints they don’t know basic routes and destinations.

 A large pothole filled with water on a rural British road, surrounded by broken asphalt and loose gravel. The road is damp and bordered by overgrown hedges and leafless trees under an overcast sky. The scene is quiet and slightly dreary, typical of a countryside lane in late autumn or winter.

Taxi drivers face soaring bills for pothole damage

Potholes are causing even more problems for taxi drivers – because of the condition of the roads and the soaring cost of repairs.

Parking fines saga made taxi drivers scared of railway station pick-ups

A taxi driver has received £100 in compensation after he and dozens of colleagues were wrongly issued parking fines at Norwich Railway Station.

Bright pink taxis are helping women feel safe

A pink private-hire service that focuses on making vulnerable passengers feel safe is expanding after a successful first year.