Public Hire

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 Bury Council had considered removing the Knowledge test from its licensing process following claims it is outdated and unnecessary.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

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”.

Taxi drivers and anyone who earns their living on the roads has pretty much seen it all – the good, the bad, the ugly and the ridiculous.

Whether it is using mobile phones while driving, middle-land hoggers, road rage, bad manners or speeding, there aren’t many things other drivers could do that would surprise professional drivers.

Buying a car is a huge financial undertaking that requires years of planning and saving by taxi drivers.

Many factor in the cost of replacing their vehicles every 10 years – or the maximum time allowed by their licensing authority.

A taxi driver who wrongly received eight Clean Air Zone penalty charges has received an apology from a council after fines totalling almost £1,000 were cancelled.

Abdul Raheem is one of a number of taxi drivers who have complained to Sheffield City Council that they received the penalty charges, even though their vehicles meet emissions standards or were exempt from the scheme at the time.

Concerns have been raised about safety as the number of out-of-town private hire taxi drivers operating in Greater Manchester continues to rise.

The Manchester Evening News has revealed that more than one in three private hire taxi drivers operating in Greater Manchester are licensed by Wolverhampton Council.

Thousands of taxi drivers have been given the choice to work as self-employed or become part of the staff at ride-hailing company.

Freenow UK asked its 20,000 taxi and private hire drivers to choose their employment status, asking whether they wanted to remain self-employed and enjoy the freedom that goes with it, or become employees and enjoy benefits such as paid holidays and sick pay.

Taxi drivers are a huge part of our communities and Glasgow, in particular, is relying on them for its future.

Whether it is a trip to the shops, restaurant, a night out or airport run, taxis are the trusted option to get people where they want to go and when they need to get there.

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.

Being a taxi driver can be very rewarding and many people spend their careers enjoying life on the road.

But, like any career, it is something people have to be passionate about in order to go the distance – and there are ups as well as downs.

When taxi drivers buy a new vehicle, reliability is one of the key things they look for both for now and in the future.

But it is only when they get an expensive repair bill – on top of taxi insurance and running costs – and have to wait for their vehicle to pass its MoT retest to get it back on the road that they might question their choice of car.