Fine, ban and 24 points for illegal taxi driver
An illegal taxi driver who picked up fares across Liverpool city centre was asked ‘was it worth it?’ after being banned and fined hundreds of pounds.
The Liverpool Echo reports that Liverpool City Council officers observed Mruan Elkehya posing as both a private hire driver and public hire driver over a period of two months.
Taxi drivers lead the way with greener cars
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.
Taxi drivers pay for environmental protests
Over the past 18 months, Just Stop Oil protesters have brought roads across the UK to a standstill with a variety of demonstrations.
These have included gluing themselves to roads in towns and cities to block traffic, protests on motorways causing huge disruption, as well as slow marches through London which hold up traffic.
Calls for higher standards of taxi legislation
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.
The benefits of comprehensive taxi insurance
Our advice to every taxi driver is to take out the best taxi insurance policy they can afford that offers them the most protection.
Whether they run a black cab and need public hire insurance, or need private hire insurance for their PHV, they should always try to take out the policy that offers them the most protection.
How a taxi insurance broker can protect you
Taxi drivers understandably look for the cheapest taxi insurance deal they can find – but that doesn’t mean they are getting the best cover.
There is a lot of truth in the saying you don’t know how good your insurance is until you need it. If you keep paying low premiums for years and never make a claim, you will be happy with your choice of cover.
Should taxi drivers ask for payment upfront?
Taxi drivers can ask passengers to pay their fare at any point during a journey – even before the ride has begun.
The biggest reason for this is to stop passengers leaving without paying or refusing to pay the full fare for a journey which, to be clear, is theft. They are using a service they know they have to pay for but are cheating the driver out of the rightful fare.
How public liability insurance protects drivers
Taxi drivers know how important it is to have the right insurance to protect their business.
By law, all cab and private hire drivers must have third-party taxi insurance as the minimum cover. This is the lowest level of insurance and means that if they at fault for a crash, the other parties involved will be covered, as well as any passengers in the cab.
Taxi drivers concerned about cab colour change
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.
Cabbies treat Veterans to a day at the seaside
It is great to see kind-hearted taxi drivers once again give up their time to give veterans a well-deserved treat.
The popular trips have been taking place for 75 years and are a highlight for those who have served our country and are testament to the taxi drivers who volunteer their time to treat our veterans, giving up a day’s pay when they still have bills such as maintenance and taxi insurance coming in.
Taxi boss wants black cabs and PHVs to be treated equally
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”.
What gadgets can taxi drivers not do without?
Taxi drivers spend most of their time in their cars which must be able to do everything they need to earn a living.
As technology improves, there are more gadgets and features to make life on the road easier and more enjoyable. So, what could you not do without in your next taxi or private hire vehicle?