Vehicle Innovations

As trials continue to pave the way for driverless taxis, one manufacturer is recalling hundreds of thousands of vehicles following concerns about its driver-assistance software.

Pilot schemes for autonomous taxis have been carried out on public streets in a variety of major cities which have raised concerns.

Autonomous taxis are being allowed to spend more time on the road as one tech giant is stepping up a gear.

Chinese search engine firm Baidu has branched out into the driverless taxi sector and has seen demand grow, collecting nearly 500,000 fares in three months in Wuhan, with its autonomous taxis operating from 9am to 5pm.

The range and charging times of EVs are the biggest issues facing taxi drivers who have made the switch to greener motoring.

While they benefit from lower or no road tax, as well as not paying congestion zone or clean air charges, recharging their vehicles can be a major issue, especially if they have to wait their turn for the public charging network.

A new private hire taxi app that lets women choose female drivers to help them feel safe on a night out is expanding after a successful launch.

RideSafe was created by Welsh entrepreneur Ben Cole-Edwards after his mother and aunt wanted a service that catered for women.

As taxi operators tackle the huge task of switching their fleet to electric vehicles, taxi insurance specialist Patons Insurance has created a special partnership to help make the transition go more smoothly.

Patons has teamed up with a leading EV charging equipment provider and installer to fit EV charging equipment.

Hundreds of thousands of rapid charging stations are needed to keep commercial vehicles such as black cabs and private hire taxis vehicles on the roads.

And London aims to lead the way with the electric vehicle revolution after Mayor Sadiq Khan announced 100 new ultra-fast electric vehicle charging points for the capital’s Red Route roads.

Cutting pollution and making motoring cleaner are vital for the environment and people’s health, so it makes sense to encourage taxi drivers and other professional drivers who spend more time on the road, to make the switch.

But they will only move away from petrol and diesel vehicles if they can find a reliable and affordable electric alternative.

Ride-hailing founder Uber is following its rivals with plans to launch adverts in and on its taxis.

In trials in its home city of San Francisco and in Los Angeles, Uber is using tablets in its private hire taxis to show adverts to passengers. And with valuable data at its fingertips, Uber’s advertising proposition has the potential to land global brands.

A recent cyber attack at Uber reveals that keeping technology safe and secure is as important as taxi drivers getting passengers to their destination safely.

Following the data breach last month, in a bid to reassure staff, drivers and customers that its systems and data are secure, Uber has released details of the hack and how the firm reacted to stop the breach and improve security.

Some people see driverless taxis as the future, while to others, they are nothing more than a hi-tech gimmick. But ultimately, it is the passengers who will decide their fate as they have to feel safe and comfortable using the hi-tech taxi.

Whether or not the novelty wears off, there has been plenty of investment into autonomous vehicles and driverless taxis are currently being trialled in America.

One of England’s oldest taxi businesses is steering its way towards an all-electric fleet of taxis.

Whiteside Taxis in St Annes on Sea started with Handsome Cabs in 1880 and has seen many changes in the years that followed. But, as with the transition from Handsome Cabs to the Hackney and private-hire taxis we are familiar with today, it did not happen overnight.

Technology is constantly improving and there are now more high-tech ways to connect taxi drivers with passengers.

As well as ride-hailing apps such as Uber and, more recently, Bolt, many UK taxi businesses have introduced their own technology to make it easier for passengers to book and pay for journeys.