News

When passengers get into a cab, they expect it to be safe, comfortable and clean – and taxi drivers have a long-standing reputation for keeping their cars spotless.

This isn’t easy, especially with the British weather and having dozens of people in and out of their cabs each day.

According to the office of national statistics, there are approximately 330,000 taxi drivers in the UK – so it is no surprise they are all flocking to price comparison websites to save money on their taxi insurance!

Just like most things in the UK, the taxi insurance market is changing.

It is good to see officials cracking down on motorists who park in ranks designated for taxi drivers.

In the run-up to Christmas, Worcester City Council issued 92 fines in a month to drivers who ignored restrictions and parked in the city centre’s taxi ranks.

Taxi drivers and other motorists are being targeted by unmarked speed traps after a rise in the number of serious and fatal crashes.

Police in Northamptonshire are ditching high-profile camera vans and are using unmarked vehicles to catch drivers breaking the speed limit.

Taxi drivers provide a lifeline for many people – and now they are helping save lives.

As we hear about more tragedies resulting from knife crime, a charity is equipping taxis with military-grade bandages which could mean the difference between life and death.

Uber is continuing its growth in the UK which could be good news for other firms and taxi drivers who are being added to its ride-sharing app.

As well as booking a ride with an UberX or UberXL driver, the Local Cab option gives passengers the option to select another private hire firm to make the journey.

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.

As ambulance workers prepare for their latest industrial action, taxi drivers are once again getting ready to help the sick and injured.

Just before Christmas, the NHS was crippled by industrial action by nurses and ambulance workers which led to government warnings for people not to get drunk during the festive celebrations, and to use taxis instead of ambulances to get to hospital.

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.

Taxi drivers who want to make the switch to electric vehicles are being hit by soaring interest rates as inflation continues to bite.

The UK taxi fleet will play a big part in cutting toxic vehicle emissions and many have already made the switch, with nearly half of London’s 15,000-strong black cab fleet now including EVs and dynamos.

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.

Taxi drivers help people every day and the heart-warming tale of a taxi driver charity reuniting a former soldier with a starving girl he fed 78 years ago could easily have come from a Hollywood blockbuster.

The Derby Telegraph reports how 21-year-old British soldier Reg Pye noticed a girl in need of food and instinctively gave her his own in June, 1944 – two weeks after D-Day.