News

Range is one of the biggest obstacles stopping drivers making the switch to electric vehicles but wireless charging could change that.

You can currently travel further on a tank of petrol or diesel in a typical family car than you can in a comparable EV – that also costs more – with a fully charged battery.

Football could be coming home as England’s Lionesses kicked off Euro 2022 with a win and fans are flocking to be part of the feelgood factor.

With nearly 70,000 enjoying the electric atmosphere at a packed Old Trafford on Wednesday night, England’s women secured the first three points of the tournament with a 1-0 win over Austria.

As taxi firms continue to struggle to recruit drivers, one solution put forward is to remove the minimum age at which someone can hold a taxi licence, which is currently 21 in many areas, including London.

The government is currently considering responses to its consultation on Taxi and private hire vehicles.

Greater Manchester has submitted its revised Clean Air Zone plan to the government and wants to ban taxis not licensed locally in a bid to improve air quality.

As well as reducing pollution, the move to ban taxis licensed outside Greater Manchester is part of a wider plan to improve the regulation of taxis in the region.

Cash has always been king in cabs, but the improving technology followed by the pandemic have seen a major switch change in direction away from notes and coins.

As payments by card and by mobile phone have become the norm in shops, restaurants and businesses around the world, advances in mobile technology have meant people can use their cards on the go.

The biggest industrial action on the railways for decades has seen mixed fortunes for taxi drivers.

Those desperate to reach their destination are jumping in a cab due to the rail strike.

Vehicle technology is constantly improving and now tyre manufacturers are reinventing the wheel to make punctures a thing of the past.

This could be a gamechanger for taxi drivers and other motorists when it is expected to the roads in 2024.

Soaring fuel prices and looming net-zero carbon targets mean more people are considering switching to electric vehicles sooner rather than later.

As well as the environmental impact, EVs seemed to be the obvious choice for most drivers – until the cost of electricity shot up at the same rate as petrol and diesel.

With just a month to go before Manchester has to submit its revised Clean Air Zone plan to the government, there are calls for it to be reduced by 95 per cent to only include the city centre.

The original zone included all 10 boroughs of Greater Manchester, with thousands of taxi, bus, van and lorry drivers and businesses facing eye-watering charges for driving anywhere in the region from May 30.

As we look forward to celebrating the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee this bank holiday, taxi drivers will be doing everything they can to help people get to and from events safely.

However people are celebrating, they will all be looking forward to raising a glass to toast her majesty’s 70-year reign.

As with standard car insurance, most taxi drivers take out annual cover and renew their taxi insurance policy every 12 months.

But there are cases where policies can be taken out to provide cover for only weeks or months at a time.

Patons Insurance is continuing to expand its taxi customer base in the North East.

Following the acquisition of Teesside-based insurance broker ‘SurePlan’ in 2020, from June this year, we will welcome Newcastle-based Bestford Insurances’ taxi insurance customers, too.