Follow PHTM
Posted on the 15th April 2025 in PHTM News
UBER DRIVERS TAKE TOYOTA ELECTRIC VEHICLES FOR A SPIN AT BRANDS HATCH TRACK DAY
Ride-hailing giant Uber and automotive manufacturer Toyota teamed up to host an electrifying track day experience for hundreds of Uber drivers at the iconic Brands Hatch circuit in Kent.
The special event provided 300 drivers with the opportunity to test drive a range of Toyota and Lexus electric vehicles on the world-famous racetrack.
This initiative builds upon the growing partnership between Toyota and Uber in the UK. Last year saw Toyota launch a dedicated website offering bespoke car finance deals for Uber owner-drivers.
According to Toyota, this scheme has proven successful, with "almost 2,000 Uber drivers" switching to electric Toyota or Lexus vehicles in the six months since its inception.
To further encourage the adoption of electric vehicles within the Uber fleet, more than 80 battery-powered cars were available for test drives at Brands Hatch. Popular models among Uber drivers, such as the Toyota bZ4X electric SUV, were prominently featured, with Toyota offering additional support to those opting for electric.
The event also showcased Toyota's new Proace Verso and Proace City Verso people carriers, alongside the Lexus UX 300e and RZ 300e luxury SUVs.
The track day culminated in a memorable moment for Nuruzzaman Chowdhury, an Uber driver from Poplar, East London, who won a brand new Toyota bZ4X SUV in a prize draw.
Alastair Rutt, senior manager for Toyota’s business team, hailed the initiative's success, stating: "Our electric vehicle initiative with Uber has already been an outstanding success, with more than 100,000 visits to our dedicated microsite and thousands of drivers going ahead with a new vehicle purchase.
"With our Brands Hatch driving event, we were able to give our guests a real-world introduction to the strengths of our model range for a business where reliable performance and long-lasting quality are key."
Read another story
- TEENAGE ARMED ROBBER JAILED FOR 30 MONTHS AFTER TARGETING ABERDEEN TAXI DRIVERS
Drug-fuelled Ellis Gardiner pressed a knife into the face of one driver, drawing blood, and robbed another of £50 after brandishing a screwdriver at him.
- DRIVERLESS WAYMO TAXI TRAPS PASSENGERS ON AUSTIN HIGHWAY SPARKING SAFETY FEARS
A ride in a driverless Waymo taxi turned into a "Black Mirror" moment for two passengers in Austin, Texas, after the autonomous vehicle allegedly stopped in a busy merging lane on a notorious highway and locked them insi
- UNION SLAMS SHEFFIELD CITY COUNCIL'S RECKLESS PERMANENT PRIVATE HIRE VEHICLE SIGNAGE PLAN
The GMB union warns the plan could confuse the public, endanger drivers and damage vehicles.
- BRADFORD UBER DRIVER CALLS FOR CCTV AFTER SECOND BRICK ATTACK
Mohammed Khan, 40, was driving along Harrogate Road on 3 April around 8:45pm when a group of youths, some masked, hurled a brick at his car near Sainsbury's.
- MANCHESTER AIRPORT TAXI DRIVER LOSES LICENCE IN POLICE CRACKDOWN
Greater Manchester Police's Commercial Vehicle Unit (CVU) teamed up with City of Wolverhampton Council Licensing to conduct checks on over 30 taxi and private hire vehicles.
- BURNLEY MAN AVOIDS JAIL AFTER BRUTAL ASSAULT ON PRIVATE HIRE DRIVER
Reece Rainey appeared at Blackburn Magistrates' Court where he pleaded guilty to assaulting Shabaz Akhtar, leaving the driver with multiple broken teeth and mouth injuries.
- VEEZU EYES YORK EXPANSION WITH OPERATOR LICENCE APPLICATION
e Cardiff-based company, which claims to be "Britain’s fastest growing private hire company," is currently in the process of acquiring local firm Drive Private Hire Ltd, situated on Layerthorpe.
- GLASGOW CABBIE ADMITS ATTEMPTED MURDER AFTER MOWING DOWN FRAUDSTER OUTSIDE COURT
In a shocking act of broad daylight revenge, taxi driver Awet Teame, 32, has admitted to attempting to murder a man who had previously defrauded him out of thousands of pounds.
- GLASGOW PRIVATE HIRE DRIVER CONVICTED OF SEXUALLY ASSAULTING DRUNK TEEN PASSENGER
Private hire driver, Kamran Nawaz, 37, admitted to the crime, which occurred on May 23 of last year in the Anderston area of the city.
- WIGAN CABBIE FORCED OFF THE ROAD BY WINDOW TINT OF NEW VEHICLE
Tracy Hibbert, who has been a taxi driver since 1991, bought a 2019 Ford Transit Custom van in August.
- IPSWICH COUNCIL CRACKS DOWN ON ROGUE TAXI DRIVERS REVOKING 16 LICENCES IN FIVE YEARS
The move comes as the council reviews licences, addressing concerns ranging from DVLA issues and medical conditions to more serious allegations flagged by police and other authorities.
- TUNBRIDGE WELLS TAXI DRIVER LOSES LICENCE AFTER PUBLIC SAFETY CONCERNS
A Tunbridge Wells taxi driver has exhausted all avenues of appeal after a judge at Maidstone Crown Court upheld the borough council's decision to revoke his taxi/private hire licence.
- BLACKBURN AND PENDLE CABBIES SIGN UP IN DROVES AS UBER LAUNCHES LOCALLY
The onboarding process commenced on Tuesday at Lomeshaye Business Park in Nelson, marking the end of frustrating delays for prospective drivers who were initially told registration would begin in January, then March.
- GREATER MANCHESTER MAYOR CALLS FOR DEVOLVED POWERS TO FIX ENGLANDS BROKEN TAXI LICENSING SYSTEM
Figures show one local authority dominates taxi licensing across England, with nearly half of private hire vehicles working in Greater Manchester now licensed ‘out of area’.
- LYFT EXPANDS IN EUROPE AND DIVERSIFIES BY ACQUIRING FREENOW
FREENOW will continue operating as it does today to drive growth across 9 countries and over 150 cities across Ireland, UK, Germany, Greece, Spain, Italy, Poland, France and Austria.
- MAN NABBED IN TAXI NEAR KIDBROOKE WITH 30 INCH MACHETE IN HIS WAISTBAND
A man with a history of knife offences has been arrested after police discovered a 30-inch machete concealed in his waistband during a stop and search of a taxi near Kidbrooke, south east London.
- BARNSLEY DRIVER, VEHICLE AND OPERATOR LICENCE FEES SET TO RISE
Fees for taxi drivers operating in Barnsley are set to climb next year for the first time since 2014.
- SOUTH CAMBS PRIVATE HIRE DRIVER LOSES LICENCE AFTER FAILING TO DECLARE DRIVING OFFENCES
Kambiz Akhondi, 59, from Soham, appeared before Peterborough Magistrates who determined he was not a fit and proper person to hold a private hire licence.
- THOUSANDS OF MILES OF ROADWORKS LIFTED AHEAD OF EASTER AS DRIVERS SET TO BE 500 BETTER OFF
Drivers are set to benefit from up to £500 of savings per year and see smoother Easter getaways as 1,127 miles of roadworks are lifted, the Department for Transport has announced today (16th April).
- KIRKLEES CRACKDOWN SNARES SPEEDING DRIVERS AND UNSAFE TAXIS IN RURAL ROAD SAFETY BLITZ
The operation also focused on taxi safety, with a total of eight immediate prohibition notices issued to taxi drivers after significant faults were discovered on their vehicles.
