Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham has criticised a private hire driver's £170 fine for an unpaid Manchester Airport drop-off fee, calling the charge "a little heavy-handed" and "harsh."
The penalty, which is now being pursued by debt collectors, was issued to a cabbie named Neil after he forgot to update his new car's registration details on the airport's automatic payment system.
The airport's new system, introduced in March, uses cameras to automatically charge a £5 drop-off or £6.40 pick-up fee. Drivers have until midnight the next day to pay the charge.
At the time of its launch, Sue West, the airport's landside operations director, stated the system was meant to "speed up the process and make it feel seamless" by removing payment barriers.
However, during a recent BBC Radio Manchester phone-in, Neil told Burnham that he registered his PHV and debit card to Manchester Airport’s payment system, so drop-off fees he is charged while working are paid automatically but he had been fined £100 after his payment for a drop-off failed because he hadn't updated his vehicle's registration.
He said he never received the initial fine notice and is now being contacted by debt collectors for £170.
Burnham revealed that his office has received other complaints about the system.
"It feels harsh in some ways, given they know you as an operator," he said. He added: "I feel we need to work with the airport so everyone understands the system."
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Cory Lavery, 30, attacked the woman during an argument, leaving her with a bloodied nose and bruises.
Under current council policy, non-wheelchair accessible vehicles must be less than five years old when first licensed.
The new system, which will be implemented across the district's 114 licensed vehicles and 131 drivers by April 1, 2026, includes new plates for the rear, front, and sides of vehicles.
In September 2024, Reading Council Licensing officers were made aware of a post on Facebook for ‘easy airport transfers from Reading’, by an account in the name of Samuel Szymczyk.
The incident, which has been widely shared online, shows a female passenger safely climbing out of the pit with the help of onlookers.
The new system allows riders to rate the service, price, driver, and vehicle. There is also a section for more detailed written feedback.
Kind-hearted taxi drivers from Ayr gave up their time last week for the annual Ayr Taxi Day Out, treating families from Whiteleys Retreat to a memorable trip.
This comes six years after the council rejected a similar proposal, citing discrimination against men.
The driver, a 65-year-old from Stratford-upon-Avon, had failed to inform the licensing authority of these convictions, which totalled nine penalty points on his licence.
Jez Shepherd, 22, of Morecambe, was charged after a collision involving a black Fiat Punto and a white Ford Mondeo taxi on Westgate.
The applications were made by Sedbergh-based Lady Cab Taxis for a Vauxhall Insignia and Windermere-based Ace Taxi for a Toyota Prius Plus.
Drunk PC Lee Tilson punched one driver in the chest multiple times and attempted to grab a second driver through his car window in Chelmsford.
This figure represents under 7% of the district's taxi fleet, falling significantly short of the Scottish Government's 20% target and starkly contrasting with Dundee's 40% accessibility rate.
Aaron Burnicle, 36, was snared in a cross-border investigation after he sent explicit messages and images to what he believed was a 13-year-old girl on the messaging app Kik.
Transport for London (TfL) has issued a formal notice to remind taxi and private hire vehicle licence holders about the professional standards expected of them.
This guidance is issued for use by licensing authorities handling applications for taxi operator, taxi sector, private hire car, private hire vehicle or booking office driver licences.
The decision on Friday 8 August, follows a petition from a group of taxi drivers who argued that the market is "over-saturated" and causing "unsustainable pressure" on their trade.
Abdul Mashud was caught on August 23, 2024, after he agreed to take undercover Reading Council Licensing officers from a petrol station near the festival site to Slough Train Station for an inflated fare of £120.