
The Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) is introducing a new financial support package to help local private hire drivers upgrade to cleaner, lower-emission vehicles.
Under the newly approved Private Hire Vehicle Support Fund, eligible drivers can apply for grants of up to £2,500 to replace their older cars.
The initiative, which is expected to officially launch this September, marks a major shift by regional leaders who decided in late June to ditch a previously considered loan model in favour of an entirely grants-based system.
The total cost of the grant-only scheme is expected to reach a maximum of £1.98m across the city region. While this is slightly higher than the £1.85m maximum estimated for the hybrid loan and grant model, an official report revealed the switch was made to avoid complex risks.
The report noted that "having considered the risks associated with the loan component, it is recommended that the previously agreed Private Hire Vehicle Support Fund is revised by removing the loan element and moving to a grant-only model."
This change helps the authority avoid administrative costs and bad debt write-offs associated with managing loans.
Local leaders have strongly backed the move as a fairer way to tackle air pollution.
Bolton South and Walkden MP Yasmin Qureshi said: "After the last Tory government tried to impose a charging Clean Air Zone on Greater Manchester, the GMCA with Andy Burnham as Mayor, found another way by showing an investment led approach, focused on lowering emissions with a publicly controlled bus network and supporting our local taxi drivers, could achieve better results."
She added that the grant scheme "supports local drivers and ensures that more drivers are licensed here in Bolton and other local towns where we have stricter oversight," concluding that investing in the future is far better "than taxing hard working people for driving as part of their job."

Platinum Travel, owned by brothers Alex and Ryan Elbourne, has seen its pool of licensed drivers shoot up from 35 to 140 and its operations team expand to 16 to meet surging demand.

Prominent local taxi firm Thistle Cabs has officially signed up as the newest charity partner for the Ayrshire Hospice. 

Daniel Smith, 35, of Paisley, was ordered to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work, placed under supervision for 24 months, fined £300, and banned from driving for 30 months at Glasgow Sheriff Court.

On July 30, six vehicles from Herne Cars will form a funeral procession to Herne Bay Crematorium to pay tribute to one of the funniest cabbies to ever drive the local streets.

The App Drivers & Couriers Union (ADCU) has made an urgent appeal to incoming Prime Minister Andy Burnham, demanding he immediately halt upcoming trials of driverless cars in the capital.

From launch, EVs and hydrogen fuel cell cars will pay three pence per mile, while PHEVs will pay a lower rate of 1.5 pence per mile as those drivers also pay fuel duty.

The appointment marks another important milestone in CheckedSafe’s growth and reinforces the company’s commitment to strong governance, strategic expansion, and innovation across the sector.

Shermaine "Sham" Bond, 38, has spent the last seven years driving cabs, where long hours behind the wheel and irregular meal times caused her weight to climb to 14st 6lbs.

Members of the City of Doncaster Council’s licensing committee voted to outlaw both Category S (structural) and Category N (non-structural) write-offs from operating in the city.

The convoy of licensed London taxis began the day in South Holmwood, where volunteer drivers and veterans gathered for refreshments before making the journey together to the Sussex coast. 

Last year, 30-year-old interior designer Ditto Kasendar fell asleep during a short ride in Los Angeles. He woke up nearly an hour after his trip ended to find firefighters opening his door.

Kuldip Chahal, from Blyth, approached the woman, picked her up from the ground, and guided her through the crowded streets for ten minutes to his parked car on Fenkle Street.

Khalafalla Yagoub, from Salford, was found guilty of rape at Manchester Crown Court in June and sentenced on July 13.

The review is being conducted alongside traffic consultants LVSA to evaluate the current state of licensed vehicles across the region.

Brodie Farrell, 26, of Colchester, boarded the taxi in the city centre before violently attacking the driver upon arriving at his destination in Highwoods.

The applicant previously had his licence stripped by Christchurch BC and a BCP Council report said thast the driver "didn't advise the Christchurch BC of the initial offences or criminal convictions".

The victim and her friend were outside a Leicester city centre bar when Adam Daley pulled up in his white Toyota Auris and offered to take them home if they booked the ride through the app.

The incident unfolded late Saturday night, July 11, after the driver picked up the group from a restaurant on Mill Lane around 11:30pm. 

Senior councillors on Ceredigion County Council’s Cabinet unanimously backed the fare hike at a meeting on July 7, marking the first rate change since 2022.

Drivers gathered outside the Bridge Street offices to voice their anger at rules limiting licences to vehicles emitting a maximum of 75 mg of nitrogen oxides (NOx) per kilometre.
