
Jaan G Saqlain, managing director of Doncaster private hire firm Absolute Cabs, has received the prestigious “Farzand e Pakistan” (Son of Pakistan) award at a London ceremony over the weekend.
Saqlain dedicated the honour to Julie Kay, who recently passed away at 57 following a battle with motor neurone disease (MND).
Recalling their work together, Saqlain said: “Julie and myself worked very hard and we did the opening of Absolute Cabs office in Doncaster in 2013. This award is for her.”
Based on East Laith Gate, Absolute Cabs has grown from just five cars at its 2013 launch to a fleet of more than 200 vehicles under Saqlain's leadership.
The international award celebrates high-achieving Pakistanis living overseas and their contributions abroad.

A British passenger has been arrested in Seville after allegedly stabbing a local cabbie 16 times in a brutal knife assault, sparking fresh safety demands from the city's taxi trade.

Fife councillors will decide on Tuesday, 22 September, whether to grant Uber Scot Limited a private hire booking office licence at Rosyth Business Centre on Cromarty Campus after 431 objections were lodged.

The major route reopened on Sunday, September 20, following delays and cost increases from £161m to £237m for the rail bridge replacement scheme. The closure began in April 2023.

Khalid Bashir continued working for Keighley-based Aireside Private Hire for a month while Bradford Council was processing his licence renewal.

Cllr Andrew Parkhurst shared the footage online, stating: "I have been sent a shocking video. It appears to show a Flintshire cabbie watching YouTube while driving a vulnerable child.

If approved, the two-mile fare would harmonise at £7, matching Carlisle rates while raising fares £1 (17%) in Allerdale and 80p (13%) in Copeland, with no change for Carlisle.

Sukhy Sidhu, 59, was alerted just after 10.15pm by his 21-year-old son when a Ring doorbell alarm went off, capturing footage of a person standing next to the vehicle as flames ignited.

Muhammad Malik, 46, claimed a bin bag containing the £50,000 worth of drugs was left behind by an unidentified customer and that he set off on an 11-hour, 600-mile round trip to Scotland.

Abdiqadir Mohamed Nur faced Glasgow City Council’s licensing and regulatory committee at John Street following a complaint to the local authority’s taxi and private hire enforcement unit.

Coventry taxi fares will increase despite opposition from local cabbies, following approval by cabinet member for city services Cllr Patricia Hetherton on 15 September.

The council tested 630 drivers - 13% of its 4,800 registered drivers - over the past 7 years, uncovering a “small minority” using illegal substances on a “recreational basis or as habitual users.”

officers from the Heywood Neighbourhood Policing Team executed a comprehensive Traffic Enforcement Operation under the banner of Op Paragon. 

Lead licensing officer Nicky Jones told councillors that Denbighshire’s rates sit above 2nd place Swansea and beat averages in England, while other N. Wales councils charge “a lot less than ours”.

London’s licensed taxi fleet could shrink further as parts shortages for TX5 electric cabs leave self-employed drivers facing income loss and extended vehicle downtime.

If approved, the new maximum rates will start on 1 October. No objections were raised during a public consultation, and the local taxi trade supports the review.

Cllr John Grafton says resigning as a councillor is an option following no confidence vote over a controversial June decision to let convicted rapist David Brown keep his taxi operator’s licence.

Local operator Blueline has been pushing for the colour requirement to be reconsidered, arguing that mandatory full-body yellow resprays or wraps add over £2,000 extra per vehicle

This new model will take over from the iconic TX range-extended electric taxi which launched in 2018

eteran cabbie Rob Finlayson told PHTM: "Glasgow City Council is proposing to revoke the North Hanover Street taxi stance beside Queen Street Station. I’ve formally objected.

The follows a six year jail term being given in October 2022 to David Park, the 73-year-old Director of the firm, who used stolen taxes to help buy a £3.8 million mansion in rural Berkshire.
