Changes to taxi fares on the Isle of Man have seen maximum prices rise and the late-night tariff pulled forward by an hour.
BBC News reports that the revisions by the Road Transport Licensing Committee (RTLC), the regulatory body responsible for overseeing taxi fares, were brought in after consultation with Isle of Man Unite Taxi Branch and the Manx Taxi Federation.
Secretary of both lobby groups, Mike Birchall, said the "majority of drivers" were happy with the moves to offset increasing costs.
But RTLC chairman Graham Curphey admitted it had been "a mistake" not publicise the changes more widely prior to them coming into force.
On Monday, the fare for tariff one, which applies to journeys made between 06:00 and 23:00 BST, increased by 30p to £3.80 for the first 60 seconds of a journey, while tariff two fares rose by 40p to £4.70 for the same distance.
A 50p rise in the surcharge for fares from the Isle of Man Airport rank, now set at £2, has also been introduced.
A survey by the committee found 39% of respondents backed no changes to tariffs, but 46% supported increase in fare prices of between 1% and 5%.
Mr Curphy said there had been complaints that there were "no taxis around at midnight when people are kicked out of pubs and clubs" and introducing the more expensive tariff at 23:00 might encourage more operators to pick up.
But if the change did not work for the industry the RTLC could "revisit it", he said.
Mr Birchall said drivers "needed some kind of increase" to cover insurance, mechanic and general cost of living increases.
They had backed the "reasonable" changes and did not want to increase prices any further to "hit the pockets of the general public", he added.
A taxi driver has suffered several head injuries after being attacked by two passengers.
The Bucks Free Press reports that shortly after 1am on Saturday, April 20, a male taxi driver in his 40s picked up two men to drop them off at Sainsbury's n Witan Gate, Milton Keynes.
Before leaving the car, the two offenders started to attack him multiple times as they attempted to steal his phone and money.
The taxi driver managed to escape the vehicle, but was soon caught again by the offenders where they further assaulted him.
Police said the victim sustained several injuries to the head area and was taken to hospital for further treatment, but has since been discharged.
Two 16-year-old boys, both from Milton Keynes, have been arrested on suspicion of robbery.
They have been released on bail until July 19.
A police spokesman said: "We are asking individuals to come forward with any further information on this incident, particularly with digital evidence, for example dash-cam, CCTV or camera footage.
"You can also make a report online or by calling 101, quoting reference number 43240180812.
"If you don’t wish to speak directly to police, you can also call the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111."
Source: https://www.bucksfreepress.co.uk/news/24279101.taxi-driver-suffers-head-injury-robbery-attack/
Aberdeen International Airport is holding talks with taxi drivers following strikes over proposed changes at the Dyce hub.
One of the proposals includes scrapping the £200 per week barrier fee that taxi drivers are charged to pick-up passengers and replacing it with a departure charge of £7.
Changes to work patterns are also being floated which would scrap the need for drivers to work shifts – something the airport says will “provide more flexibility”.
The airport said it is “committed to implementing changes to improve the service for passengers”.
Earlier this week, some drivers “withdrew from service” in protest at the proposed changes.
However it is understood striking drivers are back on the job, with talks ongoing with airport bosses.
The changes could be controversial for passengers as, if enacted, the £7 departure charge would be passed on to customers if the driver decides to do so.
In January the drop-off fee for airport taxis increased by 150%, with passengers being forced to pay an extra £3 for every journey, increasing from £2 to £5.
At the time, the airport said these changes were brought in to bring the facility’s fleet “in line” with external taxi companies.
Aberdeen International Airport has been running its own taxi service since June 2018. Prior to this, Comcab was it’s operator.
The airport has faced criticism from passengers about the shortage of cabs and the length of time people have had to queue to get one.
Last year, the airport said they were exploring “a number of initiatives” to recruit more drivers.
Regarding the proposed changes, a spokesman for Aberdeen International Airport said: “The recruitment of taxi drivers remains a challenge not just for the airport but city-wide.
“In January, Aberdeen International Airport committed to implementing changes to improve the service for passengers.
“We will continue to work with drivers within our fleet to provide more flexibility.”
A spokeswoman for union Unite – which represents some of the airport’s taxi drivers – added: “Members made Unite aware of the situation, but as talks are ongoing we cannot comment further at this stage.”
Black cab drivers in London are calling for more support from government to help them make the transition to an all-electric fleet, and have teamed up with InstaVolt, the UK’s leading rapid charging network to show how this could be done.
Currently, just under 60% of London’s almost 15,000 strong black cab fleet is made up of zero emission capable, electric taxis.
The LDTA says reducing VAT on public charging to 5% and improving access to rapid chargers through superhubs, like InstaVolt’s, could help accelerate the move to every cab being an EV.
InstaVolt has just launched its largest ultra rapid EV charging superhub in the capital at Syon Park in Brentford. Although it’s built with all EV drivers in mind, InstaVolt says the new 14 charger superhub addresses the lack of rapid chargers in the capital.
To support black cabs drivers’ campaign to have VAT reduced to 5% at public charging points in line with home chargers, InstaVolt is also removing 15% of the cost at its chargers in the capital for a month, as a sign of solidarity.
Situated just 3 miles from the M4, and close to Heathrow Airport, Syon Park is along a main commuter artery, the A316 which runs from the capital to the M3.
Simon Smith, InstaVolt’s Chief Commercial Officer, said: “Cabbies are busy people for whom quite literally time is money and they need ready access to reliable charging solutions so they can get back on the road as quickly as possible, making InstaVolt the perfect partner.
"At Syon Park and across our network, cabbies can benefit from our industry leading 99%+ reliability as well as accessing a whole host of amenities.
“We are also delighted to be supporting the black cab drivers in their fight for lower prices for on-street public charging by self-removing 15% of our charging cost, effectively leaving a 5% element inline with the VAT for home charging.”
Since 2018, all taxis licensed for the first time have had to be zero emission capable and there are calls for the government and TfL to step in to do more to support drivers and reduce VAT on charging points.
Steve McNamara, General Secretary of the LTDA, said: “Well over half of London’s black cabs are now electric but the shortage of rapid public charging points and rising cost of charging remain barriers to wider uptake of electric taxis.
"Reducing the VAT on public charging, bringing it into line with home chargers, would help level the playing field for those drivers unable to charge at home as well as supporting drivers with mounting operating costs.
"We hugely appreciate InstaVolt’s gesture of removing the VAT equivalent themselves to demonstrate the positive impact such a reduction would have.”
Transport campaigner and original Top Gear presenter Quentin Willson, is the founder of FairCharge, which argues VAT needs to be cut on public EV charging.
Quentin said: “FairCharge has campaigned for three years repeatedly asking the Treasury to cut the VAT on public EV charging, and help reduce costs for those electric car drivers who can’t charge at home. Affordability is one of the key levers to mass EV adoption.
"I’m really encouraged to see InstaVolt symbolically reduce their prices, to reflect the difference a VAT cut would make, hopefully this will help HMT appreciate that reducing the tax on electricity for public EV charging is an important lever for increasing EV adoption.”
Supporting the cause is Edmund King OBE, AA president. He said: “It's unfair that black cab drivers, and others without access to off-street parking, should pay four times as much VAT on charging as those fortunate enough to be able to charge at home.
"We are pleased that InstaVolt are supporting the campaign for change.”
Source: https://instavolt.co.uk/black-cabbies-and-instavolt-join-forces-in-vat-fight/
An uninsured taxi driver caught illegally plying for hire has been hit with a £1,270 court bill.
The Knutsford Guardian reports that Madeh Ahmadi, from Handforth, Cheshire, pleaded guilty to plying for hire whilst he was not licensed as a public hackney carriage at Liverpool and Knowsley Magistrates’ Court.
The 38-year-old was caught operating on Church Street in Liverpool, whilst driving a Wolverhampton City Council licensed private hire vehicle, on September 9, last year, the court heard on March 28.
The defendant also pleaded guilty to driving without third party insurance on the same day.
Ahmadi was fined £400 for each offence and ordered to pay £320 victim surcharge and £150 costs.
His driving licence was endorsed with eight points.
Magistrates took his guilty pleas into account when imposing the sentence.
The defendant was given until June 28 to pay the £1,270 court bill.
Changes to taxi fares on the Isle of Man have seen maximum prices rise and the late-night tariff pulled forward by an hour.
A taxi driver has suffered several head injuries after being attacked by two passengers in robbery attempt.
Aberdeen International Airport is holding talks with taxi drivers following strikes over proposed changes at the Dyce hub.
London cabbies call for more government support to help with transition to electric and have teamed up with InstaVolt, the UK’s leading rapid charging network to show how this could be done.
Madeh Ahmadi, from Handforth, pleaded guilty to plying for hire whilst he was not licensed as a hackney carriage at Liverpool and Knowsley Magistrates’ Court.
Dr Gareth Carey threatened a taxi driver and kicked off his car's wing mirror after failing to pay his £28 fare.
Trevor Storey, 63, was charged £253 instead of £4 when he dropped a customer off on April 14. The machine didn't issue a receipt and Trevor failed to notice the eyewatering charge.
A private hire driver has told how a Household Cavalry horse "smashed" into his people carrier lifting part of the car into the air, as seven horses got loose during an exercise and ran amok.
A previously flat 20 per cent commission rate has been replaced with differing rates dependent on the total number of jobs drivers complete.
At a meeting of the Democratic Services committee on Monday, April 22 councillors received a report which said that tweaks were needed to the Powys County Council constitution.