The taxi and private hire trade have been one of the hardest hit by pandemic restrictions. Financial support has been thin for the industry but there are options available to drivers. In this article, we round up some of the key things you need to be aware of if you’re a driver struggling financially

Plying for trade is a common enough phrase for people in the taxi trade to hear. However, this doesn’t mean that its definition is universally understood. Specialists in taxi law have long been calling for statutory clarification of the current definitions from the Department for Transport.

According to Allied Market Research, the global taxi trade will be worth over £100 billion by 2027. However, as the industry recovers and grapples with the aftermath of the pandemic many drivers are struggling to make ends meet. As costs rise for running taxi services, a minimum rates increase needs to be introduced.

As soon as a successful vaccine was announced, representatives from the taxi and private hire trade have been lobbying the government to consider drivers as a priority group. The government have now announced that no prioritisation will occur based upon individuals' occupations.

Last month, Andy Burham, along with other council leaders published an open letter to the Secretary of State for Transport, lobbying them to review a host of issues. One area in particular has been causing local authorities' headaches for the past few years, cross-border licensing.

Unite Wales have been lobbying licensing leaders in South Wales to rescind the proposed price increase for taxi and private hire licences in the area. Following the hardest year on record for many, these prices hikes don’t reflect the state of the industry following the pandemic.

The Duke of Edinburgh always had a fondness for taxis which was reflected in both his charity work and his choice of vehicle. In a spontaneous show of respect for the passing of HRH Prince Philip, black cab drivers in London lined the Mall outside Buckingham Palace.

Whether you believe it’s good for the taxi and private hire trade or not, the big industry news this week is that Uber’s acquisition of dispatch software provider Autocab, will be allowed to continue following the conclusion of the Competition and Markets Authority’s investigation.

The TaxiPlus team were fortunate enough to be able to attend this year's Taxi Summit event. It was a great event and first of its kind for the industry being a virtual event. If you weren’t lucky enough to attend, we’ve rounded up our key takeaways from the event.

The taxi and private hire trade has a large volume of self-employed drivers. For various reasons, these drivers are having incredible difficulty accessing financial support. We check out some of the reasons preventing access to this financial support.

Following a landmark Supreme Court case between Uber and a group of drivers, individuals driving for Uber are now legally classed as workers and not self-employed contractors. But what does this mean if you are a driver? We take a look at the breakdown of Uber’s next steps.

If you’ve ever lived somewhere remote, or, had to help a new taxi driver find out where you live, have you ever thought there might be an easier way? What3Words gives people a tool that allows you to share your exact location on the map, wherever you are.

One of the most common questions we receive from licensing managers is whether we can manage the drivers' subscriptions to the DBS Update Service. With our new status checking system we can finally help you manage the process!

February saw a landmark ruling from the UK Supreme Court. Their decision means that now, all uber drivers will be considered workers and not self-employed contractors. We look at the implications for Uber and the gig economy.

February saw a landmark ruling from the UK Supreme Court. Their decision means that now, all uber drivers will be considered workers and not self-employed contractors. We look at the implications for Uber and the gig economy.

We’ve seen a lot of taxi firms supporting in any way they can throughout the pandemic. From assisting key workers to ferrying the vulnerable, drivers have often been in the frontline. This new scheme is the latest way in which taxis are being utilised as a resource to support the vaccination rollout. 

Uber announced yesterday they were going to be offering free journeys to mass-vaccination centres with a discount code. Many taxi firms have already offered their support in their local areas. We take a look at how the taxi trade is helping the UK get vaccinated.

Taxi and private hire drivers have been essential in maintaining the UK’s transport sector throughout the pandemic. The flexibility of their service means they are often used by NHS and other frontline staff, but have struggled to get recognition as key workers themselves.

The new statutory taxi and private hire standards mandates that councils carry out extensive consultation in their localities. Working together with the public and industry representatives is the best way to ensure a safe and effective licensing policy that works for everyone.