LIVERPOOL

Ola, one of the world's largest ride-hailing companies has launched in Merseyside - and is aiming to surpass Uber as the region's top taxi-app firm.

People around the region may have noticed people in luminous green jackets driving tuk-tuk vehicles on the roads - this is all part of Ola's launch in Merseyside .

In celebration of landing in the region, the company has been offering free rides in the tuk-tuk vehicles around Liverpool City Centre as it looks to spread the word about the Indian company that is looking to challenge Uber on a global scale .

One of the key differences between Ola and Uber is that the former works with private hire drivers and hackney carriage drivers.

Ola means business - it has been granted licenses in each of the Merseyside boroughs and there are already around 500 drivers working around the city.

The company says it will provide more choice for customers - and will pay drivers a greater share of fares than its biggest rival Uber.

Ben Legg, Managing Director of Ola UK, said: “I have been driving passengers around the city today and have really enjoyed the chance to discuss the challenges that the community faces and how we can help with our new technology.

“We are celebrating bringing more travel and employment choices to Liverpudlians with our ride-hailing app with the help of the community choir.”

First time riders can receive 50% their first journey when they download the app before the end of April.

As part of its pledge to empower drivers, Ola says it offers the highest driver rates, charging 10% commission to black cabs, compared with 25% charged by competitors.

The company claims to have also committed to make black cab and PHV ride options equally as attractive to app users by ensuring that they are competitively priced.

Black cabs do not ‘peak’ meaning that they can be cheaper when PHVs are in high demand.

Following the UK launch of Ola in Cardiff in August 2018, the company has since launched in Bristol in October, followed by Bath and Exeter in November.

Liverpool is the fifth UK launch and the first of many in the North of England this year.

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 WREXHAM

CALLS have been made for new rules to be introduced for the hiring of limousines, wedding cars and funeral hearses.

Wrexham Council has also suggested CCTV and tracking devices should be installed in taxis after claiming current legislation for licensing taxis and private hire vehicles is ‘not fit for purpose’.

The Welsh Government is consulting on reforms to the system after ministers raised issues with inconsistent standards and the inability for authorities to share safeguarding information.

In their response, council chiefs said technology would help to improve record keeping.

They said: “The existing legislation is archaic, not fit for purpose and requires fundamental reform with new primary legislation.

“The panel believe that ideally records should be kept for every journey undertaken, however, there are obvious practical difficulties with taking this approach.

“A better option would be to use technology to better the safeguarding processes.

“The use of CCTV, trackers and GPS systems would not only provide a more robust system for record keeping, but would also not place an administrative burden on taxi drivers

“The cost of fitting CCTV within licensed vehicles particularly for small businesses may require subsidy from Welsh Government.”

The government has put forward several proposals to transform the system, including transferring the licensing powers of the 22 local authorities in Wales to a single national authority.

However, the council has objected to the potential loss of local enforcement controls.

It said it would result in the loss of more than £150,000 a year worth of income for the authority, which could result in properties used by its licensing department being reviewed.

They said: “We do not support the proposal on the information provided, as there is no evidence to support the need to redirect the existing taxi and private hire vehicle licensing function away from local authorities.

“At this stage there is no detail contained within this white paper as to how the Joint Transport Authority would undertake the licensing function.

“Our overriding concern is the protection of the public, and there in nothing contained within this proposal which suggests that public safety is at the forefront of this proposal.”

The council’s draft response will be discussed by members of the environmental licensing committee on Monday, March 25.

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 BURY’S taxis are in danger of disappearing if changes are not made to Bury Council policies on vehicle testing, the leader of the Hackney Carriage Association has warned.

Charles Oakes, the association’s director, estimates that the borough’s Hackney fleet has shrunk from a peak of around 125 several years ago to just 64 today.

These cabs are routinely tested to assess their suitability for a license based on safety and aesthetic factors.

Vehicles that accrue five faults in a test are rejected.

However Mr Oakes claims that many vehicles are being struck off for purely cosmetic issues, such as scratches or dents.

This is dramatically reducing the number of taxis in Bury, he says, especially where drivers are unable to afford to make expensive body work repairs to keep their cab operating.

These issues are compounded by taxis being affected by vandalism, including drivers reporting having stones thrown at their vehicles.

If Bury’s taxis are lost, the public and those with disabilities will lose the out most, Mr Oakes warns.

He also notes that things will only get more difficult for Hackney drivers as new legislation and policies are introduced, in Greater Manchester and across the country, related to taxi licensing and pollution, such as the Clean Air Zone penalty.

Further he argues that there are “too many private hire vehicles in Bury”, saying that the approximately 900 vehicles have “basically killed off the Hackney trade”.

Mr Oakes said: “Drivers are fed up. They have had enough and they are not coming back onto Bury’s roads.

“My concern is that were are not going to be able to supply the demand if vehicles continue to be off the road, and the council does not seem to care about this.

“We are not like private hire vehicles. The Hackney Carriages are the council’s vehicles and they tell us what we can charge and look after everything that we do.

“They have a duty to make sure that we make enough money to continue in business and maintain their vehicles to a particular standard but they are not doing that.

He added: “I know the public will say that our vehicles have to be safe, and we do not disagree with that, but we are annoyed with the cosmetic issues.

“Not having enough cabs is almost as bad as having too many because if what customers are left come to the rank even they might not find a cab where there used to be loads.”

Mr Oakes has now submitted a letter to Bury Council’s chief executive Geoff Little, and will be pursuing a judicial review into taxi testing criteria.

However, he was keen to stress that divers do not take issue with testing faults relating to safety, but only those relating to vehicle aesthetics.

He is also calling on Bury Council to carry out a public survey into Hackney Carriage use and perceptions.

If the association’s demands are not met the drivers are threatening to take action by boycotting the local elections.

Mr Oaks said: “I have written to Bury Council say that it is not nice but the council has had its say about all this and the five faults rule. But our members have said we want our say and that will be at the ballot box.

“It is not pleasant or something I like to do, but it is how our drivers feel. Our members are not happy.”

Commonly referred to as taxis, Hackney Carriages are defined as a form of public transport vehicle and are licensed to be able to “ply for hire” ­— unlike private hire vehicles which must be booked in advance.

They can hailed by prospective passengers or park at a rank and wait for custom, then carry passengers for hire or reward based on fares set by the council.

A Bury Council spokesman said: “There are nearly 1,000 private hire vehicles and Hackney carriages licensed by Bury Council . These numbers are not determined by the council, but by market demand.

“It is our responsibility to ensure that taxis are not only fit to be on the road, providing passenger safety, but that they are in the best of condition, which is why vehicles must pass a number of tests.

“We make no apology for ensuring that Bury residents can feel confident in using taxis and private cabs that meet the high standards that we set.”

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MONTREAL — Quebec’s transport minister is defending his plan to overhaul the province’s taxi industry as drivers across the province strike in protest.

Thousands of angry taxi drivers clogged the streets during rush hour this morning, causing major traffic jams in Montreal and Quebec City.

Transport Minister Francois Bonnardel said his government will not increase planned compensation totalling $500 million for drivers who have seen the value of their permits drop with the arrival of Uber and other ride-hailing applications.

The minister, who was making an announcement in the Quebec City region, is due to meet with taxi industry representatives Tuesday. He said he is ready to hear their complaints but also to defend aspects of the deregulation that he says will benefit them.

He said today’s pressure tactics only inconvenience taxi customers unable to hail a cab and motorists caught behind the slow-moving protest convoys.

Taxi drivers claim the legislation tabled last week is a gift to Uber that will drive them out of business and cost them tens of thousands of dollars.

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