Renfrewshire residents will be consulted on potential changes to the way taxis and private hire cars are licensed.

Councillors on Renfrewshire Council’s Regulatory Functions Board approved a consultation period to seek views on a range of issues including the minimum size of private hire cars, the number of passengers allowed in wheelchair accessible taxis and private hire vehicles, and the maximum age of vehicles licensed .

Currently, taxis may be licensed for up to eight years, but the proposed changes would see zero emissions and electric taxis able to be licensed for up to 15 years and electric private hire vehicles up to 10 years.

Under the proposals, taxis and private hire vehicles would be able to be no older than five years old when first licensed and private hire vehicles could be required to have a minimum of five seats and meet a new minimum luggage capacity.

Wheelchair accessible vehicles will also be consulted upon to identify whether rear-loading should continue and if a single, solid ramp should be required for those vehicles.

Councillor John McNaughtan, Convener of Renfrewshire Council’s Regulatory Functions Board, said: “We want to find out what our communities think about the current taxi and private hire licensing requirements and whether these need to change or be updated.

“In recognising that there is a climate emergency, we want to encourage a move from petrol and diesel-powered vehicles to electric.

“We are investigating how we can make it more appealing for taxi and private hire operators to use these low-emission vehicles and allowing them to be licensed for a longer period could be one of those ways.

“The consultation takes in a wide range of issues, including making taxi and private hire vehicles easier and more comfortable to use for everyone, so please submit your views and have your say on the future of taxi licensing in Renfrewshire.”

The consultation period will last for eight weeks and the responses will be returned to the Board for consideration
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 Bolt, the on-demand transportation platform, has announced journeys taken using its platform in Europe will be carbon neutral by offsetting emissions.


The Estonia-headquartered company revealed a number of commitments as part of its environmental strategy, called ‘Green Plan’. With a €10 million-euro investment up to 2025, Bolt will offset its contribution to the European transportation sector’s carbon dioxide emissions by at least five million tonnes.

From 2020, Bolt will add more ‘green’ ride-types to the platform in Europe for passengers to choose from, as well as offsetting the global emissions from its offices. The commitments include introducing electric scooters to more cities and allowing Bolt riders to donate and contribute to green initiatives from inside the app.

In 2016, road transport accounted for 20% of Europe's carbon dioxide emissions, with passenger cars contributing 44% of these. Emissions increased by 28.3% between 1990 and 2016, according to the European Environment Agency. Europe is aiming for the transport industry to be climate neutral in the second half of the century.

Markus Villig, CEO and founder of Bolt, said: “The facts show climate change is real and greenhouse gas emissions are the biggest cause of it. Today, road transportation makes up about 20% of Europe’s total greenhouse gas emissions. As Bolt is a part of that ecosystem, we need to hold ourselves responsible for being part of the solution.

“We are working every day to accelerate the shift to shared and efficiently-used vehicles – electric cars, bikes, scooters and other types of vehicles that are yet to be invented. But we need to face the reality that our current transition is not fast enough. So, while we look to reduce emissions by adding more shared and electric vehicles to our fleets across cities, carbon offsetting takes immediate action to reduce emissions today and acts as a driver across the company to speed up the transition.

“We’re in the unique and fortunate position of being able to act as a driving force for change both in and outside our industry and we hope that this action sets an example for other companies to follow, so we can all share the responsibility moving forward.”

Bolt will offset the emissions from ride-hailing trips for journeys taken within and between Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Czech Republic, Croatia, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Lithuania, Latvia, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Sweden, Ukraine and the United Kingdom.

Bolt will work with Natural Capital Partners, experts in the delivery of solutions for positive impact on carbon and renewable energy, to deliver its carbon neutrality.

Jonathan Shopley, Managing Director, External Affairs at Natural Capital Partners, said: “Carbon neutral action is increasingly important across all sectors to rapidly deliver the emissions reductions required to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees. We are delighted to work with such a disruptive company which is making this commitment to an immediate, positive impact on our climate.

“Bolt currently serves 25 million customers in over 30 countries globally and has grown to be an on-demand transportation leader in Europe and Africa. Last year, it became the first company to bring ride-hailing and scooter sharing together in a single app, enabling ride-hailing customers to opt for quicker and greener rides in congested city centres.” 
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CARDIFF

As Fresher’s Week kicks off and thousands of students arrive in the Welsh capital, Dragon Taxis has pledged to support university students throughout the new academic year with its Safe Taxi Scheme. Working in collaboration with Cardiff University and Cardiff Metropolitan University, the Safe Taxi Scheme ensures that all students can get a lift back to their halls after a night out, even if they don’t have money for the fare on them.

Between the hours of 10pm and 6am, seven days a week, students from participating universities can book a taxi journey for up to four passengers, to the value of £20, and pay via their Student Union within 48 hours.

Now in its seventh successful year in Cardiff, the scheme was recently launched in Bath and Bristol by Dragon Taxis group operator Veezu, and also has an arm in Leeds. Veezu is the leading private hire operator in the UK with 3,500 driver partners covering 12.6 million passenger journeys per year.

Ryan Owen, Managing Director of Dragon Taxis, said: “Starting university and moving to a new area on your own can be daunting. Freshers, some of whom may never have been to Cardiff before, are finding their feet and their way around. We’re here, if they find themselves a bit lost without having to worry about having enough change on them or searching for a cash machine. Our emergency service will ensure they get home safe and they can settle their bill with their SU over the next few days.”

https://wales247.co.uk/cardiff-taxi-service-to-keep-freshers-safe/
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