Thomas Tugendhat Chair, Foreign Affairs Committee, Chair, Foreign Affairs Committee

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many local authorities have (a) offered structural payment plans and (b) provided three month delays to payments for annual taxi licence renewals since March 2020.

(Citation: HC Deb, 28 October 2020, cW)

Rachel Maclean Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Department for Transport has encouraged all licensing authorities to consider ways in which they can support the trade to continue to operate and provide essential travel. Any measures that authorities elect to introduce are a matter for them. The Department does not hold any data on payment plans or payment deferrals offered by licensing authorities.

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Thomas Tugendhat Chair, Foreign Affairs Committee, Chair, Foreign Affairs Committee

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department have had with independent taxi operators on reducing VAT to five per cent.

(Citation: HC Deb, 28 October 2020, cW)

Jesse Norman The Financial Secretary to the Treasury

The current structure of VAT rates raises a significant amount of revenue for the Government, raising over £130 billion in 2018/19. This plays an important part in funding the Government's spending priorities including hospitals, schools, and defence.

Changes to the current rate of VAT on the transport service provided by independent taxi operators would come at a cost to the Exchequer, and that cost would have to be balanced by increased taxes elsewhere, or reductions in public spending. Although the Government keeps all taxes under review, the Government has no current plans to change the VAT treatment of such goods.

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BLACKPOOL

For those residents without a car, taxis are a much needed lifeline around the resort, whether it is for a vital appointment at the doctors or just for bringing back the weekly shop.

However demand for taxis has once again nosedived after Blackpool was put into the Government’s Tier 3 regulations earlier this month.

Three of the biggest firms on the Fylde coast, Premier Taxis, C Cabs and Whiteside Taxis, have all reported noticeable drops in demand.

John Cutler, managing director of Premier Taxis, based on Lytham Road, said the firm experienced a massive drop in trade ‘beyond expectations’ which led to a lot of drivers leaving or self-isolating.

John said: “Then of course we had the bounce back which was beyond anything I’ve seen in the past 30 years. For a couple of weeks the hotels were full and everything was great again but we didn’t have the drivers that we had previously.

“It’s thanks to the local people, who we base the business on, for their support throughout this difficult period. It has ensured that we’re going to get through this thing, although we have incurred huge losses. I don’t want to really discuss the amount, but they’re huge.”

He explained how the taxi company is trying to rebuild but said it has had little support to do so

John said: “We are looking to the future and rebuilding effectively. That’s what we intend to do, we don’t think we’ve had the support we could have had, very little support in fact but we don’t want to think it’s all doom and gloom.

https://tinyurl.com/y478c4ne

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GATWICK taxi drivers are to protest against Uber claiming the app is causing them financial hardship.

Campaigners are calling for action over the amount of London-based Uber vehicles in and around Gatwick and Crawley.

They are holding a rally on Saturday, October 31, to call on Crawley Borough Council to step up the pressure on Transport for London and Uber, to limit the operations of London licensed vehicles in Sussex.

One taxi driver, Zak Ben said: "As taxi drivers we are embedded in the fabric of our communities.

"From business professionals to school mums, there isn’t anyone we don’t pick up and we know our town is struggling right now.

"We can’t afford to allow a multinational to take much needed business out of our local economy, it’s not on.”

Campaigners believe the silicon valley giant is causing hardship for local drivers whose livelihoods have already been hit by the Coronavirus pandemic.

A total of 800 local taxi drivers have signed a petition demanding action to rein in the activities of London based Uber vehicles.

On October 31, Uber is ceasing its operation from a designated waiting area within the Beehive lane industrial estate near Crawley.

There is now a great deal of uncertainty about where hundreds of Uber vehicles will move to.

Unite regional officer Jamie Major said it is wrong for a "a giant multinational with a controversial track record to damage local employment".

He explained: "Crawley's economic dependence on Gatwick airport means the town is being badly affected by the Coronavirus crisis.

"Local taxi and private hire drivers are launching a campaign to ensure Crawley Borough Council and other local councils pile the pressure on Transport for London and Uber to restrict London based Uber vehicles from picking up fares around Gatwick and Crawley.

"The drivers are calling for a fair and level playing field.

"It’s wrong for a giant multinational with a controversial track record to damage local employment. We urge the councils to take action to support the economy in and around Gatwick and Crawley."

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Chinese internet search giant Baidu has launched a self-driving taxi service in Beijing, the first company to carry passengers in autonomous vehicles in the capital.

With a fleet of 40 vehicles, the Apollo Go Robotaxi service covers a road network of about 700km as an autonomous driving test area. It has established nearly 100 pick-up and drop-off stations in residential and business areas in the Yizhuang area, Haidian and Shunyi districts of Beijing.

Passengers in Beijing can now hail autonomous cabs free of charge via Baidu Maps or Apollo Go apps without advance reservation.

The move has come after the Beijing-based tech giant opened its robotaxi service to the public in Cangzhou, Hebei province, in August – the first robotaxi coverage to a city's downtown area.

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/taxi-wheres-the-driver/XG652QDKUGILJKTARQC5N66ANY/

 Bill Esterson Shadow Minister (International Trade)

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what financial support is available for self-employed taxi drivers who have been told by NHS England to self-isolate due to underlying health reasons and who have been told that they do not qualify for bounce back loans because they do not have business bank accounts.

John Glen Minister of State (Treasury) (City), The Economic Secretary to the Treasury

The government is committed to supporting self-employed individuals through any period in which they have to self-isolate. Self-employed individuals may be eligible for “new style” Contributory Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) if they are incapable of work due to Covid-19, including those who are required to self-isolate according to Government guidance. We have made it easier for people to claim new style ESA by removing the seven-day waiting period which means people can get support from day one. If they are on a low-income, they may also be entitled to a £500 self-isolation payment.

Individuals who are self-isolating can also access the wider support which the government has made available to self-employed people. In addition to bounce back loans, self-employed individuals may be eligible for the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) which remains open for applications and has recently been extended. The SEISS Grant Extension will last for 6 months, from November 2020 to April 2021.

This support for the self-employed is in addition to a comprehensive welfare offer: according to OBR estimates, the government has injected a further £9.3bn into the welfare system to support individuals who are unable to work or on a low income, including the self-employed. For those on low incomes, the government has relaxed the UC minimum income floor for all self-employed claimants.

The Government launched Bounce Back Loans on 4th May 2020 to ensure that the smallest businesses can access loans of up to £50,000 in a matter of days. However, decisions regarding which products, like business bank accounts, to offer remain at the discretion of lenders, and the Government does not intervene in these decisions.

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RMT Press Office:

TAXI UNION RMT today demanded national, regional and local support for the taxi trade as the exclusion of drivers from financial support packages leaves them facing bankruptcy. ‎

With the second wave of COVID - 19 now battering the whole of Britain, and with localised lockdowns in place, the taxi trade is currently in crisis with hard working taxi drivers facing financial ruin due to the decimation of regular as well as passing trade.

For many drivers this is further compounded by the huge financial burdens associated with purchasing the new generation of electric vehicles as part of programmes across the country to introduce environmentally friendly green taxis.

RMT General Secretary Mick Cash said

“The taxi trade is an essential part of Britain’s transport network and has played a key role in ensuring essential workers could get to their workplaces throughout the lockdown earlier this year as well as transporting sick and elderly citizens to essential medical appointments and getting people from the supermarket to their homes with food and other essential household items.

“It’s now time the Government’s across the four nations, as well as local councils, stepped in with financial assistance to ensure taxi drivers who are clearly key workers during this unprecedented pandemic avoid penury and suffering through no fault of their own.”

https://www.rmt.org.uk/news/rmt-demands-government-and-local-council-support-for-covid/

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At an online meeting of Falkirk Council’s executive on Tuesday, members agreed to put temporary measures in place in order to assist in the recruitment of more taxi drivers.

Members unanimously backed the policy and development panel recommendation to temporarily change policy to allow new Private Hire Car Driver applicants not to have to pass the Knowledge Test prior to the granting of their licence – with the condition they must pass the knowledge test within 12 months of the licence being granted.

They also agreed to temporarily waiving the application fee for a temporary private hire car driver licence where a full application has been simultaneously submitted.

Members heard many drivers had not returned to the trade following the coronavirus lockdown and there was currently a shortfall of around 55 taxis per day, which was having an adverse effect on school runs.

Councillor Robert Bissett said: “There are a lot of drivers who did not come back to the trade after lockdown and there is now a dearth of drivers. This is a temporary measure and it will allow people very quickly to become taxi drivers.”

Councillor Nigel Harris asked for reassurance the drivers would definitely sit their knowledge test in the near future.

https://www.falkirkherald.co.uk/news/people/emergency-measures-falkirk-faces-post-lockdown-shortage-taxi-drivers-3003359

 Transport for London (TfL), the capital's transport authority, has banned Indian taxi app Ola over public safety concerns.

The cab company has been operating in London since February.

TfL said the firm reported a number of failings including more than 1,000 trips made by unlicensed drivers.

Ola said it will appeal the decision and has 21 days to do so. It can operate in the meantime, according to the appeal rules.

The transport authority said Ola did not report the failings as soon as it knew about them.

"Through our investigations we discovered that flaws in Ola's operating model have led to the use of unlicensed drivers and vehicles in more than 1,000 passenger trips, which may have put passenger safety at risk," Helen Chapman, TfL's director of licensing, regulation and charging, said.

"If they do appeal, Ola can continue to operate and drivers can continue to undertake bookings on behalf of Ola. We will closely scrutinise the company to ensure passengers safety is not compromised."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-54412123

 Diana R. Johnson Labour, Kingston upon Hull North

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 25 September 2020 to Question 93554, what the scientific basis is for his Department's decision not to enforce mandatory face coverings for taxi and private hire drivers.

(Citation: HC Deb, 1 October 2020, cW)

Rachel Maclean Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Department for Transport’s guidance for transport operators (Coronavirus (COVID-19): safer transport guidance for operators) advises that the risks of coronavirus should be identified through operator's conducting risk assessments. These inform decisions and measures to be put in place to protect both transport workers and customers. We continually review guidance for safer transport in line with scientific advice.

Evidence tells us that the most effective measures are social distancing, rigorous hand hygiene, not touching one’s face and good ventilation of fresh air. It is up to the operator to use their risk assessments to determine if face coverings are a practical and safe protective measure based upon specific job roles.

https://www.theyworkforyou.com/wrans/?id=2020-09-28.96010.h&s=Taxi#g96010.q0

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GLASGOW; Ear ! Ear!

A mum has been left with half an ear after it was bitten off and left on the floor of a taxi as she tried to act as a peacemaker between feuding sisters on a night out.

Gillian Furphy had been celebrating her brother Peter’s engagement in October last year when she was set upon by 22-year-old Amy McInulty.

Following the savage attack, half of her left ear was lying on the floor of a taxi.

The 45-year-old carer, of Glasgow, Scotland, was then rushed to hospital where she needed 19 stitches to close the 5cm gash.

But her nightmare was far from over, as just weeks later, her wound became infected, sparking deadly sepsis – when the body mistakenly attacks itself – which left her so unwell that she missed her brother’s wedding.

Appearing at Glasgow Sheriff Court in August, McInulty, of Royston, Glasgow, admitted assault and causing severe injury and permanent disfigurement, and was ordered to perform 210 hours of unpaid work, also being tagged and placed on a six-month 8pm to 8am curfew.

Gillian who is married to joiner Derek, 45, and has three daughters aged 24, 19, and 15, who she does not wish to name, remains furious that she was spared jail, saying: “I thought she would get a harsher sentence. Six months on a curfew is nothing when I’ve been left with half an ear.”

“The girl that did this is 22 – a similar age to my daughters. I just don’t know how anybody could act in this way,” she continued.

“It scares the life out of me. If someone can do that, what else are they capable of?”

https://www.nottinghampost.com/news/uk-world-news/mums-ear-bitten-left-taxi-4569353

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LIVERPOOL

A 70-year-old grandad who spend nearly half a century driving a cab was forced to live in the back of his taxi after becoming homeless during the coronavirus lockdown.

John 'Ted' McMullen worked as a taxi driver for 49 years in Liverpool, yet found himself unable to work when his health deteriorated.

But thanks to the Torus Foundation, Mr McMullen now has his own apartment to call home, has become part of a community and feels safe.

Mr McMullen, from Dovecot, suffered a stroke prior to the arrival of the pandemic, but was still able to work as lockdown hit.

He moved into a supported accommodation complex on March 27, after losing his placement in a hotel.

From there he continued his job as a taxi driver for part of the lockdown period, but had to have minimal contact with other people.

Within a few weeks, Mr McMullen's health deteriorated and he had to go to hospital.

When he was discharged, he said: "I was told to pack up work straight away."

John 'Ted' McMullen in his new Kirkby home after being supported by the Torus foundation 

His mobility suffered and Mr McMullen then suffered a "number of falls", Torus said.

Mr McMullen told the ECHO: "I was living in the back of my cab for a while because I had nowhere to go.

"The staff [who helped] have been brilliant, just fantastic. They've really helped me a lot, because I was homeless."

Mr McMullen now has an apartment in Kirkby.

https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/grandad-who-spent-49-years-19029674