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DG Cars partners with Walsall’s 247 Cars to acquire Lichfield-based City Cars business
Mark Bursa
Nottingham’s DG Cars, one of the strongestperforming private hire fleets over the past 12 months thanks to its strong diversification into the delivery market, has made a major acquisition in Lichfield, in partnership with another major fleet, 247 Cars of Walsall.
The two companies have jointly acquired City Cars Lichfield, in an innovative deal that sees both become shareholders in the firm, whose territory is situated between Nottingham and Walsall.
The move creates a Midlands giant, with a combined fleet across the three businesses of more than 2,000 cars. DG has 1,250 cars in the Nottingham area, and earlier in the year we reported it had increased its fleet by 175 during the pandemic to cope with demand for delivery work, which has grown rapidly. 247 Cars CEO Shaz Ali says the City Cars operation is likely to be the first of several joint purchases as the companies look to fill the area between their two centres. Ali describes the joint business as “the third entity” – which means the two companies are still able to make individual purchases in and around their own towns, while using the third entity to serve “the houses in between the edge of Birmingham and the edge of Nottingham”, which includes major towns such as Tamworth, Burton and even Leicester.
“We’re very careful about who we approach,” Ali said. “We want people with a thirst for growth and collaboration. He said 247 and DG were also looking for synergies, in areas such as training and quality control.
Walsall’s 247 Cars has 700 vehicles and has also grown in the pandemic thanks to a move into north Birmingham, which has added around 250 cars in the past 12 months. The acquisition of City Cars adds a further 50 vehicles to the combined group.
Before the Coronavirus pandemic, DG Cars had been acquisitive, buying Western Cars in Derby, which added 170 vehicles, and Z Cars in Newark, which added 30 vehicles. The company has also been a pioneer of electric taxis, a move that won it the Professional Driver Environmental QSi Gold Award in 2019. 247 Cars, which started in 2013, operates a largely Toyota-based fleet across a large area of the suburban West Midlands to the north of Birmingham, covering Walsall and surrounding towns of Bloxwich, Pelsall, Willenhall, Darlaston, Aldridge and Brownhills. The company’s fleet includes more than 100 minibuses with 6-16 seats, and also operates courier van services.
DG and 247 have a history of working together – at one point 247 ran a call centre operation on behalf of DG. The City Cars business will be managed by 247 as Lichfield is much closer to its operating base than DG’s Nottingham head office.
Ride-hail car supplier WeFlex rebrands as focus shifts to EVs
Mark Bursa
WeFlex, which supplies cars to private hire drivers on a rent-to-buy basis, has switched to supplying only batteryelectric cars. The company has announced a rebrand to coincide with the change in strategy, with a new green ‘lightning bolt’ logo.
WeFlex was founded by former Climatecars boss Nicko Williamson (pictured). Climatecars was a pioneering “green” private hire operator with an all-hybrid fleet, launched in 2007, which was acquired by Addison Lee in 2015.
Williamson said the change was being driven by a number of factors in the London market. “When the congestion charge rose to £15 a day, the mindset of drivers suddenly shifted to electric vehicles,” he said. “EVs went from not being easy to sell to everybody wanting one.”
Forthcoming changes to the congestion charge later this year will see plug-in hybrids lose their exemption too, which is “really accelerating the adoption of pure EVs”, he said. The availability of EVs with higher ranges of above 200 miles is also a major factor, he added. The Uber Clean Air Fund, which offers weekly discounts to Uber drivers wanting to go electric, has also been a major driving force, he added. “Over last summer we saw that drivers were ready to switch to electric, so we decided to stop buying ICE cars.”
WeFlex is working closely with Uber, but not exclusively. The focus at the moment is on ridehailing drivers. “We don’t have a product aimed at private hire fleet operators at the moment, but we’re working on it,” he said.
Currently around a third of the 700 cars being supplied via WeFlex are EVs, and that percentage is rising as existing contracts come to an end. “We’re working with Hyundai, Kia, Nissan, Jaguar and MG,” Williamson said, singling out the MG5 estate for special praise. “It’s just great for the sector. Basic but nicely made and with a 200-plus mile range – and so much cheaper than other EVs.” WeFlex took delivery of its first MG5 two weeks ago, and the car is keenly priced. Currently WeFlex offers the MG5 for £135 per week, considerably cheaper than Nissan Leaf Accenta (£146), Hyundai Ioniq Electric (£165) or Kia e-Niro (£199).
WeFlex is also carbon-offsetting all its own costs, and is planting a tree for each car it supplies. Williamson believes a market recovery will drive strong growth for WeFlex, and he plans to expand the number of cars on rent-to-buy to around 1,200 within 12 months.
StreetCars continues its Manchester expansion with ScottsCars acqusistion
Mark Bursa
StreetCars, Manchester’s largest private hire operator, has acquired local competitor ScottsCars, based in Hale, adding a further 200 cars to its fleet.
The move, the latest sign of consolidation in the private hire sector as it starts to recover from the Covid-19 crisis, increases the dominance of multiple QSiAward-winning Street Cars in the local market.
In a statement, StreetCars managing director Aqeel Arshad (pictured) said: “StreetCars is elated to report we have taken over the well-known and successful local taxi firm ScottsCars. Not only have we effectively added 200-plus cars to our fleet in a single move, but we are now in a position to serve the Manchester community more efficiently than we have ever had the power to do before. The resources this initiates into our possession will ensure we remain a cut above the industry.”
StreetCars has kept working throughout the pandemic, transporting key NHS workers to and from hospitals and, like a number of other big fleets, diversifying into food.
Previously StreetCars’ growth had been organic, including the major 2019 win of the Manchester Airport contract. Arshad continued: “Over the past few years our business has expanded exponentially, driven by the hard work of every single one of our staff members, drivers and of course, customers.”
He concluded: “We at StreetCars have a lot of pride over the fact that we got where we are organically. We planted these trees with our own hands and we have nurtured the saplings long enough to enjoy the shade they provide.”
In a statement, Scotts Cars said: “After so much success serving our local community, we are now being taken care of and managed by another more established taxi company, StreetCars. With our shared values and commitment to local areas, this next step for Scotts Cars will mean we can serve our communities better than ever. “
Veezu makes a B-Line for Pudsey with third West Yorkshire acquisition
Veezu Group’s Leeds subsidiary Amber Cars has made another local acquisition, adding Pudsey B-Line’s 50 cars to its West Yorkshire fleet.
Amber Cars is the biggest taxi and private hire operator in Leeds, and the Pudsey B-Line fleet will now operate under the Amber brand.
Chris Neary, Amber Cars Regional Director (pictured), said: “This is great news for Pudsey B-Line drivers and their passengers. Residents and businesses will benefit from increased capacity and more ways to book journeys. Amber Cars has marketleading technology and excellent service standards.”
It means Pudsey B-Line customers will be able to book via the Amber Cars app as an alternative to the existing telephone numbers for Pudsey B-Line. Cashless payments via AirPay are also now available.
Amber Cars was also one of the first privatehire operators to introduce additional Covid safety measures in 2020 to make journeys as safe as possible for both passengers and driver-partners. The measures include specialist cleaning regimes, trialling invehicle protective screens, and making available more than 270,000 face coverings to driver-partners, free of charge, for their own use while driving.
The deal to acquire Pudsey B-Line is the third acquisition by Amber Cars within 13 months. In early 2020, Gee Gee Cars of Beeston, and Premier Cars of Moortown, joined Amber Cars.
Travelhire takeover sees Brunel join Green Tomato Cars in London group
Mark Bursa
Car hire giant Europcar has ended its venture into the UK executive chauffeur and private hire market by selling its Brunel operations to the Travelhire Group for an undisclosed sum.
It is the second major acquisition for Travelhire, which bought Green Tomato Cars in 2019, making it a major player in the London private hire market. Brunel operations director Beth Sampson (pictured) said: “This will provide Brunel with a platform to develop its brand as part of a more sustainable and socially conscious organisation.”
Travelhire has been one of London’s leading providers of premium car services to the corporate market for more than five decades – much the same as Brunel, Sampson added. Travelhire group acquired Green Tomato Cars from Transdev, another large European corporation that had tested the water in the private hire market before exiting the sector. Green Tomato Cars was established as an environmentally friendly service in 2006 and operates a large fleet of zero-emissions and low-emissions vehicles.
Travelhire said the acquisition of Brunel fitted perfectly within the Group’s core values. “The combined Group will operate with a strong ethical focus and will be a compelling choice for the corporate market with a clear focus on industry-leading account management and customer service together with an uncompromising commitment to operate sustainably.”
Green Tomato Cars managing director and founder Jonny Goldstone welcomed Brunel to the group, saying: “By adding another quality operator and long-established brand to the Travelhire Group, we are further cementing our position as the only sustainable operator in London, and the only genuine alternative when it comes to providing city – and nationwide – ground transport services to London’s corporate market.”
Europcar bought Brunel from the founding Edwards family in 2016, and announced plans to develop the brand internationally, signing up chauffeur partners across Europe to grow the operation. However there has been a major reorganisation at Europcar Mobility Services in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, and this is thought to have led to a reappraisal of the business.
Prestige chauffeur firm Berkley Executive closes as Covid-19 kills off entertainment and corporate work
High-end chauffeuring firm Berkley Executive, the company backed by pop singer John Newman, which went live just before the March 2020 lockdown, has become a high-profile casualty of the coronavirus pandemic.
Berkley Executive, which pitched its services to wealthy people in the entertainment and corporate markets, closed at the end of February and has disposed of its fleet of six bespoke Range Rovers and a Mercedes-Benz V-Class Senzati conversion. Managing director Mark Butterfield (pictured) has now taken a job outside the chauffeur sector.
Butterfield said: “This extended third lockdown was the final straw. It was always going to be a brave project but who could have foreseen the events of the past 12 months? Having hard-launched our business in March 2020 - to an incredible fanfare at a fabulous party at The Yard, Shoreditch - the first lockdown came at a bad time for such a young company.”
He added: “With all live events cancelled, plus very little in the way of hospitality, entertainment and luxury travel for the best part of a year, survival as a startup business was clearly going to be tough.”
Berkley Executive was originally set up in 2019 by chauffeur Rob Andrew, with backing from singer Newman, a car enthusiast who had worked as a mechanic before finding fame. Andrew left the business before the March 2020 relaunch, with Butterfield, formerly at The Chauffeur Group, taking over.
The Berkley fleet comprised six Range Rover 4.4-litre diesel LWB models, with a customised two-tone black and green paint job and extras including a bar in the centre of the back seats. The MercedesV-Class Senzati conversion is a factory-approved upgrade with a bespoke interior.
Take Me expands further with takeover of Cambridgeshire-based Steve’s Taxis
Mark Bursa
Fast-growing taxi group Take Me has made another acquisition, adding Cambridgeshire-based 4X Ltd, trading as Steve’s Taxis, to its growing portfolio.
The acquisition is backed by investment holding company MBH Corporation, which has made 25 acquisitions around the world in a range of industries, including the taxi sector.
In the UK, its taxi portfolio is centred around the former ADT Taxis business, based in Leicester, which has made a number of acquisitions already and is consolidating all its operations under the Take Me brand. Take Me managing director David Hunter said the group was working on further acquisitions and would be adding further companies “at a rate of one per month”.
Steve’s Taxis is a long-established company with a fleet of more than 100 vehicles operating in and around Huntingdon and St Neots in Cambridgeshire. It has a broad range of contracts with local schools, hospitals, prisons and local businesses, and these contracts have been invaluable as a steady revenue stream for the company throughout the past 12 months.
Despite the pandemic’s impact, Steve’s Taxis unaudited turnover to July 2020 was £1.8m with an EBIT of £0.2m. The operator is also planning to replace petrol and diesel cars with electric models, and is offering driver incentives for switching to EVs.
The total price for the acquisition of Steve’s Taxis is between £1.0 million and £1.4m, which will be settled by way of a listed bond in accordance with the MBH bond programme.
Steve Woodham, managing director of Steve’s Taxis, said: “This is a pivotal moment as the team looks to evolve and grow under new leadership from Take Me to meet new challenges after an extremely testing year. It’s enormously exciting to be joining the MBH family and I know how much David Hunter and his team at Take Me have already benefited from the experience and counsel of other principals within the portfolio.”
Callum Laing, CEO of MBH Corporation, said: “We’re delighted to expand our transportation vertical and welcome 4X onboard. We have been hugely impressed with their proactive solutions to the challenges presented over the past 12 months, plus their commitment to EV and environmental concerns.”
Last month, Take Me added Birmingham-based TC Cars to its portfolio, in a separate £2m deal not funded through MBH. And last November, Take Me bought Farnborough-based Victoria Gosden Travel Limited (VGT) for a price between £1.3million and £2m, in a deal that was backed by MBH.
Newport-based chauffeur defies pandemic with Luxstar start-up
Mark Bursa
Newport entrepreneur Carl Harris is looking beyond the Covid-19 pandemic by launching a new chauffeur business called Luxstar, with the backing of a £24,000 micro loan from the Development Bank of Wales, and support from Business Wales, Newport Council and UKSE.
Harris was faced with redundancy due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and decided to start his own business. With eight years’ professional driving experience, he has worked with the American Embassy providing services to congress, NATO, the US Coastguard, presidents and former presidents.
“I’ve been researching setting up my own business for a number of years. The rapports I had gained with people over the years, the knowledge taken from the clients I had driven, and the trust I was given led me on to explore opportunities to start my own chauffeur business with the high standards I was used to. Faced with redundancy because of the Covid 19 pandemic I decided now was the time to take the plunge and become my own boss,” he said.
“My first challenge was coming up with a robust business plan. I had a lot of knowledge of working in the transport industry but no experience in running my own company. I conducted market research and included all my findings in my business plan, which was scrutinised by the Development Bank of Wales.”
The loan was arranged on behalf of the Development Bank of Wales by Investment Executive Claire Vokes (pictured above with Carl Harris).
She said: “It has been a pleasure working with Carl through his funding application. With his dedication and help from Business Wales he was able to provide a robust business plan, which secured funding from the Development Bank of Wales for his start-up costs. He has a wealth of experience in professional driving and we look forward to seeing Luxstar and Carl flourish.”
Business Wales’ adviser Melanie Phipps helped Harris with his market research, legal set-up, pricing, insurance and bank accounts: “It has been a pleasure working with the Development Bank of Wales and Newport Council to help Carl get the necessary help, business skills and financial support to launch his dream venture. With his experience and despite the challenges we are all currently facing, I am convinced he will make Luxstar a success”, said Phipps.
Luxstar has also signed up to the Business Wales Green Growth Pledge, committing to reducing his impact on the environment by preventing waste and pollution.
Harris secured his operator’s license thanks to Alan Leen from the Newport licensing team, and he has passed a local knowledge test to enable him to gain a private hire license in Newport.
Hyundai Ioniq Electric Hyundai Kona Electric
Hyundai Motor partners with Uber to offer discounted prices on electric cars for Uber drivers
Mark Bursa
Hyundai Motor has formed a strategic partnership with Uber in Europe that will offer Uber drivers discounted prices on its Ioniq Electric and Kona Electric, as well as future Hyundai electric vehicles.
The agreement is another step in Uber’s plan to become a zero-emissions mobility platform by 2030. Last year it announced a similar arrangement with the Renault-Nissan alliance that will give discounted prices on cars such as the Nissan Leaf and Renault Zoe.
Uber has set a target of making 50% of its total mileage across seven European capitals by electric vehicles by 2025. These cities – Amsterdam, Berlin, Brussels, Lisbon, London, Madrid and Paris – will make up 80% of Uber’s European business by the end of 2021. Customers in these cities will be able to select a zero-emissions vehicle when booking a trip.
“Through this exciting partnership, we will utilise our leadership in electro-mobility to help Uber’s partner drivers make the switch to BEVs and help electrify their customers’ journeys in Europe,” said Michael Cole, President and CEO of Hyundai Motor Europe. “This agreement also gives Hyundai the opportunity to showcase the benefits of our Ionioq Electric and Kona Electric models to an even wider range of people, as well as contribute to decarbonisation efforts in major cities across Europe.”
Anabel Diaz, Uber Regional Manager for EMEA, said: “With our responsibilities to drivers, riders and cities in mind, we have made a series of ambitious commitments to support drivers switch to electric vehicles, and this partnership will enable us to continue this momentum. Professional drivers such as those on the Uber app will be the early mass adopters of electric vehicles, which will help to drive the mass market in the years to come.”
In the future, Hyundai and Uber intend to launch joint marketing and education plans to promote electric cars and their associated benefits to Uber’s partner drivers, as well offering test drives that will allow drivers to experience ZE vehicles first-hand.
Hyundai Motor aims to sell more than 670,000 zero-emissions vehicles annually and to be among the top three EV manufacturers globally by 2025. In 2020, more than 13% of Hyundai cars sold in Europe, or nearly 60,000 units, were zero-emission vehicles.
Uber adds all-electric option to its central London ride-hailing service
Uber customers in central London can request an all-electric vehicle instead of a regular petrol, diesel or hybrid car. The ride-hailing giant has launched a new service called Uber Green, operating initially in London’s Zone 1 travelcard area.
It is the next step in Uber’s stated plan to be fully electric in London by 2025. Uber Green journeys must start in Zone 1, but destinations are unrestricted.
In a statement, Uber’s European general manager Jamie Heywood said: “We continue to partner with drivers to help them make the switch to electric and today we are excited to start offering riders the option to select an electric vehicle at no extra cost, allowing everyone using Uber to play their part in cleaning up urban transport.” Uber has raised funds to help drivers switch to EVs through a 15p per mile clean air surcharge on non-EV journeys, a scheme introduced in January 2019, which has so far raised £125 million. This has so far allowed Uber to increase its EV fleet from 100 cars to 1,600.
Uber has also set up an agreement with Renault-Nissan to give Uber drivers discounted prices on electric cars made by the group, including the Nissan Leaf. Nissan Fleet director Peter McDonald commented on the Uber Green deal, saying: “This is an excellent game-changing initiative to give consumers choice in London. I imagine many will watch this with interest.”
Operators angry as south coast towns vote to remove cap in Bournemouth licensing revamp
Mark Bursa
Taxi operators and drivers in the south coast towns of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole are angry at local council plans to introduce sweeping changes to taxi and private hire policies in the area.
Despite the massive downturn in trade resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic, BCP Council is pressing ahead with new policies that could cost local drivers thousands of pounds. The council’s licensing committee has backed three controversial new policies including removing the cap on licence numbers, as well as a new white colour scheme for cars and stricter vehicle age limits.
The council wants to increase the number of licences issued “with the clear aim of a total removal of limits” in 2025. There is no cap in Christchurch but in Bournemouth and Poole there are only 249 and 89 Hackney carriage licences respectively. The council wants a unified policy across the three towns.
“We’re here to ensure standards and public safety, we’re not here to stop someone starting up their own business and that’s one of the reasons we started to look towards derestricting it,” said BCP council’s licensing manager Nananka Randle.
“But rather than just derestrict it straight away, which we accept would have quite a devastating impact on the trade, we felt a gradual approach would be fairer.”
The new policy would allow the council to issue 15 extra licences each year for four years, solely for wheelchair-accessible vehicles. Cllr Toby Johnson, a member of the working party set up to create the new policies, said the aim was to avoid “a sudden glut of taxis overfilling our ranks”.
“This isn’t saying there must be 15 extra taxis in each area over the next five years. We may only get two or three applications but we felt it was best to remove the limit and that this was the most sensible way to do it,” he said.
But the proposal has attracted opposition from existing licence holders and taxi firms. They have warned of a “significant” financial impact and increased congestion in town centres. Kevin Diffey, PRC Streamline Taxis chairman, said the move would reduce the quality of service, particularly in the towns’ suburbs.
“This decision will impact on the travelling public and on the livelihoods of the many taxi and private hire companies,” he said. “We are horrified at the proposals and frankly scared of the effect it will have on our companies.”
David Lane, of the Poole Taxi Association, said it would result in “overprovision” of taxis. However, the committee backed the draft policies, saying market forces would improve standards and ensure vehicles are available in the area they are needed.
“We don’t stop Tesco and Sainsbury’s opening up just because there’s a Waitrose down the road,” councillor David Kelsey said. “It’s supply and demand. We can’t change the way the world’s moving and it will be a case of new taxis when they’re needed.”
The policies will now go before the full council for final approval.
Bolt launches operations in Peterborough as 200 local drivers sign up to the ride-hailing app
Ride-hailing operator Bolt has launched operations in Peterborough. London’s second-largest ride hailing app, behind Uber, Bolt said its plan was to bring greener transport to the city.
So far almost 200 drivers have signed up in Peterborough, and the firm hopes the number will grow in the future.
Sam Raciti, Bolt general manager - UK (pictured), said: “We know people in Peterborough are desperate to enjoy their city again, to see loved ones and to support the economy. As lockdown lifts, we’re delighted to bring Bolt to Peterborough.
“With the city set to see growth as a result of the government’s OxfordCambridge Arc plans, alongside the council’s recent climate commitment, Peterborough is a natural home for Bolt’s safe, easy and affordable approach to transport.”
He said all Bolt rides in Europe were 100% carbonneutral as part of Bolt’s Green Plan, a long-term commitment to reduce the ecological footprint of the company.
Mark Bursa
Blacklane has launched a ‘chauffeur hailing’ service in 21 cities across 11 countries, allowing customers to book an executive car on demand in real time.
New York was the first city, launched on March 1, with London the second to go live on March 2. In London, on-demand cars are Jaguar I-Paces or Teslas provided by Havn, the electric chauffeuring brand acquired by Blacklane from Jaguar Land Rover last month.
The global chauffeur service already offers scheduled rides in 50 countries. Blacklane’s new ondemand service maintains the same quality, health and safety standards, fixed competitive fares, and sustainability as its pre-booked trips.
“People need trusted local transportation now more than ever as cities reopen,” said Blacklane CEO Dr Jens Wohltorf (pictured). “Many companies have built ride-hailing platforms with little quality control and confusing costs. But Blacklane has built a global chauffeur-hailing service with clear, consistent rates and the highest quality standards.”
All 21 cities were live by March 26. The full city list is: n AUSTRIA: Vienna n FRANCE: Paris n GERMANY: Berlin, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, and Munich n IRELAND: Dublin n ITALY: Milan n PORTUGAL: Lisbon n Singapore n SWITZERLAND: Zurich n UAE: Dubai n UK: London n US: Boston, Chicago, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Francisco, and Washington DC.
As with its scheduled rides, Blacklane partners with local chauffeur companies and offers allinclusive fares based only on distance. Guests do not pay extra for higher demand, traffic or tolls, providing the same cost certainty for all types of trips.
Private and business customers can book on Blacklane’s iOS app. Chauffeurs clean and sanitise vehicles before and after each journey. They greet guests with a slight bow instead of a handshake, maintain maximum distance, and provide hand sanitizer and masks. Guests can call or chat with Blacklane’s 24/7 customer service team in the app.
Blacklane’s scheduled service continues as usual, with rides booked 30 minutes to months in advance on its website and apps. Guests can reserve private and sanitised door-to-door airport transfers, hourly rides and inter-city trips.
Blacklane takes on $26m of new finance to expand sustainable chauffeur services
Mark Bursa
Blacklane has raised $26 million in new funding to help it expand its global chauffeur service. The Berlin-based company has recently launched an app-based ride-hailing service add-on, and in February 2021 it bought Londonbased Havn, an electric chauffeur service developed by Jaguar Land Rover.
Blacklane said it would use the latest round of funding to continue expanding sustainable travel initiatives, and to continue expanding its existing business with more flexible options. The investment is coming from existing investors, including German carmaker Daimler.
“The global travel and mobility industries have suffered, with several players struggling between drastic cuts, hibernation or ceasing operations. Blacklane has taken the opportunity to cater to travellers’ emerging needs,” said Blacklane CEO and co-founder Dr Jens Wohltorf. “Thanks to this financing, we will continue to fast-track our innovation, with zero layoffs.”
Blacklane provides on-demand chauffeur services in Berlin, London, Dubai, Los Angeles, New York, Paris, Singapore and 16 other cities. As a business-focused platform, Blacklane has been hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic, with some monthly revenues dropping 99%.
Last year Blacklane launched a city-to-city service in the UK, with fixed rates for doorto-door journeys between major cities such as London and Birmingham or Manchester, at prices that look highly competitive against first-class train travel.
Gett rumoured to be set for IPO
Ride-hailing app service Gett could follow Uber and Lyft to the stock market after it emerged that the Volkswagen-backed company is in merger talks with a special purpose acquisition company – one route to an Initial Public Offering (IPO).
According to a Sky News report, merger talks are at an early stage, and other options are being considered, including a conventional IPO.
Gett, based in London, does not compete directly with Uber, but operates as a ground transportation platform, partnering with private hire fleets, including black cabs, and other apps, such as Ola, focusing on business clients.
The firm has raised more than $850 million in funding, largely from private venture capitalists, as well as more than $300m in investment from Volkswagen in 2016, and $115m from investors including Pelham Capital in January 2021.
On flotation, Gett is likely to be priced higher than the $1.9 billion quoted in the annual accounts of one of its shareholders. —Mark Bursa
Chauffeur operators Crawfords and Chabé launch high-end bespoke delivery services
Mark Bursa
Diversification into delivery services has provided a good alternative revenue stream for private hire fleets during the Covid-19 pandemic, but executive chauffeur fleets have struggled to find a way into the sector.
Now two of London’s leading chauffeur fleets have launched “white glove” delivery services, delivering high-value items to clients, using chauffeur-driven cars.
Both Crawfords of London and French-owned Chabé have launched similar services, aimed at a wealthy clientele. Crawfords operates a fleet of courier vans and motorbikes, so it has experience in goods deliveries. The service was launched in London Fashion Week, delivering clothing items for clients such as Burberry.
Chabé, which opened a UK subsidiary in London last year, has launched its Bespoke Delivery service in France, Switzerland and the UK.
Vincent Grenard, sales director for the luxury division at Chabé, said: “When the second lockdown was announced, our luxury customers had to rethink how they sell, switching to distance selling for the most part. While the brands do everything possible to maintain the link with their customers, the traditional delivery methods seemed to be out of step with the rest of their customer experience.”
“This is why we came up with the idea of offering a bespoke transport service, in line with the brands’ image. And then, we also thought about all the luxury collection launches – fashion, jewellery, haute couture – which are now delivered digitally. We asked ourselves how we could help brands serve their customers during a virtual event. If customers can no longer travel to the event venue, why not deliver a meal, cocktail or a gift to be enjoyed while watching the show from their living room?”
Items are handled with care from the boutique shop or warehouse to the customer’s door. Items can be packed as they would be if bought directly from the shop. They can be handed over to customers with personalised attention or messages.
Crawfords has a similar focus on high-end brands. Patrick O’Sullivan, Crawfords commercial director, said: “Over the Covid-19 Pandemic we, like most businesses have had to look at various ways to keep our wheels moving. Our white glove delivery service combines luxury and reliable travel paired together with our delivery experience. The service gives our clients the opportunity to have their products delivered in style which helps them extend their brand’s luxury appeal.”
“We have always prided ourselves on customer satisfaction, professionalism and reliability which gave us a great foundation when we were putting this idea together,” O’Sullivan said.
Cordic integrates what3words geocoding technology into dispatch system and white label apps
Mark Bursa
Cordic has become the first despatch system provider to offer what3words geocoding as part of its white-label apps for improved location accuracy. Geocoding is the process of encoding GPS coordinates: what3words has encoded the coordinates of every 3-metre square in the world with a combination of 3 simple words.
Cordic has integrated the next-generation location technology from what3words to its core system, potentially increasing accuracy for millions of taxi and private hire passenger bookings per month, as well as via white-label apps for taxi, PHV, courier and other transport operators.
The what3words system allows very specific locations such as building entrances, street corners or park gates, or flats in multiple occupancy blocks. The free what3words app is available for iOS and Android as well as online, allowing people to find, share and navigate to what3words addresses in more than 40 languages.
Cordic CEO Tom Peyerl said: “There’s nothing more frustrating than getting lost trying to find a meet-up and missing out or arriving late and stressed. We have built this integration to enable using what3words addresses with our systems so that our community can find exactly where they need to be with no confusion.”
BP targets ride-hailing drivers and plans massive investment in EV hubs
Mark Bursa
BP has launched a number of major initiatives designed to increase its presence in the electric vehicle market, and in particular, with the private hire market. The move signals a major shift from the oil majors, who are having to react to global government directives to move away from internal combustion engines and into cleaner energy sources, including electric power and hydrogen.
BP has launched a service called EV Pro, which offers short-term rentals to drivers in London working for ride-hailing apps such as Uber, Bolt and Free Now. Through the service, drivers can rent a PCOlicensed Nissan Leaf N-Connecta 40kWh for £260 a week (600 miles a week) £280 a week (800 miles a week), plus a refundable deposit of £500, split over the first 2 weeks. Other car models are expected to be added to the service.
The rental period can be anything from four to 12 weeks, and during the period, drivers have access for no extra charge to the BP Pulse EV charging network, which has more than 1,000 AC Fast charging points (7kW), over 400 DC Rapid charging points (50kW), and over 20 DC Ultrafast charging points (150kW) within the M25 alone.
A BP spokesman said: “We believe that electric vehicles are the future of private hire. They’re gaining popularity with customers, offer a lower total cost of usership, and give drivers a more efficient, reliable way to earn on the road.” Nissan estimates cost savings of around £73 per week from driving a Nissan Leaf through BP EV Pro compared to a rented Toyota Prius hybrid on a 12-month contract.
As well as access to charging points, BP EV Pro includes insurance and breakdown and routine maintenance cover , including tyres.
Cars are delivered within 72 working hours of the driver’s application being approved. All BP EV Pro vehicles qualify for TfL’s cleaner vehicle discount, so there’s no Congestion Charge or ULEZ charges to pay. BP says it will register the car with TfL before it is delivered.
Meanwhile BP pulse is to expand its ultra-fast EV charging infrastructure significantly across the UK, with a series of new charging hubs developed in partnership with The EV Network (EVN).
The oil giant is aiming to double the size of the BP Pulse network in the UK to 16,000 charge points by 2030, with a particular emphasis on ultra-fast chargers. The total amount of charging on the BP Pulse network is set to grow 30-fold by 2030.
High-traffic locations re being targeted, including the UK’s motorway network, and BP Pulse’s first EV charging and convenience hub with 24 ultra-fast charging points – a similar concept to the Gridserve electric service station opened in Essex last year - will open later in 2021. The BP Pulse sites will be developed by EVN, some will be designated EV convenience and mobility hubs with food, drink and other facilities on offer to drivers as they charge.
BP has also bought a 33.3% stake in BMW and Daimler Mobility’s Digital Charging Solutions (DCS), one of Europe’s leading developers of digital charging solutions for automotive manufacturers and vehicle fleet operators, subject to regulatory approval.
New taxi-dedicated EV charging infrastructure will help Wales hit zero emissions targets
Electric car infrastructure provider Swarco eVolt has won a contract from Cardiff Capital Region (CCR) to install rapid chargers dedicated to taxis at 31 locations across 10 local authorities in south-east Wales.
The deal will also help the Welsh Government meet its target for zero emissions from taxis by 2028. The installation work is expected to be completed by June 2021.
The 31 charging locations will enable taxi drivers to charge their vehicles at local taxi ranks. A total of 34 50kW chargers will be installed at the 31 sites by Swarco, which will also manage the subsequent operation and maintenance of the infrastructure.
Justin Meyer, managing director of Swarco eVolt, said: “CCR’s well thought-through and strategic approach to building a network of charging infrastructure that is reliable and convenient for taxi drivers, combined with the tangible support it is giving taxi drivers and operators through a ‘try before you buy’ scheme and educational webinars, will make this initiative a success.”
The funding for this project comes from the Welsh Government, which in May 2020 awarded £1.296m from its Ultra Low Emission Vehicle Transformation Fund to the CCR. The award was the highest award made in Wales and will fund a number of initiatives intended to help Wales reach a target of zero emissions from buses and taxis by 2028.
