Global taxi market recovering, but bookings down on 2019, says Taxi Butler report

Mark Bursa

Global taxi and private hire bookings are recovering monthon-month, but are still some way below peak-pre-pandemic 2019 levels, according to a new report from Amsterdam-based dispatch systems supplier Taxi Butler.

But the Global Taxi Booking Industry Report showed that Q1 2023 experienced a 13.6% decrease in bookings worldwide compared to Q4 2022, and fewer bookings compared to Q2 and Q3 2022, an indication that driver shortages are impacting bookings. The report revealed an average of 19% lower monthly bookings every month than in 2019.

However, March 2023 had 22% more bookings than January 2023, and 2.4% growth was noticed between January and March, with the biggest change occurring in March.

UK and Ireland showed a faster

Volkswagen reveals upgraded ID.3 EV with simplified model line-up Mark Bursa

Volkswagen has revealed a facelifted version of its ID.3 electric car, and is putting in new production facilities in Germany in order to ease supply restrictions on the car.

UK customers can now order the enhanced Volkswagen ID.3 for delivery later in the year, There are just two trim variants - the original Business, Style and Tour trim levels have been replaced by Pro and Pro S, priced £37,115 and £42,870 respectively.

The two trim levels each have different battery capacities: 58kWh for week-on-week recovery than the rest of Europe, but in overall terms, the UK is lagging behind European markets compared to data from 2019 and 2022.

In Q1 2023, the UK experienced an average week-on-week growth of 1.4%, whereas EU markets saw an average week-on-week growth of 0.7%. But EU markets saw 12.1% more bookings in Q1 2023 than in the same quarter last year, while the number of bookings in the UK fell by 6.6% than in the same quarter of 2022.

Compared to 2019, the picture looks worse, with UK and Ireland down 48.2% in Q1 2023 on Q1

2019, while EU bookings fell 36% comparing the same quarters.

Globally, the taxi industry has experienced 2.6% average weekover-week growth in Q1 2023 compared to 2022, but bookings were down 13.6% between Q4 2022 and Q1 2023. According to Taxi Butler, the most significant growth is being driven from North America and Australia/New Zealand.

Taxi Butler sales director Laurence Docherty said: “Despite the decline in bookings compared to previous quarters, the taxi industry shows signs of growth on a more granular level with positive week-over-week growth, and some regions surpassing pre-Covid levels. Some regions are coming out of the pandemic stronger than others, which is to be expected.” n To see the report, click here: https://www.taxibutler.com/ quarterly-reports/q1-2023/ enlarged air intakes and a longerlooking bonnet through the removal of the black strip beneath the windscreen.

The new model also marks the introduction of option packs, which are available for both trims and group together popular options according to personal preferences. The Exterior Pack, for example, allows new two-part LED tail light clusters on the tailgate instead of reflectors.

Pro and 77kWh for Pro S. The 45kWh battery offered on earlier versions of ID.3 is no longer available. The 77kWh battery gives the ID.3 Pro S a predicted range of up to 347 miles (combined WLTP), while the ID.3 Pro has a top range of 262 miles using the same measure.

The ID.3 Pro S can be recharged at speeds of up to 170kW, allowing recharge from 5-80% in 30 minutes. ID.3 Pro has a charging capacity of up to 120kW, so a similar recharge would tale 35 minutes.

The facelift brings a restyled front end, higher-quality materials and upgraded driver assist systems. The range of exterior colours has been extended to include Dark Olivine Green, and the use of animal-free materials underlines Volkswagen’s sustainability strategy for its allelectric ID. family.

The restyle gives crisp lines,

Volkswagen says it has listened to customer feedback regarding the ID.3’s interior, resulting in a more luxurious finish with soft, foambacked touch points throughout the cabin. A further upgrade in 2024 will see the 10in infotainment screen replaced by a larger 12.9in screen.

In a bid to ease supply issues, VW has announced it will be adding production capacity for the ID.3 at its Wolfsburg factory, in addition to production at Zwickau and Dresden. This should reduce waiting times for deliveries of the car.