November 2020

VOLUME 14 ISSUE 05 ÂŁ4.95

How the industry has delivered a strong response to the pandemic

Coming clean

NEWS ANALYSIS

Chauffeurs in crisis: How Covid-19 has hit the executive sector the hardest

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OVER STORY C COMING CLEAN How deliveries helped save private hire 6-10 B usiness News The latest from around the UK private hire sector 12-13 N ews analysis New cars to go all-electric by 2030, but will it work?

16-17 N ews analysis Financial support – but is it enough to keep drivers and operators afloat?

26-29 N ews analysis Chauffeurs in crisis – how Covid-19 has devastated the sector 30-31 First Look New Mercedes-Maybach S-Class revealed 32-33 Road Test Ford Tourneo Custom Active Regular features

34 The Knowledge

36 The Negotiator

37 The Insider

Self Drive Hire of PCO Licensed and Un Licensed Exe Mercedes S-Class , Mercedes V-Class , Mercedes Tesla Model S , Nissan Leaf 01707 649 090 : info@chauffeurrentals.com Daily , Weekly or Monthly Hires

32 VOLUME 14 ISSUE 05 £4.95

Coming clean

How the industry has delivered a strong response to the pandemic

EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Mark Bursa 01932 858575 markbursa@prodrivermags.com

Kevin Willis, Peter Panayiotou, Iain Dooley, Mike Stone, Adam Bernstein, Dennis Bartholomew

COMMERCIAL DIRECTOR Paul Webb 07807 133527 paulwebb@prodrivermags.com

WEBSITE MartinCoombes 01959547000

ART DIRECTOR Alan Booth 07817 671973 alan.booth@calixa.biz

COVID: deliveries

COMPANY ADDRESS 50 BeechcroftManor, Oatlands,Weybridge,KT139NZ SUBSCRIBE Curwood CMS Ltd, The Barn, Abbey Mews, Robertsbridge, TN32 5AD, 01580 883844 subs@prodrivermags.com

CONTRIBUTORS Ian Robertson, Tim Barnes-Clay, Glen Holder, Phil Rule, John Coombes, Gary Jacobs, David Self Drive Hire of PCO Licensed and Un Licensed Executive Cars Wilkins, Phil Huff, Craig, Thomas, Mercedes S-Class Mercedes V-Class , Mercedes E-Class

Deliverance!

How home deliveries have become a lockdown lifeline for customers and taxi operators Mark Bursa

A

S ONE DOOR CLOSES, ANOTHER OPENS. CORONAVIRUS HAS HIT THE

taxi sector as hard as any. For many operators, the collapse in business was instant and precipitous. With the country in lockdown and travel at a minimum, many private hire fleets were faced with an existential crisis: it really was adapt or die.

For many companies, including some of the UK’s biggest fleets, the solution has been to diversify into the delivery market.

To switch from carrying people to carrying goods – everything from parcels to food to pharmaceuticals. And for some companies, that diversification has left them with a successful and growing new business division.

Regardless of Covid-19, home deliveries

have been growing rapidly in the past few years. All the major supermarket chains offer home deliveries, while restaurants and takeaways have been able to access home deliveries through the arrival of national chains such as Deliveroo, Just Eat and, inevitably, Uber Eats.

These services have been enabled by the same app-driven geolocation technology that powers ride-hailing apps,

ESTABLISHED SINCE 2005 NEWS ANALYSIS

Tesla Model S , Nissan Leaf

Chauffeurs in crisis: How Covid-19 has hit the executive sector the hardest

David Richmond

so Uber’s presence is not surprising.

And other big brands are looking at the sector too, including Easy (as in EasyJet), which is trialling an EasyFood service in Leicester.

But that technology is now easy for anyone to access – it is part of the offerings of both the leading dispatch systems suppliers, Autocab and iCabbi, and this has allowed the taxi and private hire sector to make its own plays into this growing sector. And taking a locally-focused approach can allow taxi fleets offer a service that can gives restaurants and customers a better deal.

Nottingham’s DG Cars was quick to get on board with food deliveries in the early stages of the pandemic, initially offering basic deliveries of £15 food boxes containing staples such as bread and milk in partnership with a local convenience store. “We did it free of charge, not for publicity,” says DG Cars’ operations

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Help for heroes ith vaccines on the horizon, we can

finally start to believe that the Coronavirus crisis will soon be over. And while travel patterns may not recover to 2019 levels immediately, if at all, we now have hope that the endgame is in sight.

Not a moment too soon for our industry. Putting together this edition of Professional Driver has been painful, talking to some of the best companies in the business about the terrible struggles they’ve had to endure in order to survive. When hugely professional, multiple QSi Award-winning companies such as Club Class Chauffeurs and Pryors are forced to liquidate and restart, you know something is wrong with the support mechanisms available to our industry.

Our sector often falls through the cracks on SEISS and furlough, and even CBILS loans are not available to sole traders without a business account. It is clear that the UK Government must follow the lead of the devolved authorities in Scotland and Northern Ireland and provide some support for operators and drivers. The inability to recognise that is leaving drivers in England at a disadvantage. Some funding is available via local authorities, but on a very piecemeal basis. And London is in no position to do that – TfL has the begging bowl out just to keep public transport afloat.

So come on, Mr Sunak. Do something for the people who in the darkest times helped keep Britain going, delivering food and medicines to the vulnerable and taking NHS workers to hospitals in safe, clean cars. The taxi and private hire sector has been heroic, and needs help to get through to the end of the crisis.

For many companies, the furlough system has worked well – but not in the travel businesss. Executive chauffeuring has been annihilated, as the work is almost entirely based around aspects of working life that have stopped: airport runs, corporate events, trade shows, sporting events and so on. Even when furlough schemes end, this work is not immediately returning. Indeed, the hotels and airlines are extremely pessimistic about prospects – 2023 or 2024 at best for a return to anything like the “old normal”.

Meanwhile companies have got used to remote working and videoconferencing. No need to have a car available to take those finance company executives home late at night when they’ve been working at home all along. The executive chauffeur sector has shrunk, with many older drivers exiting the business and taking their pensions. What’s left might be fewer but better jobs as corporates seek to avoid the horrors of train travel in favour of door-to-door cars for those long-distance meetings or site visits. HS2 looks like an

NOVEMBER 2020

even bigger, whiter elephant against this scenario.

Whatever happens, it will take innovative thinking to get the executive sector back on track. And they could do well to take a leaf out of the big private hire fleets’ books. We also examine in this issue how transporting “things” rather than people has been a saviour for many fleets. Smart companies have developed delivery and courier services, often from a standing start, and in some cases into sophisticated and successful ventures. And these are not sticking plasters – they are permanent businesses with strong growth potential, based around technology that is readily available.

It’s also been rather disheartening that so much time and energy at the top of this industry has been expounded on a business deal involving two tech-based companies, when management time would surely be better spent on solving the bigger problems outlined above. LPHCA members have now forced the beleaguered trade body to cut off valuable funding by expelling Autocab, at a time when unity and focus are required.

A while ago I had a conversation with the head of a big fleet – and a strong critic of the Uber-Autocab deal. I asked him how the LPHCA would have fared in its various battles with TfL if Uber had been included in the association’s membership rather than rejected some years ago. “We would win, every time,” said the operator. Food for thought.

OK, Uber’s track record has been one of hostility toward the sector. That’s how tech start-ups tend to behave. But is throwing our collective toys out of the pram over what is basically just a business deal going to make any difference?

And is the Competition and Markets Authority really going to block a deal of this nature, where the two companies involved are clearly not in the same space. It’s likely to be as successful as Donald Trump’s efforts to block Joe Biden’s landslide. Rudy Giuliani’s legal services are likely to be available soon, I believe.

Finally, this week we should be putting together the final touches for the 2020 Professional Driver QSi Awards.

Clearly lockdown means the event can’t happen right now, and I suspect most of you have other things on your mind. But we’re already working on our events for 2021, and providing the Government doesn’t somehow manage to screw up vaccine distribution by giving the job to Chris “Failing” Grayling, we should be able to announce new dates for QSi, Car of the Year judging and Pro Driver Congress to be held in their regular slots next year.

Mark Bursa Editor markbursa@prodrivermags.com

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news

Uber drivers take legal action against unfair dismissal claims on GDPR grounds Mark Bursa As one legal battle draws to an end for Uber, another is about to begin, after a group of Uber drivers filed a legal case in Amsterdam, claiming that the platform’s algorithm unfairly dismissed them without appeal.

According to Dutch news reports, four Uber drivers, three British and one Portuguese, have filed the case at a district court in Amsterdam. The drivers say automated firing is not allowed and according to European law, there must be human intervention before such an important decision is made.

Uber is contesting the claims, and said humans had intervened before the drivers’ accounts were deacti-

vated, according to a BBC report. “As part of our regular processes, the drivers in this case were only deactivated after manual reviews by our specialist team,” a spokeswoman said.

The case is being filed in the Netherlands, as that is where the ride-sharing company has its European head office and where it keeps its data. The drivers are being represented by Dutch attorney Anton Ekker, who said the case would “test the extent that Article 22 of the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) can protect individuals from unfair automated decision-making.”

Under Article 22, individuals are protected from automated decisions with no human intervention, which

can lead to negative outcomes, such as someone losing their job. In short, drivers have a right to the data gathered about them that contributed to the decision being made. According to the App Drivers and Couriers Union (ADCU) there have been more than 1,000 individual cases since 2018 where drivers have been dismissed from the app without appeal.

According to the four drivers’ legal representatives, Uber has never given drivers access to any evidence or data held against them, nor did it allow them to challenge their termination. The case is the first challenge to Uber under GDPR law and could set a precedent for other drivers to build a class action lawsuit against the ride-sharing company.

Shire Leasing launches financial assistance scheme for clean air vehicle upgrades in Bath CAZ Tamworth-based Shire Leasing has been appointed to deliver the UK’s first clean air financial assistance scheme.

Bath & North East Somerset Council has chosen the company to provide direct financial aid, in the form of grants and interest-free finance, to local businesses in Bath that may otherwise be adversely affected by the introduction of Bath’s Clean Air Zone (CAZ) on March 15, 2021.The financial assistance scheme is backed by the Government’s Clean Air Fund.

Bath will be the first charging CAZ outside London to launch, followed by Birmingham on June 1, 2021. Others

will follow, including ManJulie Henehan, corpochester, which is currently rate development direcrunning a consultation on tor at Shire Leasing, said: “We’re proud to be inits proposed CAZ, and Oxvolved in this innovative ford, which published deinitiative which we believe tails of its strict city centre charge zone this week. to be the first of its kind, Shire Leasing will not and excited at the prosonly support eligible busipect of working with further authorities around nesses with interest-free Julie Henehan the UK in the future to finance to acquire compliant vehicles, but it has also been in- make a difference in tackling emisstrumental in delivering the framework sions.” for the financial assistance scheme, Vehicles that will qualify for an upwhich is now available to other UK grade under the financial assistance councils setting up a charging CAZ. scheme include pre-Euro 6 diesel and

Bucks Council proposes mandatory CCTV and new penalty points system by 2023 Taxi and private hire drivers licensed with Buckinghamshire Council could be required to install CCTV systems in their vehicles by April 2023. In a document attached to the council’s taxi and private hire policy consultation, the licensing authority states: “It is the council’s intention that from April 1, 2023, all licensed vehicles must be fitted with approved CCTV.” It continues: “The council does not, however, currently mandate this requirement and therefore the policy sets out clear guidelines to ensure that CCTV systems in licensed vehicles within the Buckinghamshire

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Council area are used to prevent and detect crime, reduce the fear of crime and enhance the health and safety in private hire vehicles.”

Taxi and private hire drivers will also face a new penalty points system to help ensure standards are met within the trade. The document reads: “Penalty points may be awarded to licence holders for failure to comply with the council’s conditions and standards.”

pre-Euro 4 petrol vehicles, including taxis, private hire vehicles, vans and trucks, as well as buses and coaches that regularly enter the city centre.

Private cars and motorbikes will not be charged and cannot be upgraded through the scheme.

Shire Leasing has further supported this pioneering environmental initiative with a fully digitised application process to support eligible businesses to access financial support. A dedicated web page provides help and guidance and the ability to submit an application for grants and interest-free financing.

Darlington drops ‘Ferrari red’ taxi repaint plan Darlington Borough Council has abandoned a plan to force all local taxis to be painted a specific shade of “Ferrari red”, as it has realised that many cars are not produced in the colour. The proposal has been dropped from the new taxi policy, that the council is still discussing.

Cllr Brian Jones, chairman of the council’s licensing committee, said: “The key aim of the policy is to ensure the safety and welfare of the public, encourage sustainability, and ensure efficient taxi and private hire services in the borough. We sought the views of local residents and the taxi trade when drawing up the revised policy and have taken those comments on board.”

He said the council was also looking to streamline the application process to make it easier for drivers and operators.

Other key amendments include the introduction of new age requirements for licensed vehicles; mandatory use of the online Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) update subscription service; and a new online licensing application process which is currently in development. If approved at a meeting on November 26, the new policies will come into force from January 1 2021.

NOVEMBER 2020

news

LPHCA members vote to end partnership with Autocab as Uber takeover fallout continues Mark Bursa An Extraordinary General Meeting of the LPHCA has resulted in members voting to terminate commercial relations with Autocab, following the takeover of the dispatch systems supplier by ride-hailing giant Uber. The termination will happen “upon the conclusion of existing contractual agreements” before the renewal of Autocab’s “Platinum partnership” arrangement with the LPHCA. Autocab became a Platinum Partner of April 27, 2020, three months before the Uber takeover.

In a statement, The LPHCA said: “A clear majority of LPHCA members voted in favour of ceasing the commercial relations, therefore the LPHCA has now been formally mandated to do so. The LPHCA has a long-standing, publicly stated, position regarding Uber. It reflects the mandated majority view of our membership who object to the LPHCA engaging, directly or indirectly, with Uber.”

The move – which could cost the trade body up to £30,000 a year in funding via the Platinum partnership – follows an earlier non-binding poll of members taken in August, following which the LPHCA said: “Feedback, based on responses, does not definitively favour termination at this time.” Since then, pressure has grown

on the LPHCA to end its relationship with Autocab, led by a number of London operators including Parker Car Service and Keen Group. Parkers boss Joe Polley, one of the strongest critics of Uber, and who had threatened to cancel his company’s LPHCA membership over the issues, simply commented “well done” on the LPHCA’s announcement on social media.

The move saw a spat on social media between senior bosses at Autocab and its key rival, Renault-owned iCabbi. iCabbi co-founder Bob Nixon said: “This clearly demonstrates the private hire industry’s feelings on the acquisition of Autocab by Uber and the potential threat that it represents to the industry, their livelihoods, competition and consumer choice. We applaud the industry for speaking up in this way.”

In response, Autocab chief marketing officer Jon Smith replied: “No, Bob, it demonstrates a vote taken by LPHCA members to honour a pre-existing mandate not to work with Uber. It is not indicative of the views of the entire industry, rather those of a predominantly Londonbased membership. As you well know, Autocab is not yet owned by Uber, so at best the vote was premature, as is your schadenfreude.”

The LPHCA sought to reassure Autocab customers who are member of the association: “This decision has no bearing on the support for our members who are Autocab customers, many of whom continue to call us for help and advice,” the statement added. “The LPHCA remains committed to undertaking its important day-to-day work, with its main purpose of supporting all our members, as we always have been.”

The EGM was held via video conference call on September 30, 2020. This decided the wording for the question to be put to all LPHCA members: “Should the LPHCA cease all commercial relations with GPC Computer Software Limited (t/a Autocab) upon the conclusion of existing contractual agreements?” Votes were limited to one per company/member. Uber is not an LPHCA member, having previously had an application refused.

Veezu strengthens Leeds operations as Amber acquires local competitor Gee Gee Cars Veezu’s Leeds operation, Amber Cars, has increased its fleet by a further 50 cars in the city with the acquisition of Beeston-based Gee Gee Cars.

The move reinforces Amber’s position as the largest private hire operator in Leeds, taking its overall fleet to 1,250 driver partners and boosting bookings by 5,000 a week in the south Leeds area. The business will switch to the Amber Cars brand.

Amber Cars regional director Chris Neary said: “Not only will the residents of Leeds and the surrounding areas benefit from increased capacity and efficiencies, but Gee Gee Cars passengers will now be

able to experience Amber Cars market-leading technology and service standards. This includes a winning combination of our booking app, advanced digital infrastructure, and professional driver-partners.”

The deal to acquire Gee Gee Cars follows the acquisition of Premier Cars, based in Moortown, earlier this year and Greengates Cars of Bradford in October 2019. Amber Cars is one of Veezu’s five UK regional hubs, each operating under established local brands: A2B Radio Cars in the West Midlands; Go Carz in HANDING OVER: Abdul Waheed, former owner Shropshire; V Cars in the south west and Dragon Tax- of Gee Gee Cars with Chris Neary, regional is in south Wales. director of Amber Cars

Addison Lee launches AL Request home delivery service to cater for boost in home working Addison Lee has become the latest large private hire fleet to launch a delivery service to help consumers during lockdown. AL Request is a new click-andcollect feature that has been added to Addison Lee’s existing courier service, which will help businesses and consumers navigate the second lockdown and future Covid-19 restrictions.

Immediately after the first lockdown in March, demand for Addison Lee’s courier services rose by 30% as the UK adapted to spending more time at home.

The focus at that time was to support the shift in the way people led their lives. Office equipment had to be relocated to people’s homes and vital support was provided to the NHS.

NOVEMER 2020

AL Request allows people to get access to everyday items, such as groceries and flowers, and even get a head start on their Christmas shopping, through a simple click and collect service. It will be available across Addison Lee’s digital channels – app and web – and the functionality allows customers to add their unique order receipt number to the booking for proof of purchase and collection. The courier can then pick up the item on the customer’s behalf and deliver it straight to their home.

While shops selling non-essential items are closed and people are working from home and not able to travel on public transport, they are unable to pop out to purchase these items. AL Request can bridge this

gap and enable people to continue to enjoy everyday essentials in their homes. Addison Lee is the largest same day courier provider in London and the company wants to add to its reputation in the corporate space by expanding its offer to consumers. Addison Lee CEO Liam Griffin said: “We know how hard it is for people right now, so we have launched our new AL Request service to bring the everyday to people’s homes. Under new lockdown restrictions people will be missing out on shopping experiences. Whether it is a fire pit for the garden or a food and wine hamper, AL Request can pick up direct from the store and deliver to your home.

Addison Lee can provide a safe and reliable option for people who still need to get hold of essential items.”

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news

York Cars’ licence revoked over multiple offences Mark Bursa York Cars has had its licence revoked by York city council after a four-hour council meeting found owner Mohammed Iqbal unfit to hold a private hire operator’s licence. And at a four-hour licensing & regulatory committee meeting last night, members unanimously voted to revoke his licence.

Council records show that there are 154 drivers and 134 vehicles licensed to work on behalf of York Cars, and Iqbal has been licensed by the York council as a private hire operator since October 20, 2016. His current licence was issued in April 2019 following a change of name from ‘York and Ebor Cars’ to ‘York Cars’. The licence was due to expire on October 19, 2021.

The meeting decided Iqbal was unfit to hold an operator’s licence on a number of grounds, including enabling drivers licensed by another authority that the council would not consider ‘fit and proper’ to work as private hire drivers in York; operating as “690 Taxis” and “Street Cars” in York without an operator’s li-

cence for either company; publishing false or misleading customer testimonials; and blaming the council for its stance over Uber.

“All of the above may give rise to concerns with regards to Mr Iqbal’s honesty and integrity,” a council report said. York Cars said it intended to appeal the decision. It issued a statement saying: “We are disappointed by the committee’s decision and will be appealing that decision to the courts. The committee’s decision to revoke our licence will have no effect on the

current running of the company and in the meantime, we can and will continue to trade as usual. We do not know how long the whole appeal process might take.”

Will Sword, a representative of the Hackney carriage and private hire trades in York, told the meeting they completely supported the proposal to revoke the firm’s licence. “You will struggle to find an issue which galvanises the taxi drivers more than hearing of operators, drivers and vehicles, not authorised by or licensed by our council, working in the city,” he said. “This creates an unfair playing field for those of us who abide by the rules. The taxi trade in York stands side-by-side with York council in the belief that this company is not fit and proper.”

According to the council, York Cars is licensed by Wolverhampton City Council rather than York, and Iqbal obtained an operator’s licence legally in Wolverhampton with no intention of undertaking journeys there. This was designed to get round York’s local licensing controls and recruit those drivers who were unable to pass a local knowledge test.

Safety concerns over closure of Milton Keynes testing station Milton Keynes councillors have approved the closure of a council-run taxi testing station despite concerns over safety. Taxi and private hire drivers had been paying for twiceyearly vehicle checks at the test centre at Synergy Park, Bleak Hall, on top of their annual MOT. Members of the regulatory committee were told that the service has been suspended since the start of the national coronavirus lockdown in March, and a review showed the council could save £110,000 by

closing the testing station and instead rely on private approved garages to give MOTs, which would then be upgraded by council officials after a less strenuous check. The move will save drivers £122 because they will no longer have to pay for the testing station checks.

Cllr Amanda Marlow was concerned that the follow up checks would not be good enough. “I’m just a bit concerned that the checks that you are going to be doing are never going to be on a ramp,” she said. The

Cheltenham Council to help fund safety partitions for taxi and private hire drivers Cheltenham Borough Council is giving taxi and private hire drivers grants to install partition screens in licensed vehicles. The council permitted the use of the screens in July, and is now offering grants to cover half the cost of installing approved screens. Cllr Andrew McKinlay, cabinet member for development and safety, said: “The authority is doing everything it can to play it part in fighting the spread of the virus. Taxis and private hire vehicles put drivers and passengers in close contact with each other. Partition screens are a way in which the spread of the virus can be reduced in such confined spaces.”

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committee heard that the council checks are for items like meters, door signs and higher standards for bodywork.

But Cllr Mick Legg, chairing the committee, said: “The days of substandard garages issuing MOT certificates are long gone.” And Jason Agar, the council’s taxi licensing manager said: “We’re confident that we can stay on top of vehicle checks and make sure that these vehicles are compliant.”

However Cllr George Bowyer

Chauffeur PPE kits designed by chauffeurs Start-up company PPE Company Care is offering in-car safety PPE packs specially designed with the needs of chauffeurs in mind. The company has been started by the Choudhury family, owners of the Reliance and Hyride chauffeur brands, in response to the firm’s drivers’ needs.

“As we put together a duty of care plan and initiated to provide car-kits in our chauffeur cars, we began our own search for a pack that contained all the PPE essentials that clients would need in order to travel and put safety first.

Upon researching the market, there seemed to

questioned the decision, saying said the report was “written to justify the outcome that they want”. He asked why a centre carrying out 2,000 tests every year at the rate of seven or eight a day could not be turned into a viable asset. “I’m worried we are putting money before safety,” he said.

Agar said the testing station, which has two ramps, made £120,000 each year but was costing more than £220,000 to run. It employs one full time, and one part time, specialist vehicle examiners.

be a lot of poor quality products and kits out there that simply did not meet our standards,” said Michelle Choudhury, co-owner of PPE Company Care. Instead the company consulted the British Standards Institution, sourced products from reputable suppliers and designed the kits in-house, with packaging taking place in the UK. Each kit contains a disposable FFP2 mask, a Surgical Type IIR mask, a 60ml bottle of hand sanitiser, a 10-pack of 75% alcohol wipes and a pair of latex-free disposable gloves. The packs cost £12.99, or £9.99 each for a pack of 10.

Postage is free on orders over £50.

For details, visit https://ppecompanycare.com/ product/ppe-care-kit/

n DOTTED LTD — In a statement by Autocab Ltd in last month’s Professional Driver, it was claimed that Dotted Ltd was “funded by the owners of Riide and iCabbi”. We are happy to clarify that Dotted Ltd is 100% owned by Azmat Sherwani; it has not received seed funding from iCabbi or Riide as suggested.”

NOVEMBER 2020

news

Taxi trade body calls for new incentives as pandemic sees black cab numbers slump Mark Bursa London’s black cab numbers have shrunk dramatically since the start of the Coronavirus pandemic, with 3,500 taxis – 156 vehicles a week – being lost from the fleet since June 2020.

By contrast, just 699 taxis were delicensed over the 12-month period from June 2019 to June 2020, according to data released by the Licensed Taxi Drivers Association. The drivers’ trade body is now calling for urgent financial support for the sector.

The LTDA says that since June this year, have been lost from the fleet on average – a total of 3,500. Transport for London figures confirm that there are now just 15,264 licensed black cabs in London, and in the week ending October 25, a further 377 taxis were delicensed.

The LTDA, which represents half of London’s 21,500 black cab drivers, has launched a campaign called ‘Taxi drivers can’t work from home’ to highlight the impact of the pandemic on the taxi trade.

LTDA general secretary Steve McNamara (pictured) said the iconic black cab industry of London will not survive the pandemic without additional financial assistance. He said: “These figures represent drivers with nowhere left to turn, being forced off the road. Every vehicle delicensed represents a driver’s livelihood gone and at this rate of decline, without urgent intervention, the iconic black cab could be lost from London forever.”

He continued: “Taxi drivers can’t work from home. They also can’t earn a living if everyone else is staying at home. This may sound obvious, but it’s a simple fact that policymakers don’t seem

Addison Lee introduces TfL-approved screens in all Ford Galaxy and VW Sharan vehicles Addison Lee has introduced TfLapproved safety screens across its entire Ford Galaxy and VW Sharan fleet. The screens have undergone comprehensive testing to meet all TfL private hire regulations and are being installed by qualified technicians.

The introduction of screens across the entire MPV fleet is the most recent measure taken

by Addison Lee as part of its Safer Journey Initiative. This has also seen Addison Lee providing drivers with personal protective equipment; undertaking regular electrostatic disinfection of vehicles and introducing social distancing using the rear seats of its seven-seater vehicles.

Liam Griffin, CEO of Addison Lee, said: “Right from the start of the pandemic, Addison Lee has led the industry in safety and hygiene and prioritised the health of drivers and passengers.

We have invested hundreds of thousands of pounds to design, test, manufacture and install safety screens across our entire Ford Galaxy and VW Sharan fleet.

No other PHV provider can offer their passengers or drivers such a level of protection.”

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“Over the summer the industry has been plagued by negative stories about safety, with some companies allowing unlicensed and uninsured journeys to take place. Passenger and driver safety are core to our business, and we are proud to introduce another industry leading safety initiative.”

Earlier in the year, TfL forced Addison Lee to remove nonapproved screens from its vehicles after video emerged on social media showing a screen falling down in the back of an Addison Lee car. TfL has subsequently introduced thorough but slow approvals using testing companies Millbrook and Horiba MIRA, and apart from the Addison Lee screens, only Toyota vehicles can currently be fitted with approved screens.

to be able to grasp, and it’s not just a problem in London. Taxi drivers are facing the same challenges in cities up and down the UK.” The LTDA said passenger demand for black cabs had collapsed during lockdown and had barely begun to recover before new restrictions were introduced. According to the LTDA, the number of black cabs passing through the feeder park at Heathrow Airport was down 96% on last year’s figures in the April to June period.

McNamara added: “Other industries in similar circumstances, like hospitality and other transport operators, have received specific, tailored packages of financial support to help them get through the difficult months ahead, but the taxi trade has been forgotten. We are calling on the Government and the Mayor of London to step in to protect drivers from ruin.”

“Drivers need a greater level of support through the extension of the Self Employment Income Support Scheme, and to ensure no one is left behind we also need a dedicated package of financial support for the taxi trade.”

Driver Bubble offers new TfL-approved screens for Toyota private hire vehicles Partition screen maker Driver Bubble is now offering a screen that has been approved by Transport for London for use in private hire vehicles operating in the capital. The new screen is manufactured by FixiCover, and fits a range of Toyota cars.

It costs £98.90 plus VAT. Driver Bubble is operating as the official reseller of the FixiCover TfL Shield on the Driver Bubble online store. To meet legislative and automotive standards, the screen was subjected to impact, light, fire and chemical resistance tests. It can be used in Greater London in the following vehicles: u Toyota Corolla (hatchback; estate and sedan models – January 2019 onwards) u Toyota Auris (May 2015 onwards) u Toyota C-HR (2016 onwards) u Toyota Prius (2010 onwards) u Toyota Prius Plug-in (September 2016 onwards) u Toyota Camry (September 2017 onwards) u Toyota Camry (April 2018 onwards) u L exus UX (October 2018 onwards) Alternatively, customers outside of the

London and Greater London area can purchase the Driver Bubble Shield Standard (without full TfL approval), manufactured from the same materials as the new TfL approved version.

The transparent Driver Bubble FixiCover TfL Shield covers 90% of the surface area between passengers and drivers, greatly reducing the potential for disease transmission. The screen is easy to install and remove without causing any damage to the interior, and the fire-retardant material is 250 times stronger than glass. In addition, the transparent screen is entirely suitable for contactless payments, does not hinder driver-passenger communication, nor does it close off air conditioning flows completely. Thomas Kruyne, Director of Driver Bubble, said: “We started offering the partition screens to help protect drivers and their passengers and to stay connected to one another. Our screens provide a safer and more secure way of providing rides and getting people from A to B. We are thrilled with the TfL approval and we see this as another step to assist drivers across the UK to get back to the road and support local communities.”

NOVEMBER 2020

news analysis: ev strategy

Government under fire as 2030 petrol/diesel sales phase-out is ‘not thoroughly thought through’ Mark Bursa The Government has, as expected, brought forward the date for the end of diesel and petrol car and van sales from 2035 to 2030 – though plug-in hybrid vehicles will still be allowable until 2035.

The move has attracted strong criticism from some sectors of the automotive sector, claiming adequate infrastructure and sufficient supplies of affordable of electric cars are unlikely to be in place within the ten-year timeframe.

The SMMT gave a cautious welcome to the announcement, but noted that “this new deadline, fast-tracked by a decade, sets an immense challenge”.

The trade body said it was pleased to see the Government accept the importance of hybrid transition technologies by excluding PHEVs from the 2030 deadline, as “drivers are already embracing [them] as they deliver carbon savings now”.

At present, electric cars make up less than 10% of sales in the UK, and the Government has attached a series of incentives to the plan in a bid to boost manufacturing of cars and batteries. Prime Minister Boris Johnson also announced £1.3 billion of funding to boost charging infrastructure and add new charge points in private residences and on streets.

Grant funding of £582 million is being made available to manufacturers to help bring down the manufacturing costs, while a further £500 million will be spent on research, development and localised production of EV batteries. Lack of infrastructure and high EV prices are major obstacles to EV growth in the UK. According to the RAC, entry-level electric cars are on average £5,000 more expensive than ICengined equivalents, and one in six English councils has failed to install chargers on residential roads, even though it estimates 2.8million will be needed.

Battery electric vehicles have taken just 5.5% of new car sales in 2020, and as of October 2020 there were 383,000 plug in cars and vans on the UK’s roads. It is predicted that this will increase rapidly by 2030, though forecasts vary wildly

12

from 2.7m to 10.6m within the next decade.

Even though the government announcement has seen a surge of interest in EVs, petrol and diesel sales still account for the bulk of the new and used car business. Online car retailer BuyaCar.co.uk reported online searches for EVs on its website surged from 300 searches per day to 1,679 in the 24 hours following the 2030 deadline announcement.

Even though diesel sales slumped this year by 55% compared with 2019, used diesels were still chosen by more than one in three buyers on BuyaCar.co.uk.

By contrast, used electric vehicles represent less than 1% of sales on BuyaCar.co.uk in 2020. Last year diesels represented 38.1% of all cars sold on BuyaCar. co.uk with that figure falling in 2020 to 35.8%. In the new car market diesels fell back by 9% to 16.6% of the market. Searches for diesel cars on BuyaCar

have fallen this year by just 2.3.

RAC head of roads policy Nicholas Lyes said the cost of EVs was the “biggest barrier” to going electric.

He said: “We hope the Government’s announcement will pave the way to lower list prices, thereby accelerating take-up. This in turn will help lead to EVs being more readily available on the secondhand market which is where the majority of people choose to buy their vehicles.”

According to the Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR), at least a third of motorists are currently unable to afford even the cheapest electric cars. At present, CEBR estimates annual ownership cost of an EV is £2,100 including fuel, and this could prevent up to 10 million motorists from joining the green revolution and buying an EV. CEBR says access to an EV is a “pipe dream” for around a third of the population.

And FairFuel UK said the plans risk “demonising” petrol and diesel drivers unable to afford the switch to electric.

FairFuel founder Howard Cox said: “Has the Government asked low-income households, families and hard-pressed small businesses if they have signed up to their inequitable green revolution?”

The RAC’s Lyes highlighted that those purchasing an electric car face a big learning curve to understand the different types of chargers, connectors and different charging speeds currently possible. “The car industry and those responsible for charging infrastructure now have an enormous task on their hands,” he added.

The Institute of the Motor Industry was critical of the plan, accusing Prime Minister Johnson of not thinking the plan through thoroughly. “We are concerned that, as usual, it seems little thought has been given to the swathe of businesses and individuals employed by the automotive industry beyond manufacturing,” the IMI said in a statement.

“Yet it is this ecosystem – from the distribution chain of car dealers to service and repair and even accident recovery – that fundamentally underpins the government’s ambitions. If the new parc of

NOVEMBER 2020

news analysis: ev strategy electric vehicles can’t be serviced and repaired safely the whole plan will stall on the starting grid.”

The IMI said the implications for the car manufacturing industry were “monumental”. The Institute said: “Manufacturers now know that they must replace their entire product offering with electrified vehicles in less than 10 years. That can surely only mean that their ranges will shrink significantly compared to today. Let’s hope that consumer choice remains front and centre.”

One problem will be training of technicians.

“Currently around just 5% of UK automotive technicians are adequately trained to work on electric vehicles. The ramp-up plan for all those who are likely to work on electrical vehicles – from service and repair technicians to those working in the roadside recovery and blue light sectors – now must be addressed as a matter of urgency. And that means some of that £12bn investment promised by the Prime Minister needs to be put towards skills training.”

Jamie Hamilton, head of electric vehicles at consultants Deloitte, was more positive about the announcement, saying it should help convince consumers that it is worth investing in the technology ahead of the 2030 deadline. “With more than half of consumers already considering an EV, today’s announcement is likely to prompt an acceleration of sales. The sector is already on a sharp upward trajectory, with EV sales poised to overtake diesel imminently.”

He struck a note of caution regarding infrastructure: “Continued coordination with charging infrastructure planning is essential for the sustained growth of EV adoption. Consumers will need to see a joined-up approach that considers how many chargers are needed, what kind of chargers are needed and what the underlying power networks look like.”

He added: “The news also has big implications for fleet operators, potentially upping the pace of change in this market. Despite the ban being a decade away, many companies will already be thinking carefully about the implications to their fleet. There are already major financial and environmental benefits associated with transitioning to electric, but any wholesale change requires careful planning around infrastructure and operating models.”

Former Aston Martin CEO Dr Andy Palmer welcomed the news, claiming “investment in pioneering battery technology could offer the key to saving Britain’s car industry from decline”. But Dr Palmer, who recently joined battery maker InoBat as non-executive vice-chairman, warned that governments should not try and prescribe specific solutions: “Governments’ should define the problem and let engineers innovate the solution. Too many are putting in place legislation that picks a technology winner. Those that discourage Darwinism within technology run the risk of losing out on that all-important first mover advantage.”

NOVEMBER 2020

Boost for Hydrogen fuel as alternative to battery power The Government’s 2030 target for eliminating the sale of petrol and diesel cars could be a major boost to the development of Hydrogen Fuel Cell-powered cars. Hydrogen offers significant advantages over battery-electric cars in that they can be refuelled in the same way that petrol or diesel cars can, at filling stations.

On the downside, the cost of fuel cells is still high, and only two manufacturers, Hyundai and Toyota, currently offer a commercially available fuel cell car. The sector has received an immediate boost with the announcement of a memorandum of understanding between Hyundai Motor Company and UK-based tech firm Ineos to explore new opportunities to accelerate the global hydrogen economy.

The two companies have agreed jointly to investigate opportunities for the production and supply of hydrogen as well as the worldwide deployment of hydrogen applications and technologies. Both companies will initially seek to facilitate public and private sector projects focused on the development of a hydrogen value chain in Europe.

The agreement also includes the evaluation of Hyundai’s proprietary fuel cell system, as used in Hyundai’s Nexo FCEV, for the recently announced Ineos Grenadier 4x4 vehicle. “Ineos’ move into the development of a fuel cell electric vehicle and hydrogen ecosystem marks yet another milestone towards sustainable and clean transportation,” said Saehoon Kim, senior vice president and head of fuel cell center at Hyundai Motor Company. “Hyundai believes this will provide an important low-carbon option across a wide range of sectors. We also hope our decades-long expertise in hydrogen fuel cell work in synergy with Ineos’ expertise in field of chemistry to realise the mass production of green hydrogen and fuel cells for the Grenadier.”

Ineos recently launched a new business to develop and build clean hydrogen capacity across Europe. The company currently produces 300,000 tons of hydrogen a year mainly as a by-product from its chemical manufacturing operations. In 2018, Hyundai Motor Group announced a scheme called Fuel Cell Vision 2030, to increase annual production of hydrogen fuel cell systems to 700,000 units by 2030.

Hydrogen also has a major advantage for Governments, as the fuel can be taxed at the pump, just as petrol or diesel is taxed. This is more difficult to achieve with electricity, especially when EV users recharge at home. Last year fuel duty generated £28bn in income for the exchequer, with VAT on fuel adding another £6bn. The decision to phase out petrol and diesel cars and vans would leave a sizeable hole in UK finances.

Chancellor Rishi Sunak is said to be considering road pricing, where motorists pay for each mile that they travel, as an alternative way of raising revenue, though Automobile Association president Edmund King poured scorn on the scheme: “The government can’t afford to lose £40bn from fuel duty and car tax when the electric revolution arrives. It is always assumed that Road Pricing would be the solution but that has been raised every five years since 1964 and is still perceived by most as a ‘poll tax on wheels’.”

The move also drew a furious reaction from the Petrol Retailers’ Association chairman Brian Madderson. He said: “We are deeply concerned about the government’s potential road pricing proposals. It is unfathomable that the government would introduce a measure that would only succeed in discriminating against the poorest in society.

“Public transport infrastructure in rural communities is near non-existent, with millions solely relying on their private vehicles to travel. If the regressive road pricing ‘poll-tax like’ regime came into force, those living in rural areas on low incomes would be hit the hardest as it could become unaffordable to run a car. This method of taxation has already been rejected by the British public in 2007 when proposed by the Labour government, so it is startling to see that these proposals are even being considered.”

He added: “There has been a clear lack of consideration to the inflationary hit to goods and services. 100% of fresh food is moved by road, along with over 80% of all other goods. It will be the consumer that has to bear the brunt of any increased transport costs.”

Hydrogen is included in Johnson’s 10-point plan. It outlines an investment of £250m for the production of new hydrogen production facilities aimed at producing 5 Gigawatts of it by 2030.

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covid: finance The taxi and private hire sector is missing out on many of the Government’s financial rescue schemes

Falling through the gaps

Mark Bursa

C

HANCELLOR RISHI SUNAK HAS ONCE again ignored the plight of the taxi and private hire sector in the latest round of government incentives designed to help businesses and individuals affected by the Coronavirus pandemic.

While the latest package includes an extension of the Job Retention Scheme (Furlough) until next March, a six-month extension of the Self Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) grants for self-employed workers and special packages of incentives for the hospitality and sports sectors, there is no specific support for operators and drivers who find themselves inadequately covered by either the Furlough or SEISS schemes.

As self-employed workers, many drivers could apply for the SEISS, though as this grant is based on trading profits, many drivers received little or no money. Meanwhile, the second lockdown has removed any upturn in business than some were starting to experience in September. Many cabbies have been unable to access financial support because they do not have rateable premises or operate business bank accounts. And their situation is compounded by the end of six-month “payment holidays” offered on car loans in the early stage of the crisis. These need to resume – but the business has still not returned.

The response has been better in Scotland and Northern Ireland, where the devolved parliaments have launched emergency funds that offer grants to drivers. But operators and drivers in England are finding themselves stranded. And with many companies reporting a fall of up to 95% in their operations, many are desperate for help.

Terry Hill, managing director of Tonbridge’s Castle Cars, said the new measures were great news for companies that can shut down until the end of March and furlough their staff. “But what about the companies like mine that need to stay open for key staff, elderly and vulnerable people that have no other transport? We will have to operate on around 20% of our ‘normal’ income, but in order to stay open we cannot furlough the office staff that need to be there to take the calls. We have already had to lose two of our five

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Rishi Sunak MP

staff to survive until now. Our rent and operating costs still have to be paid, but with what?”

Hill believes the pandemic has cost his company around £135k in turnover, and money he saved over the past years is being swallowed up fast. “When this shitty situation is over the government is going to need companies like mine to be paying taxes through income, VAT, and fuel duty to get the economy going again, but it seems they would rather see us close down completely now. There is no way back for us once that happens, and it would result in numerous people that would also be claiming benefits to live, while not contributing anything to the economy to rebuild it. I know there are people in a worse situation than me, but where is the help for those of us that want and need to keep going?”

The lack of support is in stark contrast to other sectors that have been hit by the pandemic, such as hospitality and leisure. The Government Terry Hill

has made available more than £1 billion a month in cash grants for these businesses. Around 90% of shops, gyms, cafés, restaurants and bars in England which have been forced to close will receive up to £3,000 a month, intended to cover rent. Businesses in hospitality, leisure and accommodation which suffered from tighter local restrictions between August and November can claim backdated grants of up to £2,100 a month for that time. English local authorities will also receive a one-off £1.1 billion fund to help sustain their local economies.

This is a summary of the latest initiatives, which may apply to many businesses in the sector.

CORONAVIRUS JOB RETENTION SCHEME Employees who cannot work full time, or at all, will continue to be subsidised by the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme – or furlough– which has now been extended through to the end of March, 2021. Employees are eligible regardless of whether they have previously been furloughed, providing they were on the company payroll at the end of October.

This latest scheme eases the burden on employers who previously paid 20% of furloughed workers’ wages. This time, the Government will pay the full 80%, up to £2,500 a month, for hours not worked, with employers liable only for staff National Insurance and pension contributions. Employees who were laid off on or after September 23 may be able to be rehired, and then returned to furlough. Businesses can use this scheme for any amount of time and shift patterns, including zero hours and part-time contracts. Businesses must claim for November before 14 December and the Government will review terms in January.

SELF EMPLOYMENT INCOME SUPPORT SCHEME (SEISS) People who work for themselves will benefit from a further SEISS cash grant of up to 80% of profits. This will cover the, November, December and January months. The grant will be paid in a single, taxable instalment of up to £7,500. Selfemployed people in the UK can put in a claim from November 30, and will receive cash well

NOVEMBER 2020

covid: finance

Better, more structured support provided under devolved nations and, more than 2,000 taxi drivers applied for a one-off £1,500 grant on the first day of the scheme, November 13.

Mallon told Stormont: “I was given new powers for the financial scheme on November 3. Ten days later, I opened the taxi scheme; it opened on Friday, and, at close of play, there had been around 2,000 applications. Mallon invoked the terms of the 2009 Financial Assistance Act, under which a minister can establish a support scheme if it can be proven “exceptional circumstances” warrant the move. A number of drivers had formed a group called Concerned Taxi Drivers to press for action on the issue.

before Christmas. This marks the third SEISS grant. A fourth grant will cover February to April, but the Government will set the level at a later date.

LOCAL BUSINESS GRANTS The best hope for many drivers and operators is to lobby their local councils for a grant. Three south Yorkshire councils have announced schemes to give taxi drivers a cash grant of £500. Drivers licensed in Doncaster, Barnsley and Rotherham Council areas can now apply to those councils for the grant, and if eligible, the driver will receive the funds direct to their bank account. The grant payments will be made from a £30m fund provided to Sheffield City Region to support the region’s businesses.

And Liverpool Council has offered Covid-19 grants of up to £210 to all 4,000 taxi and private hire drivers in the city. The grant, available to all hackney and private hire vehicle drivers, is equivalent to the £40 cost of their driver badge, plus a further £170 for their vehicle plate if they own the cab – a total of up to £210. The total cost of £663,400 will be covered through the £10 million set aside by the council earlier last month to help alleviate the impact of Covid-19 trading restrictions in the visitor economy.

Tommy McIntyre from the union Unite, which represents many drivers in Liverpool, said: “We are grateful to the support being shown to the trade by the city council. We are concerned that if there is no support to help the trade, we may not have a trade when we come out of this latest lockdown period.”

NOVEMBER 2020

SCOTLAND Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon [above] has announced a new £30 million fund available to Local Authorities in Scotland to help taxi drivers and other businesses hit hard by the Coronavirus crisis.

Sturgeon told the Scottish Parliament: “We are establishing a £30m discretionary fund to enable local authorities, if they consider it to be necessary or justified, to provide additional support for businesses,for example, businesses in supply chains, or taxi drivers who are suffering a severe but indirect effect. We will also make an additional £15m available for newly selfemployed people who have not been able to access other forms of support, and we are making available to local authorities an additional £15m to help with the community and social impact of lockdown.” Unite Edinburgh Cab Branch welcomed the deal as “promising” but said it would need to be studied in detail.

NORTHERN IRELAND Northern Ireland infrastructure minister Nichola Mallon [above] has set up a £14 million hardship fund for taxi drivers whose trade has collapsed during the Coronavirus pandemic. The scheme provides a one-off payment of £1,500 to eligible taxi drivers,

WALES The Welsh Government is under pressure to follow Scotland and Northern Ireland and provide a financial support package for the Welsh taxi trade. The Unite union has launched a petition to demand a similar scheme, alongside financial grants to taxi drivers to install screens in cars and purchase PPE. Unite Wales Secretary Peter Hughes said: “It is Unite’s view that the taxi trade has slipped through the net of Welsh government financial support for our transport sector. Our members feel as if they have been forgotten and left to fend for themselves. Taxi drivers provide an essential service and are an integral cog in our transport infrastructure.

During the COVID-19 crisis their income has been decimated with few avenues open to them from government to access financial support. Their plight can no longer be ignored and we today urge the Welsh government to act quickly to support drivers and their families.”

The petition is gathering support within the Welsh parliament. Mick Antoniw MS [above], Welsh Government Economy and Transport minister, said: “Taxi services are an integral part of our developing transport infrastructure - this is even more important for our valleys communities. Very important we look at ways of supporting it and our taxi drivers.”

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Have you signed up to the Safe Taxi & Private Hire Charter?

Option to pay by card through the app, to avoid drivers and passengers using cash.

Hand sanitisers will be provided to all drivers and customers.

Drivers will sanitise their hands regularly.

No physical contact with the passenger unless in an emergency situation or if a passenger requests assistance.

Drivers will wear clean clothes each day, be well-presented and maintain impeccable personal hygiene.

Vehicles which have a shield installed will be regularly cleaned and sanitised.

The passenger area of the vehicle will be wiped down and cleaned with sanitiser regularly.

The driver will conduct a weekly inspection and deep clean of their vehicle.

Signage to be displayed, (where available and where licensing permits) to convey safety and sanitation messages in and out of vehicle.

Social distancing guidelines will be followed by the driver.

Drivers will wear PPE in line with the latest government guidelines.

Sign up to get your pack, adopt the guidelines and promote one message

to get the UK moving again

#GoSafeGoTaxi

200+ signatories and counting

200 sign-ups in 2 weeks! Huge thanks to all the operators nationwide for taking the time to sign up and support the #GoSafeGoTaxi campaign and the launch of the Safe Taxi & Private Hire Charter. It’s wonderful to see the industry working together. Join the movement - Sign up, share and get involved at: https://gosafegotaxi.com/

covid: deliveries

Deliverance!

How home deliveries have become a lockdown lifeline for customers and taxi operators Mark Bursa

A

s one door closes, another opens. Coronavirus has hit the taxi sector as hard as any. For many operators, the collapse in business was instant and precipitous. With the country in lockdown and travel at a minimum, many private hire fleets were faced with an existential crisis: it really was adapt or die.

For many companies, including some of the UK’s biggest fleets, the solution has been to diversify into the delivery market.

To switch from carrying people to carrying goods – everything from parcels to food to pharmaceuticals. And for some companies, that diversification has left them with a successful and growing new business division.

Regardless of Covid-19, home deliveries

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have been growing rapidly in the past few years. All the major supermarket chains offer home deliveries, while restaurants and takeaways have been able to access home deliveries through the arrival of national chains such as Deliveroo, Just Eat and, inevitably, Uber Eats.

These services have been enabled by the same app-driven geolocation technology that powers ride-hailing apps,

David Richmond

so Uber’s presence is not surprising.

And other big brands are looking at the sector too, including Easy (as in EasyJet), which is trialling an EasyFood service in Leicester.

But that technology is now easy for anyone to access – it is part of the offerings of both the leading dispatch systems suppliers, Autocab and iCabbi, and this has allowed the taxi and private hire sector to make its own plays into this growing sector. And taking a locally-focused approach can allow taxi fleets offer a service that can gives restaurants and customers a better deal.

Nottingham’s DG Cars was quick to get on board with food deliveries in the early stages of the pandemic, initially offering basic deliveries of £15 food boxes containing staples such as bread and milk in partnership with a local convenience store. “We did it free of charge, not for publicity,” says DG Cars’ operations

covid: deliveries “Where do the problems lie? With the taxi business, you might be able to get away with running 5-10 minutes late on a Saturday night pick-up at a peak time. But you can’t do that with food, because the customer will demand a refund for a stone-cold curry – and the taxi operator may have to foot the bill for the complete meal...” director Dominic Moyes. But the company’s ability to do the jobs and keep its drivers busy led to the development of DG Delivery, a fully-fledged local delivery service throughout the areas in which DG Cars operates.

“We didn’t really understand the complexities of the food delivery market, and it took us about a month to work out where we could fit in,” says Moyes. The solution has been to offer a much simpler – and for the restaurants, cheaper service than the likes of Deliveroo or Uber Eats. Whereas those services typically charge the restaurant 30-35% of the total meal price, in addition to a set-up charge to get them on to the national app, DG has made it much simpler.

The steep learning curve involved going out and cold-calling restaurants and getting them to signing them to up to a service which makes DG Cars their delivery partner. So when a restaurant receives an order by phone, or via its own website rather than the national apps, it calls DG Cars via a tablet and a car is dispatched to the restaurant. DG then does the delivery at basic taxi meter rates – and the restaurant gets to keep the rest of the sale price rather than losing 30% to the app company.

It’s working well – so far around 100 companies have signed up in the Nottingham, Loughborough, Derby and Newark areas, and Moyes says enquiries are coming in on a daily basis: in the first two weeks of November, nine new companies signed up. “We’re doing around 3,000 deliveries a week – not bad from a standing start,” he says.

The next stage will be a food-ordering app that the public can download, for which he’s talking to the company’s dispatch systems provider, Autocab, which has developed a delivery app. And Moyes believes DG Delivery doesn’t have to be limited to food. “We could deliver from pharmacies, or even car parts,” he says.

DG is not alone – Sheffield-based City Taxis had itself launched a delivery app, called City Grab, in December

OCTOBER 2020

2019 after spending £250,000 on the technology, based on the Caboodleit delivery app which has been developed and integrated with the iCabbi dispatch system. Caboodleit includes a whitelabel consumer app and website, as well as a back-end management portal where restaurants, takeaways, and retail outlets can process orders and manage their menus and stock lists.

City Grab has proved to be a major success, with more than 250 companies signing up within the first six months of

operations, and by the end of July alone, it had turned over £2 million. Customers pay the cost of the taxi fare on top of the food bill, and City Taxis takes a 15% cut of the food bill, less than the 30-35% charged by the national delivery brands.

The consumer app part of the service works in much the same way as Deliveroo or Just Eat – choose your restaurant, select the items you want and place your order through the City Taxis central booking system. “We deliver further and faster because we have the cars and the network,” says City Taxis managing director Arnie Singh.

City Taxis soon became aware of greater potential for licensing the Grab brand to other operators looking for something similar. So far 12 companies have signed up for their own bespoke version of Grab – including Peterborough Cars and Liverpool’s Alpha Taxis. And in Newcastleupon-Tyne, leading operator Blueline has also become a Grab operator, with Grab North East. Blueline had been through a similar experience to DG Cars, putting together emergency food parcels in the CONTINUED ON PAGE 22

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covid: deliveries CONTINUED ON PAGE 21

early stages of the lockdown, says director Tom Shanks.

“We knew once the lockdown started that people were not going to be travelling, so we asked ourselves what we were going to do, to get the job count up,” he says.

Initially, the company set up a simple emergency delivery service with fruit and veg in partnership with a local wholesaler, JR Holland. This saw Blueline taking the orders over the phone, and sending the order online to JR Holland, for next day delivery. “It worked quite well, but there was a limit to what we could supply. We became the middle-man where 150-200 boxes were delivered each day to our office for dispatch.”

While this was a great help initially to vulnerable people in the early days of the lockdown, it led to a discussion, which Blueline had started before the Coronavirus crisis hit, with City Taxis’ directors Arnie Singh and Paul Gosney over Grab. “Initially the drivers were an issue – in the past they’d always rejected deliveries. But when the Covid crisis hit, the drivers were keen to take any work as they had to make a living.”

Blueline got about 30 partners onboard in the first week through local contacts – not just restaurants, but a range of companies including skin care products and pet food. With people in lockdown and some heavy marketing through social media, Blueline got about 3,000 downloads for the Grab North East app in the first week. And this revealed a surprising fact: “Around 80% of them had never used a Blueline taxi,” says Shanks. “So it opened up a whole new pool of customers for us to cross-market to.”

Going forward, Shanks believes the ability of the taxi operator to deliver very quickly will give them the edge.

“Everybody loves Amazon’s next day service, but what about within the hour?

While we are focused on the takeaway food deliveries for now, I do see there is a massive opportunity for same-day delivery in retail. We can offer that to shops in Newcastle, where people can buy online and get it delivered to their door in an hour for a £3 delivery charge.”

There have been teething troubles, including the commission structure, which was not in balance for the operator.

But that has been resolved now, and Blueline is targeting the national delivery brands with Grab. “We have two USPs

22

when we sign up restaurants.” One is lower commission to the restaurants – 20% rather than 30% or more. “And we deliver further, as the apps are very citycentric. We can take city restaurants’

“While we are focused on the takeaway food deliveries for now, I do see there is a massive opportunity for same-day delivery in retail. People can buy online and get it delivered to their door in an hour...”

deliveries further to the suburbs.”

Where do the problems lie? With the taxi business, you might be able to get away with running 5-10 minutes late on a Saturday night pick-up at a peak time.

But you can’t do that with food, because the customer will demand a refund for a stone-cold curry – and the taxi operator may have to foot the bill for the complete meal. So the delivery timings must be much tighter – “a challenge”, Shanks admits.

The problem is compounded by the fact that peak time for taxi pick-ups and food deliveries are roughly the same. And the taxi jobs earn more money for the driver rather than the delivery jobs. The solution

NOVEMBER 2020

covid: deliveries Tom Shanks

is to have a sub-fleet of pure delivery drivers who are not licenced taxi drivers.

This is already happening in Sheffield, and Shanks sees Blueline following suit once something approaching normality resumes. This would also allow new recruits to get used to the system and earn some money doing deliveries while waiting for the council to process their licence application.

Shanks is not convinced deliveries will be the same cash-generator as taxis, but it does keep the operator current in the market, and it helps with driver loyalty.

And while the Grab app does have a “by Blueline” tag, Shanks is happy to keep the “more quirky, vibrant” brand different from the conservative, safetyfocused taxi brand. “It has to be a different brand, but we want people to know it’s backed by a reliable local firm.”

Down the A1 in Leeds, another major operator has taken a different approach altogether to the delivery conundrum.

NOVEMBER 2020

For Arrow Cars, the need to find new business was desperate – the company’s taxi services were centred around airports throughout the UK, and overnight, that business disappeared as Britain entered lockdown.

“The taxi business has been totally and utterly decimated,” says Arrow Cars managing director David Richmond.

“We’re probably one of the worst hit in the country as our work is all airport-related, and that means we’re 90% down. The solution came as Richmond was standing in a socially-distanced queue for food at a Supermarket in April. Why not deliver the food instead?

But rather than a simple

GLH operates 40 Toyota Yaris parcel cars in London

pick-up and drop-off service with the supermarkets, the company has developed Arrow Fresh, which Richmond describes as “a proper online supermarket with a life of its own”. Initially, Arrow started by converting a store room to handle simple fruit and veg boxes, followed by dairy products, bread and meat.

“Within a few months, we had 2,000 lines and a regular customer base,” he says. The store room has become a proper warehouse in South Leeds with 12 employees, and there’s a fleet of six Arrow Fresh delivery vans, all driven by former Arrow Cars taxi drivers. “It’s very different to the other delivery services, Richmond says. “We buy products from local suppliers and sell them ourselves.”

The emphasis is on quality – and on Yorkshire produce. “Yorkshire is a brand that people associate with quality,” Richmond says. “We source from local farms, cheese producers, brewers and bakeries. The produce is on our shelves CONTINUED ON PAGE 24

23

covid: deliveries CONTINUED ON PAGE 23

and we dispatch it ourselves. It is highquality produce – better quality than supermarkets.”

While the sourcing may be local, the customer base is from much further afield. While the company van fleet covers the whole of Yorkshire and across the Pennines to East Lancashire and Greater Manchester, demand is coming from all over the UK, including London.

For these deliveries, Arrow Fresh uses national courier services. “It’s not economical to try and do national deliveries ourselves,” Richmond says.

But he says Arrow Fresh is looking to set up operations in other areas, with new hubs panned in Nottinghamshire and the North-East – and possibly London.

Could it get bigger than the taxi business?

“Yes!” is Richmond’s emphatic answer.

“In two to three years I can see it being bigger than Arrow Cars. It’s all about the customer. If we give good service and keep our customers happy, why can we not continue to grow?”

For this to happen, the turnover needs to be high enough to cover the fixed costs.

Six months in, he admits “we’re not quite there yet, but we’re close. We’ve come a long way since we delivered our first fruit and veg box.”

As well as delivery work, courier jobs present an opportunity for beleaguered operators to take up the slack. Londonbased GLH is no stranger to the sector, having been operating a courier service alongside its private hire fleet for 30 years.

“We were very fortunate in that we had it all set up,” says marketing director Zoe Walsh. “Couriers was 25% of our business, and growing.”

Amid the chaos of Covid, courier work has proved a reliable earner for GLH, and it has allowed some of the under-employed cab drivers to keep on working by carrying our courier jobs. She says lockdown made GLH get “super-creative” in finding ways to keep going. Work patterns changed, and with people working from home, suddenly there was a need to for a courier service in the suburbs, not just in central London.

“We hope we’ll be carrying more people than ‘things’ in the future, but there’s certainly more scope at the moment for ‘things’,” says Walsh.

The decline in private hire work has seen a downsizing of the GLH car fleet by 50%, largely through non-replacement

24

“The next stage will be a food-ordering app that the public can download, for which he’s talking to the company’s dispatch systems provider, Autocab, which has developed a delivery app. And Moyes believes DG Delivery doesn’t have to be limited to food. “We could deliver from pharmacies, or even car parts...” of older vehicles. Meanwhile courier work has grown, and longer-distance jobs allow the car fleet to come into its own. “Cars can’t do central London pickups because the drivers can’t leave the vehicles – so we leave those jobs to our vans, as liveried courier vans tend to get left alone,” says Walsh. Most of this work is carried out by a fleet of small Toyota Yaris hybrid hatchbacks, converted to van specification. These “parcel cars” are proving very valuable, and the fleet of 40 currently operated is likely to grow. Around 30 larger panel vans are

Dominic Moyes

also used by GLH, as well as motorcycle couriers and pedal-powered “cargo bikes”, which are proving a good way of getting round central London road closures – a big problem that adds time to courier journeys.

Using cars in the outer suburbs is better as the vehicles are more environmentally friendly too, with a high proportion of hybrid and, increasingly, electric vehicles on the fleet. GLH -has targeted other work too, including food deliveries and picking up grocery shopping and pharmaceuticals for customers, as well as tendering for NHS and schools work. “Really different work that we didn’t do before,” says Walsh.

Walsh believes the market could come back quickly once the Coronavirus is under control. She said September, after the end of the first lockdown and before the second ‘spike’, provided evidence of that. “In September we were practically back at last year’s levels,” she says. And while the second lockdown has seen work dry up again, she is confident GLH will be able to meet a resurgence in demand.

“We have a huge waiting list for drivers, so we are able to ramp up really quickly,” she says.

Across the UK, these kind of initiatives have helped keep the private hire sector afloat. It’s interesting to note that delivery work is now part of the growth strategies for all major players. Acquisitive companies such as Veezu and Take Me are in the delivery game. And Addison Lee, which saw demand for courier services rise by 30% immediately after the first lockdown in March, has now set up its own delivery arm, called AL Request.

This uses Addison Lee’s fleet of courier vans to deliver everyday items, such as groceries and flowers through a simple click and collect service. It will be available across Addison Lee’s digital channels – app and web.

NOVEMBER 2020

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covid: chauffeurs

The Covid-19 pandemic has hit the executive sector hardest, as business travel and events work have dried up

Chauffeurs in crisis Mark Bursa

D

IVERSIFICATION INTO HOME deliveries, courier work and key worker transport has been a business lifeline for many private hire fleets, but the executive chauffeuring sector has found it much harder to access this sort of work – with a £70,000 car it’s a lot tougher to make low-cost jobs pay.

Meanwhile, the lifeblood of the chauffeuring sector has all but dried up. Companies report their business is down more than 90% as business travel, corporate events, financial roadshows, trade shows, dinners, big-ticket sporting events and overseas tourists have dwindled to a trickle as the UK – and the world – lurches from lockdown to lifting and back to lockdown again. Hopes of an effective vaccine in the coming months are strong,

26

but most industry watchers are pessimistic as to when – if ever – the business travel market will return to the “normal” levels of 2019.

Data from the airline industry compiled by research firm Cirium makes grim reding.

Weekly average flight arrivals in Europe are running 67% below last year’s level, and rising Covid-19 cases and re-imposed national lockdowns in countries including France and the UK have prompted many of the region’s airlines to cut capacity and return some aircraft to storage. More than 8,000 airliners are currently in storage, and many will never return to service.

Almost all operators of the Boeing 747-400 have retired their fleets, replacing them with smaller, more economical twin-jets on intercontinental routes. So even if the timetables return to 2019 frequencies, the capacity is likely to be lower.

David Pryor

Meanwhile, corporations are adjusting to a working-from-home environment, and many are finding no drop in productivity as a result. Indeed, some are finding greater efficiency through videoconferencing – a technology that will improve as 5G networks are rolled out, offering highdefinition Zoom and Teams chats.

This is not helpful for the chauffeur sector. Already we have seen major London fleets such as Carey making substantial cuts to their active fleets – from 200 cars last year, the company is believed to be running around 30 now. Many independent chauffeurs have called it a day, with a lot of the older, and often most experienced, drivers choosing early retirement. For operators, it’s been a case of cutting the business back to the bone, or worse, winding up the company and starting again.

NOVEMBER 2020

covid: chauffeurs Those companies with a small fleet and self-employed drivers have fared best: for those with fully-employed drivers, it has meant radical restructuring, including the winding up of some very successful firms.

Multiple Professional Driver QSi Award winner Club Class Chauffeurs of Hailsham, East Sussex, went into liquidation in September. Owner Jon Dow said he had no option but to do that as the company employed all its drivers, and once the initial furlough scheme had ended, the company could not afford to pay their wages as work had all but dried up. By liquidating, Club Class employees with more than two years’ service could claim statutory redundancy pay from the government.

Dow has subsequently started up again as CC Chauffeurs Ltd, but at a much smaller scale, with self-employed drivers.

The story is similar for another QSi Gold winner, Didcot-based Pryors. Like Club Class, Pryors employed its drivers – and the situation was further complicated by the fact that it owned its fleet of MercedesBenz E-Class cars. “The corporate market is down more than 95%,” said company owner David Pryor. “It’s all very well being able to furlough staff for six months, but we knew they’re going to have to come back to work, and we were going to have to pay them.”

With no work and an unsustainable wage bill, Pryor had no option but to liquidate the company – the redundancy bill was around £500,000. And like Dow, he’s started again on a lower level. “We bought back 12 of the 48 cars, and we have eight of them working – the other four are on SORN,” he says. We’re just tootling along, running the business from home, and using some of our former employed drivers as self-employed contractors.”

The business was showing signs of recovery in September and October, but the second lockdown has brought that to a shuddering halt. “We’re doing a job every three days at the moment,” he says. And he’s not optimistic for a full recovery. “I can’t imagine the corporate market will ever be back to the numbers it was,” he

Will Senior

says. The environmental imperative to cut back on travel is one factor; the ability to meet remotely is another. “We’re all Zoomcrazy,” he says.

Ultimately, there will be a return to a better level. “But the level will be more refined, so we need to focus on our niche,” says Pryor. “We’ll be keeping it high end.”

The new version of the company is called Pryors Corporate Travel, which sets out the company’s stall.

Ultimately, Pryor’s location in Oxfordshire, within the “golden triangle” to the west of London along the M3, M4 and M40 motorway corridors, will help drive the recovery as business travel to Heathrow and Central London will come Parvez Ali back eventually. For now, though, there is little David Pryor can do but wait.

The drastic drop in business has hit London chauffeurs too. “We’ve lost 90% of our business,” says Will Senior of Hampton-based iChauffeur. “We can’t do pizzas and deliveries with the kind of vehicles we have, but we do have a client

base that is keeping us alive with bits and pieces of work.” iChauffeur has had to make cuts – two of its 10 office-based staff have been made redundant, while the car fleet is down to around 15 cars, all of them owner-driver operated. At its peak, the business had 60 cars on strength. “If we had companyowned vehicles or employed drivers, we’d be in trouble,” Senior admits. Meanwhile, some drivers are permanently leaving the business. “Of the 90 or so drivers we know, around 15-20, mainly older drivers, have left the business,” he adds.

As it is, the company is surviving. “We’re trying to spread the work around to help as many drivers as we can,” says Senior. “And we’re working as hard as ever- if people are not travelling, where do we look for business.” There are a number of areas where business has been relatively stable. “The corporate jet market is relatively healthy,” he says, CONTINUED ON PAGE 28

“The business was showing signs of recovery in September and October, but the second lockdown has brought that to a shuddering halt: ‘We’re doing a job every three days at the moment, and it’s not optimistic for a full recovery. I can’t imagine the corporate market will ever be back to the numbers it was’…”

NOVEMBER 2020

27

covid: chauffeurs

CONTINUED ON PAGE 27

though a long way from “normal”. Trips to Stansted and Luton’s business jet terminals have carried on at around 10 a day throughout the coronavirus crisis, though this is a far cry from the 60 a day that iChauffeur handled in 2019.

The market improved in September as lockdown eased, but has tailed off again to around 4 or 5 trips a day in November.

Longer-distance journeys are also becoming a feature for iChauffeur as those executives that still need to travel intercity want to avoid the risks of train travel.

So trips as far afield as Southampton, Birmingham and even Manchester are becoming more regular, with small groups wanting to use a V-Class being a notable trend, as multiple occupancy on a car hired for the day is actually cheaper and much more convenient than the train.

Beyond that, picking up shopping for high net-worth clients and even weddings are becoming part of the mix for iChauffeur – jobs the company would not have previously considered doing.

And online bookings are growing in frequency – they used to be less than 10% of iChauffeur’s work; now it’s more like 40%.

Will the market come back? Some aspects look promising. “US tour contacts

28

“As chauffeuring transitions to more expensive electric vehicles, the industry will be forced to change, as not everyone will be able to afford to stay in the game...” tell us they are raring to go as soon as things are sorted,” says Senior. This could be as early as next June, he believes. But he thinks the road back to where the company was will be slow. “In two or three years, iChauffeur might only be half the size it was, but we will have diversified into new things.”

Other chauffeur companies are less optimistic. Parvez Ali, owner of the of Claremont and Sovereign brands, believes it’ll be 2024 before the industry fully recovers, vaccine or not,” he says.

“I’m basing that on sentiment from the corporate world.” He compares the situation as being far worse than 9/11, and it took 18 months to get back to normal after the attacks on the World Trade Center. “Even when we get out of lockdown the business will be no more than 25-20% of what it was, and it’ll be there for six to eight months. That’s what the hotels are telling me.”

Ali believes the industry needs to use the opportunity to have a good look at how it operates. The market has been over-supplied, he says, with hourly rates currently lower than they were in 1997. And cheap finance with 10% deposits has meant a lot of chauffeurs have expensive cars on deals they can now no longer afford.

“The only way to survive is not to have the burden of debt.” Ali says he has 26 cars on strength, all fully paid for. “That puts us in a different position,” he says.

As chauffeuring transitions to more expensive electric vehicles, the industry will be forced to change, as not everyone will be able to afford to stay in the game.

“The cull has already started,” he says.

“The number of players will reduce, and journey costs will rise. That’s probably going to be the best thing for our industry.”

Reza Choudhury, managing director of Reliance Worldwide, agrees that the chauffeur industry will diminish in size.

“A big chunk of the industry has already disappeared,” he says. “It’s going to be a completely different landscape.” And it’s not enough simply to wait in hope – the recovery will be slow and incremental. “A lot of companies are just waiting for it to come back, but if you don’t innovate, you’re just not going to survive.” He believes no recovery will start until the second quarter of 2021, while roadshows and events are

NOVEMBER 2020

covid: chauffeurs unlikely until Q4. And that means chauffeur companies that rely on two or three big events a year for a big payday might be in serious trouble.

Mike Bell, CEO of Driven Worldwide, admits his company is “in a holding pattern” for the time being. “We have 100 drivers on our books, but only a handful are actually working,” he says. The company has been slimmed down, and has exited the executive chauffeuring point-to-point market, which it entered five years ago.

“The business had reached a decent level but this year has fallen away to less than 50 jobs a day, and cutting the business has reduced costs to allow the company get through the next 12 months, focusing on its core chauffeuring work.”

Bell agrees that events are unlikely to return before September 2021; meanwhile the company is using the enforced quiet to upgrade its systems and possibly relocate to a smaller office. Driven Woldwide has managed to maintain its global network, including affiliates in New York and Hong Kong. “We’re staying in touch with our affiliates for when we need them,” Bell says.

[from left] John Dow and Mike Bell

Going forward, companies will not go down the road of employed drivers again – just look at the devastating outcomes for Club Class and Pryors – and the bulk of chauffeuring will be through selfemployed sub-contractors. “We’ve changed our business model to work with other operators,” Choudhury says. Reliance has interests in both the mail and packet delivery and chauffeuring sectors, and is in the process of rebranding its chauffeuring operations as Hyryde, which will launch

in mid-2021 as an executive chauffeuring ride-hailing app, open to other operators.

Meanwhile the mail and packet service has provided a steady income stream, delivering “anything that needs to be moved from point to point”. This also uses a technology-based system to harness small delivery fleets to deliver packages and goods including stationery and subscription magazines. “If it wasn’t for the courier work, it would be a different ball game for us,” he admits.

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29

first roadlook test

Mercedes-Maybach S-Class

Mark Bursa

Return of the ’bach

ProDriver Tested 32.8mpg / 30.0mph July 2019

A

s a stand-alone brand, Maybach may have failed to

make much of a dent in Rolls-Royce and Bentley’s domination of the super-luxury saloon sector in its 2002-2011 revival. But since the famous nameplate was relaunched as a sub-brand of Mercedes-Benz five years ago with a stretched and opulent version of the S-Class, Maybach has quietly got on with selling a lot of cars.

Since the relaunch in 2015, more than 60,000 Mercedes-Maybach S-Class saloons have been delivered worldwide, especially to the Chinese

30

market, where in 2019, average sales exceeded 700 units per month. Alongside China, the main sales markets in recent years have been

Russia, South Korea, the USA and Germany.

Now there’s a new Mercedes-Maybach S-Class, launched in tandem with the ‘plain vanilla’ Mercedes-Benz S. And fans of the 2002 Maybach 57 and 62 models will be delighted that the latest versions are reviving a lot of the distinctive Maybach features – notably two-tone paint and some spectacular pale-leather interior trims.

The effect, at first glance at least, is of a more distinctively “Maybach” car than the first Mercedes-Maybach S-Class, which wasn’t really different-looking enough to catch the eye

NOVEMBER 2020

first look

on a street full of regular S-Classes. It’s not just the two-tone paint, available in 10 colour combinations; the new Mercedes-Maybach has a more distinctive grille, with chrome embellishments around the low-level intakes on the spoiler. Optional chrome dish wheels add to the distinctive look too.

It’s a clever disguise – as the MercedesMaybach is mechanically little different from the S-Class. The Mercedes-Maybach S-Class has a 180mm longer wheelbase than the LWB S-Class: 3,396mm instead of 3,216mm. The longer wheelbase is entirely in the rear compartment, giving a long and luxurious cabin.

The C-pillar is broader than on the regular S, leaving room for the Maybach ‘M’ logo. The grille has Maybach stamped in the frame, but it’s topped with a Mercedes star gunsight, not a Maybach M. Same goes for the 3-pointer on the steering wheel boss – Mercedes is not letting you forget what’s under the skin this time round.

The interior of the Mercedes-Maybach S-Class is closer to that of the new standard S-Class than the exterior. The combination of digital displays and analogue comfort continues. Up to five display screens are available. Included as standard is a 12.8in OLED central display as a high-tech control centre. A 12.3in 3D driver display with three-dimensional representation of other road users and pronounced depth and shade effects is available on request.

Exclusive trim sees the surrounds of the instrument dials in rosé gold – which is defined as a “brand colour” for Mercedes-Maybach. This colour is also used for the optional active ambient LED lighting. This has a rosé gold, white and amethyst glow. Adaptive rear lighting allows rear seat occupants to adjust the brightness, the size and position of the spotlights, offering a wide adjustment range between precise working light and relaxing lounge light.

There is plenty of classic luxury on board, including wood surrounds encasing the rear

NOVEMBER 2020

of the front seat back rests. A First-Class Rear can be specified, offering a large central console between the two individual rear seats. Standard-fit Executive rear seats allow occupants to adjust the seat surface and back rest independently.

Using the foot rest on the front seat and the electrically extending leg rest creates a continuous, comfortable reclining surface for a pleasant sleeping position. The adjustment travel of the leg rest has been extended by 50mm compared to the previous series. A massage function in the calf rest and neck/shoulder heating are also new features.

A lot of effort has gone into reducing cabin noise, improving the very good NVH performance of the new S-Class. The bodyshell is very rigid, and there is plenty of noise insulation foam in the body structure. Additional absorbent foam is installed around the rear wheel arches, while additional, fixed triangle windows in the C-pillars have thicker laminated glass, as they are in close proximity to the heads of rear passengers. And active road noise compensation (AFGK) is used for the first time. The system reduces unwanted low-frequency noises by playing counter-phased sound waves through the car’s stereo, in the same way that

2021 MercedesMaybach S-Class Available colour combinations lower colour

upper colour

Diamond White Bright High-Tech Silver Obsidian Black Nautical Blue Rubellite Red Onyx Black Obsidian Black Obsidian Black Emerald Green Mojave Silver

Obsidian Black Selenite Grey Selenite Grey High-Tech Silver Designo Kalahari Gold Designo Kalahari Gold High-Tech Silver Rubellite Red Mojave Silver Onyx Black

noise-cancelling headphones work.

Air suspension with level control and continuously adjustable damping is standard equipment. Optional, fully active E-Active Body Control suspension is available, thanks to the move to 48V electrics. This uses a stereo camera to scan the road ahead, transmitting a signal to the suspension to smooth out undulations.

There’s even a special Maybach drive mode, designed for chauffeuring, which the MercedesBenz S-Class does not have. With this setting the power delivery is even more comfortable, with gentler accelerator characteristics and more comfortable, low-shift transmission configuration.

This also allows the car to start off in second gear.

To ensure manoeuvrability and precision even in confined spaces, the Maybach comes with optional rear-axle steering. This has two variants: 4.5 degrees and 10 degrees, which reduces the turning circle from 13.1m to 12.2m or 11.2m. In models with rear-axle steering, a front steering system with 15% more direct steering ratio is used.

Mercedes-Maybach S-Class sales will commence before the end of this year in a number of markets, though European sales won’t start until spring 2021 in Germany, followed by other main markets in the summer. In the USA and China, the first customers will receive their vehicles next April.

Initially two engine options will be available in the UK at launch: the 496bhp 4.0-litre twin-turbo petrol V8 from the S580 and a 603bhp 6.0-litre twin-turbo petrol V12, set to be badged as the S650. Pricing is also yet to be announced, but is expected to start some way above £150,000.

There is also a plug-in hybrid using a 3.0-litre straight-six petrol engine and a gearbox-mounted electric motor for a combined 503bhp. Mercedes executives said they were aware of the need to offer a PHEV version in the UK if the car is to be licensed under TfL rules in London. And they confirmed there would be a fully electric Maybach in the future, based on the EQS platform expected to break cover next year.

31

road test

Ford Tourneo Custom Active SWB 2.0TDCI 170PS

Let’s off-road!

ProDriver Tested 45.6mpg / 32mph Aug.2020

Mark Bursa

T

HE FORD TRANSIT CUSTOM HAS been one of the real successes of the beleaguered 2020 car market. Light commercials are not included in the top 10 car sales charts, but if they were, the Transit, combined with its passenger-carrying sibling, the Tourneo Custom, would be in the top 10 overall. Indeed, in the first nine months of the year, more than 30,000 Transit Custom vans were sold in Britain – a reflection perhaps of the growth in the home delivery market.

As you’d expect with a successful brand, Ford is launching a number of new variants of both Transit and Tourneo designed to keep the momentum going.

We drove the plug-in hybrid version of the Tourneo earlier in the year and it’s an impressive piece of kit, with a very versatile range-extender powertrain to maximise electric miles.

The latest version takes the Tourneo Custom in a very different direction. With a rugged, off-roaderinspired body kit, the Ford Tourneo Custom Active is more of a lifestyle vehicle. The Active model adds black plastic body cladding on the wheel arches, side skirts and bumpers, s well as stylish 17in alloy wheels, raised ground clearance, a different grille and roof rails.

32

The £37,950 Tourneo Custom looks like a 4x4, but it isn’t – it’s front-wheel drive, though for £550 you can add a mechanical limited-slip differential to give extra traction on slippery surfaces). Sadly the PHEV powertrain isn’t available, which rules the model out for London private hire licensing. But that’s not a problem elsewhere.

Why might you want one? Full-size MPVs are becoming an endangered species these days, and vanbased people-movers are becoming the only option.

They’re versatile assets to any operator’s fleet, useful for event shuttle work, airport runs and business trips, as well as jobbing late-night private hire work, taking groups or families for a night out. And if you’re diversifying into delivery work, they’re big enough to carry lots of parcels and bags.

And while most van-based MPVs look plain and boxy, the Tourneo Custom Active looks the business, and quite unlike anything else on the market. Factor in car-like ride and handling, plus the sort of frontseat features such as electric seats and satnav that wouldn’t be out of place in an executive saloon, and nostalgia for big MPVs of the past such as the Chrysler Voyager or Renault Espace will evaporate.

The Transit/Tourneo Custom family had an

extensive facelift in 2018. While the basic bodyshell remained unchanged, a huge amount of changes have been made under the bonnet, to the front end styling, and especially inside the cabin. The restyled nose gained a bold, Ford family grille, LED headlights, more chrome and generally better detailing than before.

Active trim means further enhancements to the interior, with unique part-leather seat trim, and the addition of a blue instrument panel accent. The dashboard is big and clear, with analogue primary gauges and a central information panel controlled from steering wheel buttons. Radio volume and cruise control functions are also mounted on the steering wheel, rather than on stalks.

The central dash-mounted gear lever is in the same place, and it’s a smooth and short shift. A covered compartment is to the left of the lever, containing cupholders and power sockets. Indeed, there is no shortage of cubby holes and storage bins – as well as the regular dashboard glove box, capable of storing hanging A4 files, there are lidded storage boxes on top of the dashboard.

The car-like feel to the driving position is carried over from the previous Tourneo, but now the dashboard is well up to car standard. Individual driver

NOVEMBER 2020

road test

and passenger seats are electric, and our test car has a full leather interior.

The satnav features Ford’s latest Sync 3 communications and entertainment system that can be operated with pinch and swipe gestures.

Sync 3 controls audio, navigation and connected smartphones using simple, conversational voice commands.

A standard FordPass Connect modem1 enables WiFi connectivity for up to ten devices. The technology also allows small business customers and owner operators to keep their vehicle safe, secure and running efficiently remotely using their smartphone via the FordPass Pro app, or private customers via the FordPass app.

The eight-seat interior can easily be reconfigured to reflect users’ demands. Active trim is only available in standard wheelbase, however, though seats can move to give passengers more room or increase luggage space. The seats can also be rearranged in conference layout or removed entirely for more luggage space.

Active series retains Ford’s tried and tested 2.0-litre diesels with power outputs of 130PS, 170PS and 185PS depending on model and specification, with a choice of six-speed automatic and manual gearboxes.

NOVEMBER 2020

verdict

T

HE LARGE MPV SEGMENT IS NOW dominated by van-derived vehicles, and as a result, quality of finish inside and out is improving across the market. Ford Tourneo Custom is one of a number of vehicles that are getting closer in quality terms to the marketleading Mercedes-Benz V-Class. With new Active trim, Tourneo has considerable street appeal and moves the vehicle away from the basic van-with-windows look into SUV territory.

The Tourneo Custom scores heavily for versatility and scores heavily for the quality of its finish, with an extremely car-like cabin, and comfortable, flexible seats. Even in SWB, it’s a genuine seven-passengers-plus-luggage vehicle, increasingly important to have on your fleet. It’s well specified too, and probably the most competent panel van-derived MPV we’ve driven in terms of ride and handling. And with acceptable fuel economy of 36.6mpg (WLTP) on a par with an executive saloon, it’ll be a profitable revenue earner too, though CO2 emissions are not the best at 203g/km.

data price as tested warranty ved

£38,500 36 months / 100,000 miles K

performance engine transmission

2.0-litre turbodiesel Six speed manual, FWD

power

170PS

torque

405Nm

0-62mph top speed

TBA TBA

combined economy

36.6mpg (WLTP)

co2 emissions

203g/km (WLTP)

dimensions length

4,972mm

width

1,986mm

height

1,979mm

wheelbase loadspace

2,933mm 1,200 litres

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the knowledge

Customer communications in the Covid crisis

A

emailing customers, 27% have started using WhatsApp, MAJOR NEW SURVEY SHOWS direct 26% have started calling customers and 25% have messaging, online bookings and home started texting customers. deliveries have been key to survival – Interestingly, alongside WhatsApp, a real surge in the and companies aren’t going back to use of other instant messaging services was highlighted the old ways. within the automotive industry. Social media use is also With news of a Covid-19 vaccine giving the battered growing: 21% of automotive businesses have started economy a glimmer of hope, a survey of automotive using Twitter, 20% of businesses started using Facebook businesses carried out by directory firm Yell Business Messenger to communicate with customers and 19% has revealed how businesses have adapted their Claire Miles had started using Instagram. customer communications during the coronavirus While a phone and email are still ingrained as the crisis, with online communications an increasingly most popular communication methods for automotive used tool.

Yell CEO businesses and consumers alike, when it came to The survey, entitled ‘Who’s getting the message?’, increasing sales during the pandemic, paid ads on Facebook were covers all forms of automotive-related businesses including garages found to be the most effective, with 33% of businesses stating they and dealerships, as well as rental companies and taxi firms, and had seen an uplift in sales from using them. Instagram direct compares them with other key retail sectors. In particular, the Yell messaging was found to be the most effective tool for increasing survey found that 96% of automotive businesses have introduced website traffic. new ways of communicating with their customers as a result of the Instant messaging tools such as Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp pandemic, with 73% of automotive businesses stating that instant and other social messaging platforms were found to be vital messaging has become a key business tool in the lockdown. communication tools for automotive businesses. Nearly three Additionally, 43% of automotive businesses have introduced online quarters (73%) of businesses surveyed said that instant messaging booking services as a result of Covid-19 and a surprisingly high is key for business success post Covid-19, while 42% stated they number - 83% - of auto-related business owners are optimistic about had seen an uplift in enquiries thanks to using instant messaging the success of their business in 2021. Conversely, 17% of automotive services during the pandemic. 41% said that they had seen an firms surveyed said they would not be able to survive another increase in customer satisfaction from using the service and 39% lockdown. saw an increase in sales.

The study reveals the scale of the challenge business owners have Choosing the correct channel to communicate with customers was faced in recent months with three quarters (76%) of all Small and found to have far reaching benefits for automotive businesses too.

Medium Enterprises (SMEs) surveyed introducing a new service as Yell’s research revealed that over a third (36%) of consumers would a result of Covid-19. The automotive industry was found to be one be more likely to buy from a business that communicated with them of the most adaptable sectors in the report, with 98% of automotive on their preferred channel. 28% of consumers would be more likely to businesses surveyed introducing a new service. recommend the business to a friend and 24% would be more likely to Of those new services: spend more with that business. Conversely, if an SME communicated n 43% started taking online bookings with a customer on the wrong channel, 37% of consumers wouldn’t n 42% started doing online video consultations use that business again and 18% would even leave a bad review for n 37% started home deliveries/visits the business. n 35% launched online video tutorials Despite the challenges brought on by Covid-19, automotive n 34% launched online video events businesses remain positive for the future. 83% of business owners Half of all automotive businesses that introduced a new service state that they are optimistic about the success of their business in said it was crucial for them to be able to survive the pandemic, 2021 and, on average, 75% said they were more prepared to deal with with 83% stating they plan on continuing the service post Covid-19. another lockdown.

Almost two-thirds – 62% - that introduced home delivery services Claire Miles, Chief Executive Officer of Yell, said: “It’s heartening said it was crucial for them to survive the crisis, and more than 80% said they would continue to offer a home delivery service post-Covid. to see that the majority of the sector remains optimistic in the face of adversity. Our research highlights not only the sheer adaptability A similar figure – 65% - said contactless payments had been vital, of businesses but also their ability to find the right way to and not one respondent said they would not continue to offer these. communicate change to their existing and potential customers. It’s The research also identified how the global pandemic has clear that during these uncertain times, instant messaging services accelerated changes in the ways businesses are communicating have been a real lifeline to businesses who have had to adapt and with their customers. Of the 96% of automotive businesses that adjust their models quickly.” introduced new ways of communicating in 2020, 34% have started

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NOVEMBER 2020

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the negotiator

Time to press the big reset button

W

At around this time TfL, London and regional local authorities brought into effect their “cunning plan/ hire profession? I have been a private hire madcap scheme” of road closures thus forcing traffic driver, on-and-off, for over thirty years. on to the main roads.

I have driven in a number of roles, from hospitalDon’t get me wrong, I too love flowers and plants – patient driver (back in the day before G4S), to minicab they keep me and the kids alive. However, the sudden driver, to picking up train crews from home and depot. appearance of trough planters blocking side roads But never have I seen the situation so dread. was a shock. Who would have thought that local When I first started what you needed was a relatively government could move with such blitzkrieg speed in decent car, with an MoT and private hire insurance, and Dennis implementing such a policy? Also, I am definitely in a driving licence. The money made then was relatively Bartholomew favour of a reduction of harmful gases emitted by motor decent although the hours had to be put in. I then vehicles. The widening of pavements and the speedy progressed to join the emerging Addison Lee circuit. development of cycle lanes was a surprise.

This would have been more than 30 years ago.

GMB Despite being a professional driver I am in favour of I won’t wax lyrical about them, but serious money representative cycling, agree to a massive reduction in the use of the could be made. For example, I remember a guy who internal combustion engine. Yet, it seems to me that I bumped into from time-to-time who was working for Uber drivers there was little consultation in respect of the above.

12 hours a day, seven days a week. “What are you doing?

All of these initiatives have made it more difficult You are going to kill yourself”, I said. “I’m buying a for the professional drivers who are leaving the profession in droves. house and intend to pay it off in three years,” he replied.

For example, my friend Alan did the knowledge over fifteen years ago, When I bumped into him some years later he had had paid having left the Royal Navy after five years. With his earnings he was off his house and was well into his own private business. able to buy his house and, he hoped, settle into his profession until In my own case I regularly made in excess of £700-£800 a week, retirement. before expenses, but after AddLee’s vehicle rent and commission “I can’t go on, Den,” he said to me during our one of our regular I remember the memorable Saturday when I made more than £800, telephone calls. “What’s going on?” I asked. He told me that he ferrying a wedding party to and from Oxford and then got another had returned his cab and was working as a delivery driver. I tried job from Central London to Surrey. As they say, those were the days. to reassure him by explaining that it was not a bad choice in the Returning to the profession a few years ago things had changed. circumstances, I too had done courier work. It would keep him fit and Some of the changes were for the better. The licensing of driver and enable him to lose weight! vehicles, with the overall regulation of the market by Transport for Alan did lose weight but shortly afterwards he called to say that London, was a good thing. However, when I joined a major private hire firm, I found the situation for the driver had worsened. A number he had got a job as a bus driver. “Den, I’m not going back to taxis. of larger players had entered the profession and their treatment of There is no point. What with Covid, the road closures and no drivers was poor. The fares had remained static yet the expenses had passengers I can’t see how things can get better.” Reluctantly, I certainly kept pace with inflation. had to agree with him.

Shortly after my return I joined the GMB union’s Professional While I don’t want this article to be a weeping competition ,I had Drivers Branch, comprising taxi and private hire drivers, and became similar tales from my private hire colleagues. Arif had been in the UK a representative for private hire drivers. Since then I have seen the for most of his life, having arrived with his parents. We met through earnings of both groups deteriorate. This was due to several factors the union and became friends. On his last visit he explained that he which have climaxed in a maelstrom of low fares, Covid-19, road was barely hanging on. He said that he was just covering his expenses closures and anti-private hire measures. but was using his savings to pay for his day-to-day costs. While All of the new entrants into the profession such as Uber have set Covid-19 was the main cause of his situation, he explained, the other the drivers’ earnings at ridiculously low levels. These have remained factors has delivered further blows to his ability to earning a living. static over the past few years, effectively resulting in a net reduction Like the Government and politicians from all side of the aisle, I in driver earnings. This, coupled with some tricksy new fares such as have no answer as to how we get out of this mess. But being a positive Uber Pool and the like, have reduced these fares even more. pessimist, Covid gives us the opportunity to “reset” (everyone is In a sop to the taxi-trade, TfL extended the Congestion Charge using that word) the profession. The industry, drivers and regulators to private hire vehicles entering the CC Zone. This, in my opinion, should use Professor Abdel-Haq’s 2018 report on future Taxi & Private provided no benefits to taxis, as a private hire driver having paid the Hire Vehicle licensing as the basis for an even deeper review into the charge on entry into the zone would have no incentive to leave. Riders profession. in the zone would still chose a ride based on price and so would still select a private hire vehicle. Calls on TfL to extend control over the n D ennis Bartholomew is the GMB trade union representative fares of private hire drivers have fallen on stony ground. for driver/members working for Uber. He is an author And then comes Covid. This was the nail in the coffin. Passengers and broadcaster with a strong knowledge of the private immediately disappeared for both taxi and private hire drivers. Some hire industry. dennis.bartholomew@yahoo.co.uk drivers held on, hoping that the disease would abate by mid-2020. +44 7544 026 122

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hat is happening to the taxi and private

NOVEMBER 2020

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The light at the end of the tunnel

the insider

touchy-feely and start to come looking for a e all had some tough decisions to make when return on their goodwill now that a vaccine this virus took hold back in has been found.

March. Well actually I didn’t, The vaccine? Yes, great news and what and I could be accused of complacency as an amazing effort to have developed one I could not comprehend this being allowed so quickly. But we have all born witness to to go past three months, as I thought the the shambles the Government has made of economy simply couldn’t sustain it. test and trace, so I have little confidence Then, reality bit and we realised that that this will be distributed quickly and Kevin Willis the virus was here to stay. People stopped efficiently and in time for the lucrative getting on aeroplanes, having meetings summer travel season. and coming over to visit our rich history.

Everyday problems So, who do I think I am that I can’t go and Our diary collapsed almost instantly. It was work delivering parcels for Amazon? Well I’ll heart-breaking after struggling through the from the operator’s tell you who I am. I’m Kevin Willis and my point of view... slow months of January and February to see wife Nicola and I built Chirton Grange Ltd all our bookings go pop. “Sorry, but due to from nothing. We went from a single people the current situation we have to cancel,” went the late carrier, financed by my mother-in-law, to being preferred night emails. And they continued until we were left with suppliers to major companies. We’ve won government nothing. Literally nothing. Our focus for some years now contracts over the biggest London chauffeur suppliers has been the affluent North American inbound market and we provide a service for clients in every major city in who come for Wimbledon, Henley, Ascot and so on – all the UK by collaborating with some really excellent people. cancelled. I swear if I hear “due to these unprecedented We have a client base across the USA, Canada, Spain, times” once more, I’ll explode!

Brazil, India and Pakistan because we got on aeroplanes But after a touch of gardening, a slap of decorating (those were the days) and knocked on doors. Chauffeur and a Bounce Back Loan tucked away in my account bragging? Not really, I’m laying it all out, I am on my arse I can honestly say, to my shame, that I quite enjoyed here but I’m not giving up on all we have worked for until lockdown. Didn’t we have lovely weather? After all, I don’t have a choice. And I know that a hundred of you we hadn’t lost clients – they had just been sort of reading this, maybe all of you, have a similar story to tell. postponed. We had to scale right down to the bone. First We have put our house up for sale only this week. Not we went back to one vehicle which meant our son Chris because we owe any money or are in arrears – far from it. leaving the business.

But the building has accrued some good equity and this We pushed the insurance from Hire and Reward down is a good time to sell with the Stamp Duty holiday. Nicola to domestic (Tasker – legends) and got rid of everything and I have worked too hard to just step aside and get a from Amazon Prime to Sky Sports which, as a Newcastle ‘normal job’. fan, turned out to be one of the easier decisions. We now Amazon want to pay me £120 for a ten-hour day – in shop in Aldi and invested in a decent thermos flask to MY vehicle! Chirton Grange charges more for a Stansted have my coffee from rather than pay three quid for one. to London transfer. Our clients have not deserted us.

We had some work, government repatriation stuff, but They are merely frozen in time, and we are confident nothing that was going to save us. that they will return once the thaw hits, so we want to be So we ‘pivoted’ by inventing and producing from ready for when that happens, stay mobile, have choices scratch a Christmas Garden Advent Calendar as online and have a bit of an adventure on the way. The only shopping seemed the logical step and everyone was in things we are keeping are the dog and the people carrier. their garden (www.greenfingerelf.co.uk) and we did okay.

Survival isn’t going to be easy for any of us but there That said, I’m still putting the lottery on twice a week as is, finally, a faint light of hope at the end of the tunnel. the calendar market finishes on the 30th of this month.

So, I implore you to stick with it if at all possible and These past two months have been the toughest, wish you all the very best. though, and I’m afraid the next three or four are going to eclipse those. With car payment and mortgage holidays gone I foresee a deluge of repossessions and closures n K evin Willis runs Chirton Grange, over the dark winter months. The banks will become less contact@chirtongrange.co.uk

NOVEMBER 2020

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