Kia’s mighty EV9 electric seven-seater on test Does this man have a workable plan for national licensing? Join us and drive
NATIONAL STANDARDS JUDGING DAY
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Mark Bursa
There’s a bit of a tug of war in the private hire industry at the moment. One the one hand, there are progressive voices who want to see processes streamlined and bureaucracy reduced by moving toward a national standard.
On the other hand, there are drivers and operators whose world-view is very local, who see ride-hailing companies moving in to their territories – often without local licenses – which makes a tough existence even tougher.
In their corner are the Unions – because that’s their job – and the local authorities themselves, who fear losing valuable licensing revenue if everybody goes and gets licensed in Wolverhampton.
We’re on the side of the progressives. We have heard so many tales of woe about inconsistent and lethargic local authorities, taking months to approve licenses and charging over the odds for the privilege. And over the years, we’ve seen a vast volume of whimsical decisions about CCTV, window tints, signage, roof lights, car colours and other unhelpful nif-naf and trivia.
ing speed, or give all the work to them, as suggested by James Button (see page 12).
Button’s plan is clever – it gives the private hire sector the chance to bring in its own national standards without government interference. It’s far from perfect. There’s no guarantee councils will buy in to the scheme. Indeed, some may flatly refuse. Some operators may be happy with the way things are. And there’s the issue of London, which may be best left alone with its own set of rules.
But if a significant number of large councils agree to put all their licensing through a single council – Wolves would be the obvious one – then you have the basic framework for a national standard.
You wouldn’t even need “plates” with the city crest. Just a window sticker, as in London. Number plate recognition is sufficient to identify a vehicle, providing you have a properly maintained database.
“
If a significant number of large councils agree to put all their licensing through a single council, then you have the basic framework for a national standard
It really doesn’t have to be like this. If you want to be a bus driver, you can get a PSV license anywhere – complete the training, pass the test, pay the standard fee and you’ve got your badge. There’s no difference in cost or quality from council to council. It is a national standard. The same for HGV licenses for truck drivers. Both HGV and PSV licenses require specialist training, and the public safety issue is far greater than driving a cab.
To achieve this properly would involve legislation, and would require Government backing. Within the next two weeks, we will have a new Government, almost certainly a Labour one. This could prove to be an obstacle in achieving this goal.
Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham, a prominent Labour politician and probably a future Labour leader, has called for a rethink of the Deregulation Act because so many Mancunian drivers are getting licensed in Wolverhampton.
It’s understandable that he might not want to lose council revenue, but he needs to ask himself why that’s happening. It’s not because Wolverhampton’s standards are lower than those in Manchester – it’s because the licensing department is more efficient and more reasonably priced.
So there are two choices here. Either match Wolverhampton prices and process-
It’s important that we do not undo the positive aspects of the deregulation act. We don’t want the “ABBA principle” where journeys have to start and finish in a “home council” area. That is a license to create dead mileage and increase pollution and congestion levels.
And while we’re looking at the law –make sure you respond to the government consultation on VAT on private hire fares. The document is very fair, and suggests a number of likely outcomes.
There is a view that a form of margin scheme, similar to TOMS but tailored to private hire (PHOMS?) is the most likely outcome. But equally, why should we pay VAT at all? But passengers do not pay VAT, and nor do train passengers.
The argument that a bus is somehow cleaner and greener than a PHV as it can carry more people is erroneous.
Many buses are still dirty diesels, and a double-decker with a handful of people on board is a lot less environmentally friendly than a few electric PHVs. If the government is going to play the “green” card on this one, we’ll raise them. PHVs are part of the public transport system. Unlike buses, they work 24/7, 365 days a year. And they look after the most vulnerable people in the most challenging times. If ever a public service deserved VAT exemption, it’s this one.
The consultation can be found here.
Please complete it:
https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/ consultation-on-the-vat-treatment-of-privatehire-vehicles
New in-car signage requirements for all London private hire vehicles –described by the LPHCA as “unacceptable” – are due to come into force next month.
From July 1, all vehicles – even chauffeur cars – will have to carry warning signs and compliance notices for CCTV, no smoking, complaints procedures and cyclist warnings.
The signs will not be fitted at the operator’s discretion – instead, they will be compulsorily fitted by staff when vehicles are being tested.
Transport for London has apparently ignored calls for “urgent dialogue” on the issue. Earlier this year an open letter signed by LPHCA chairman Steve Wright, Private Hire Board chairman Keith Keen, Chauffeur and executive chair Greg Mendoza and GMB Union regional organiser Steve Garelick, was published on social media.
The LPHCA letter argues that adding more signage
will be counter-productive. “Adding signage to private hire vehicles will confuse the public, narrow the gap between Taxi and Private Hire, and lead to illegal and dangerous activity by those seeking to exploit that confusion.”
TfL claims the requirement to provide information about how to lodge complaints with TfL will “streamline passenger feedback”. The new rules also mandate no-smoking signs, seatbelt reminders, and other notices.
There will be two new signs, which should be placed in the nearside and offside rear quarterlight windows, or on the nearside and offside rear door windows and offside rear quarterlight window if the
quarterlights are too small.
TfL's guidance states: “The signage will be installed by our vehicle inspection provider Marston during its annual vehicle inspection and they will decide where it will go.”
“The new signage will replace the existing no-smoking signs in PHVs. PHV drivers and owners must not remove the new signage once it has been installed.”
TfL says that from July 1, 2025 it is up to the licensed owner to make sure all appropriate signage is displayed.
The TfL website states: “From 1 July 2025 if your taxi is not displaying the new signage then we may consider taking licensing action against you.”
Other changes from July 1, 2024 include mandatory reporting to TfL of any arrest, charge, caution, or conviction within 48 hours, as well as enhanced checks
for those applying for or renewing a taxi or PHV driver’s license. Anyone who has spent three months or more in a foreign country in the past 10 years will need to provide a Certificate of Good Conduct.
PHV operators will also be required to carry out annual basic DBS checks. These checks must be completed on the anniversary of the date the license was issued.
There will also be a need to complete and maintain more detailed records. This includes a register of all booking and dispatch staff, rfor 12 months.
Operators will also need to include additional details in their booking records, such as the names of individuals handling bookings and dispatches, along with the PHV driver’s license number and vehicle registration.
It is possible to apply for an exemption, and it is to be expected that many chauffeurs will do so. Email this address for details.
TPHVehicleExemptions@tfl.gov.uk
Addison Lee has extended its global reach through a new strategic partnership with HQ, a global corporate mobility service. The partnership means Addison Lee clients can seamlessly book cars when traveling abroad.
By integrating with HQ’s SummitGround platform, Addison Lee is tapping into the HQ Connect network of vetted worldwide supplier partners, providing clients with a consistent experience.
The partnership expands Addison Lee’s reach, enabling its clients to book a car for when they arrive at an international destination via the Addison Lee app. HQ’s platform offers booking, billing, and payment services to corporate users. It supports a wide range of mobility services,
from private taxis and chauffeured cars to ride-sharing and corporate shuttles.
Addison Lee CEO Liam Griffin said: “For years London’s businesses have trusted us to provide them with journeys to and from the airport.”
“With business travel on the rise, our partnership with HQ provides our customers with door-to-door global transport solutions, meaning they can enjoy a quality travel experience both overseas and at home.”
Amiad Solomon, CEO and co-founder of HQ, said: “This partnership allows us to support millions of rides across the globe, furthering our mission to provide businesses with powerful, cost-effective, and sustainable global ground transport.”
The UK is one of a number of major European markets to miss out on lower Ionity tariffs across its charging network.
The charge point operator has reduced public direct electric vehicle charging prices in 12 European countries, including Belgium, the Netherlands and Sweden, but prices will remain at 74p/kWh in the UK.
However, Ionity has introduced two new subscription -based tariff plans which do allow discounted charging These are called Ionity Passport Motion and Ionity Passport Power, and offer “significant” reductions compared to ad-hoc charging.
In the UK, Passport Power, offers a per kilowatt hour price of 43p. The Passport Motion, meanwhile, will be marginally higher at 53p/kWh.
Andreas Atkins, Ionity general manager of UK and Ireland, said: “The new tariffs will allow flexibility, making charging cheaper than some of our competitors and allowing them
to charge at ease through the app.”
Ionity claims Passport Motion is ideal for users driving 80 miles to 105 miles per month. It costs £5.49 per month (£3.88 for the first month), with the monthly fee paid back with just one charging session per month.
Passport Power is suitable for those driving more than 155 miles per month and
recharging their vehicle’s batteries at Ionity around three times per month. It costs £10.50 per month (£7 for the first month).
Ionity is targeting “EV grey spots”, where is a lack of infrastructure or access with new chargers. It aims to expand its network in the UK from its current level of 186 rapid charge points to more than 700 by the end of 2024.
Take Me Group has acquired shares previously held by MBH Corporation PLC for its operations in Farnborough, Leicester, and Stoke-on-Trent, after MBH Corporation entered receivership in February.
MBH was an early backer of Take Me, which grew out of the ADT Taxis business in Leicestershire run by David Hunter and Ashley Butcher. ADT funded some of the early moves as Take Me began the process of building a national brand.
MBH initially invested £3.4 million in Take Me Group in August 2020, followed by a deal in November to buy Farnborough-based Victoria Gosden Travel Limited (VGT) for a price reported at the time to be “between £1.3m and £2m”.A third MBHbacked deal in early 2021 saw Stoke-on-Trent-based
Intercity Taxis join the Take Me roster for between £3m and £4m.
It is not known how much Take Me has paid to reclaim these shares, but it is likely to be much lower than the original investment.
Founded in 2016, MBH Corporation was a fast-growing investment business. Speaking in 2020, MBH CEO Callum Laing said MBH had made 14 acquisitions in a number of industry sectors and mar-
kets in the previous two years. The company operated in fields as diverse as construction, education and leisure, and has made acquisitions as far afield as New Zealand and Singapore.
Laing said MBH typically targeted SME businesses that were “owner-operated and were ‘not for sale’ where the founders wanted money to grow but did not want to exit the business. “There is no shortage of well-run businesses out
there,” he said. The taxi sector was of interest because the sector was “very fragmented” and there was an opportunity to consolidate.
However, MBH struggled with cash-flow. The company was restructured last December, with Laing leaving the company and a number of companies sold. This did not address the problem, and the company entered administration in February. Since then more businesses have been sold, and the business is being wound up. David Hunter joined the board in March in order to oversee the disposals.
Hunter, CEO of Take Me Group, said: “This marks a significant milestone in our ongoing efforts to consolidate Take Me’s presence across the country. Bringing these sites under our ownership enhances our efficiency and underscores our commitment to delivering exceptional services.”
Almost 40 people have been refused private hire car licenses in Glasgow as the city has reached its limit.
Glasgow’s licensing committee has turned down 38 applications for private hire licenses as it claims the city has enough cars.
Glasgow operates an overprovision policy, which means only 3,450 cars can operate at any time. As this limit has been reached, new applicants – including some drivers attempting to renew their licenses – are being turned down.
Some of the refused applicants admitted to not having used them within three months, which is against the conditions of the license. But others who simply wanted to license their own vehicles rather than renting from an operator have also been refused.
Licensing committee chair Cllr Alex Wilson told the applicants: “The reason you have been cited today is relevant to your private hire car application. We are currently sitting at 3,450 private hire cars out on the street just now, that means we’ve reached our limit.”
He asked them whether they had any reason why they should be exempt from the policy, but said person-
al circumstances “doesn’t come into this at all”.
The refused applicants are also out of pocket - an application for a three-year private hire car licence costs £483 regardless of whether the bid is successful due to “administration costs”, Cllr Wilson said.
Some applicants argued more cars are needed as there is a shortage on Friday and Saturday evenings. Cllr
Wilson said this was due to current drivers choosing not to work at these times.
The policy is set to be reviewed next year. The current figure was set in April 2023 following a review. This found there was “unmet demand” for taxis and some evidence of “potential underprovision of private hire cars”, particularly at peak times. An additional 250 private hire car licenses were made available, and all those licenses were quickly taken up.
The PiCG grant was launched in 2011, initially offering £5,000 off the price of EVs and plug-in hybrids. It was steadily downgraded to just £1,500 and was axed completely in 2022. The report said bringing the PiCG back would stimulate the “affordable EV market” and should be in place until price parity between EVs and ICE cars was achieved.
Private hire vehicles will be allowed into Edinburgh’s pedestrianised George Street on a trial basis under the same conditions as black cabs.
The city centre street is due to become a largely traffic-free zone in a £36 million project which will see the current parking down the centre of the street removed, buses rerouted, pavements widened and the carriageway turned into a “cycle street” with vehicles treated as “guests”.
General traffic will be excluded between 10am and 7pm, Monday to Saturday, and between 12.30pm and 7pm on Sundays. But taxis will be allowed in to pick up and drop off disabled people during these hours - and now private hire cars will also be able to enter on the same conditions.
The council plans to set up a booking system to allow them access. Taxis and private hire cars will be allowed free access to the street between 7pm and 6am when other traffic is still excluded apart from other permitted vehicles such as delivery lorries.
Transport convener Scott Arthur said the decision had been based on feedback. “We had a consultation with people using the space and businesses - and there were a lot of concerns
coming back on the safety of individuals in the evening, so we’re proposing to allow PHVs into the area on the same basis as black cabs on a trial basis.” He added: “It has not been an entirely easy decision because of the number of vehicles in the PHC fleet but we have to stress this is a trial.”
Regarding daytime access, Arthur said: “The focus is to support people with disabilities, so
we’re going to set up some IT which would allow someone to book a PHV using their blue badge number or similar and that would allow the PHV to get access to George Street. The same would apply to black cabs.”
Work on the George Street project is due to start in late 2026 and be completed by late 2028. Streets that intersect with George Street are also included in the overall project.
A Doncaster taxi operator that only started in business a year ago has grown from an initial 23 drivers to almost 100 in 12 months.
Donny Cars started operations on June 1, 2023, with co-owner Ranj Gug saying he wanted “to give the people of Doncaster a choice with regards to travel” in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“After covid things got difficult, and with the growing cost of living crisis, having more choice is exactly what the people of Doncaster needed,” he told local reporters. “We are a local business, run by local Doncaster people. Our prime goal is to serve the public with a smile, to be a friendly and reliable local private hire taxi firm.”
Gug said the support Donny Cars had received from the public over this first year had been “immense, and overwhelming at times”. He added: “Each week, our
number of private hire taxi users and fleet of taxis continues to grow.”
Donny Cabs launched with zero booking fees and a pledge to make taxis affordable. The company has distinctive red cars and red and white branding on its city centre office in Market Place.
Gug said: “Our goal is to provide cheaper fares for all of our customers. We have 0% booking fees and no hidden charges, which will help to bring fares down.” Donny Cabs has four, six and eight-seater vehicles, and wheelchair accessible vehicles are available.
Aberdeen Council has approved Uber’s application to become a licensed private hire operator in Aberdeen, becoming the third Scottish city after Glasgow and Edinburgh to approve the ride-hailing giant.
Uber had initially received permission to launch in Aberdeen in 2018 but later relinquished its license when it focused growth on the Local Cab service.
But after Local Cab was discontinued last December, Uber reapplied for a license in Aberdeen earlier this year. The city council’s licensing committee heard both support and objections before approving the application at a meeting on Wednesday, June 5.
Ahead of the committee meeting, 485 letters of support and 23 objections were submitted, with an additional three objections
arriving after the deadline.
According to a Chamber of Commerce survey, 93% of the public in the city support the licence being granted.
During a two-hour discussion, Uber representatives addressed questions about the service’s operations, fares, and passenger safety. Despite opposition from existing taxi firms, the license was granted.
Adrian Watson, chief
executive of business improvement body Aberdeen Inspired, said his organisation had “brought Uber to the city due to significant issues with the current taxi service”, particularly during late nights at weekends. According to local reports the number of taxi drivers in the city has dropped from more than 800 before the pandemic to around 600. Watson highlighted safety concerns and economic
impacts reported by local businesses, partners, and the public, who cited a severe lack of taxis, especially at night.
Watson added that the presence of Uber would address the shortage of taxis, alleviate lengthy queues at taxi stands, and improve the city’s reputation by ensuring visitors can get to their destinations, including transport hubs, without difficulty.
Uber is aiming to recruit between 40 and 50 drivers for the Aberdeen area, though it is uncertain how many will be new recruits or existing private hire drivers.
Matthew Freckelton, Uber’s UK Head of Cities, told the Aberdeen & Grampian Chamber of Commerce that he hoped Uber would be up and running in the city by August. Uber is also looking to launch in Dundee this year, Freckleton added.
Mark
BursaGrowing protests against Uber drivers operating in areas where the company is not licensed are likely to put pressure on the new UK Government to take another look at the Deregulation Act, which allows cross-border hires.
Angry drivers in Crawley, Blackpool, York and other towns have held protests against what they claim are unfair out-of-area pick-ups by Uber – even though it is allowed to do so under the 2015 Deregulation Act.
The groundswell of protests adds to pressure coming from local councils upset at drivers getting licensed out of their areas, mainly in Wolverhampton.
Gatwick Airport taxi and private hire vehicle drivers have held protests against Crawley Council, accusing it of failing to enforce local licensing laws against Uber.
The drivers are angry about changes at Gatwick airport, where designated Uber bays have been set up and Uber services are being prominently advertised.
Unite the Union said Uber vehicles licensed
with Transport for London are operating in Crawley without adhering to local licensing regulations.
Dominic Rothwell, regional officer for Unite the Union, demanded that Crawley Council take immediate action to protect local trade.
He said: “The council needs to release its promised investigation into Uber’s behaviour and crack down on both the company and Gatwick airport, both of which are in direct contravention of the council’s licensing laws.”
A Crawley Council spokesperson said: “We are aware of the complaint and have been actively inves-
tigating. As this is a live investigation, we are unable to make further comment.”
Similar protests were held in the Lancashire seaside town of Blackpool, where local taxis brought traffic to a halt on June 12 in protest against Uber drivers operating in the town.
Local drivers claim Uber is operating in Blackpool without a license, and that its drivers have been illegally using taxi ranks. Blackpool Council confirmed it was seeking legal advice, and that Uber was not licensed in Blackpool.
Uber said it was operating legally in Blackpool with licenses obtained
from different areas of the UK, and said its drivers were blocked from picking up in designated taxi bays.
A council spokesperson said: “Uber is not licensed by Blackpool Council. We are seeking legal opinion as we are conscious that the legal framework around taxi legislation is outdated and requires review.”
Meanwhile in York, drivers protested outside council offices after Uber was granted a license to operate in the city. Uber previously had its York licence revoked 2017, though Uber drivers from other areas have been allowed to operate legally in York.
Veezu has launched a strategic partnership with rail ticketing app Seatfrog, which will allow customers using the Seatfrog app to book a Veezu car at either end of a rail journey, allowing seamless door-to-door travel.
The partnership will eliminate the need for rail passengers to waiting in long taxi queues by connecting train journeys and taxi network data for the first time. Passengers’ rides will automatically connect to their rail departure and arrival times, so they can step out of the train station straight into their waiting Veezu car, providing their destination is within one of Veezu’s regional hubs.
Veezu passengers will also be able to upgrade their train tickets to first class on
the way to the station from as little as £13 by using Seatfrog’s app features.
Veezu CEO Nathan Bowles said: “Partnering with Seatfrog is an exciting step towards redefining travel in key UK cities. Together, we're going to make it easier than ever for passengers to enjoy an integrated journey and sit in the best seats on the train.”
Seatfrog CEO Iain Griffin added: “Journeys should be easy, but in the UK, we’re constantly reminded that we’re mere mortals every time we jump off a train to catch a taxi - long queues, no vehicles available, surge pricing, stress. No one has seamlessly connected taxis to train journeys, changing that is long overdue.”
The case for national standards for Private Hire is a strong one, and its one we’ve supported for some time. In a world where bus, coach and truck driver and vehicle licensing is carried out nationally, why not private hire?
After all, the requirements for private hire are a lot less rigorous than those required to drive a much larger vehicle. A standard driving license covers all the basic skills. And the vehicles themselves shouldn’t require more than basic checks for safety and suitability.
But the problem is in the way private hire and taxi licensing has been allowed to develop over the years.
Lawyer James Button believes there is a way to achieve national private hire standards without Government legislation. But it would require a radical shake-up in the licensing process. Mark Bursa reports
Local authorities have long held the responsibility for administering licenses, and as a result, different local rules, requirements and, crucially, fees are applied for essentially the same service – driver and vehicle licensing.
For national standards to be put in place, this intensely local system is a major obstacle. Private hire and taxi licensing is a major revenue-earner for cash-strapped councils, and for many licensing departments, there is a resistance to outside influence on their little empires. Squaring this particular circle may pose problems.
But one man believes it can be done. James Button has a plan. Button is a solicitor who specialises in taxi law, and he believes there is a way to get national standards in place that does not require legislation or major structural change.
In a nutshell, this is the plan: Allowing one particular local authority to become the national licensing authority for England and Wales. This “principal authority” would effectively set the standard, and its choice would be agreed by all other licensing authorities in England and Wales. “This radical proposal is readily achievable using the current legislation,” Button says.
Moreover, he believes there would be support for his scheme from Government, as universal standards was one of the key suggestions of the Task & Finish Group report into the industry that the
Government agreed to take up.
The looming General Election and likely change of Government may kick this can down the road, however. “It seems unrealistic to assume that these vital matters will be high on any government’s agenda,” Button says in the preamble to his big idea.
The issue has become more pressing thanks to the unintended consequence of the 2015 Deregulation Act, which allows private hire drivers licensed anywhere in England or Wales to undertake pre-booked journeys in areas where they are not licensed.
This in turn has led to the growth of local authorities that are keener than others to raise revenue by gearing up to handle PHV licensing. Wolverhampton is the key example, where the council has geared up its licensing department with more than 100 members of staff , processing thousands of applications from other cities such as Birmingham and Manchester.
Recently, Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham raised concerns about the number of Wolverhampton-licensed drivers operating in Manchester, and his complaints – that public safety may be compromised by what he feels are lower standards –have been echoed elsewhere.
In reality, the reason drivers are heading to Wolverhampton for licenses is the inefficiency and relatively high cost of their own authorities. Under Manchester City Council, it costs £255 to register as a new private hire driver plus costs for tests and between £222 and £342 to register a vehicle (depending on its age).
Under Wolverhampton Council, the application fee for a new private hire driver is £49 for a one-year licence or £98 for a three-year license and £95 to register a vehicle under 10 years old.
Is Burnham justified in claiming Wolverhampton allows a lower standard? Not really. The main difference in
standards relates to the age of vehicles allowed, with Greater Manchester councils requiring slightly newer vehicles.
Wolverhampton Council claims applicants undergo a “strict and rigorous” process that includes a one day training course, enhanced DBS checks, a medical certification and a face-to-face English assessment. In 2021 and 2022, 55% of applicants failed the checks, the council says.
These arguments seem relatively trivial, and indeed, Button’s plan addresses them quite neatly. “The law allows a private hire operator to advertise its services anywhere, accept a booking from a passenger located anywhere, and fulfil that booking provided the PH driver and PHV are also licensed by the same authority that licenses the PHO,” Button says.
“If the only local authority that issued private hire licences was the principal authority, there is an immediate and automatic private hire industry controlled by the same, effectively national, standards.”
Sounds simple. Though in practice it would require significant co-operation between every local authority, perhaps co-ordinated by the Local Government Association (LGA).
“Obviously, this It would require local authorities to relinquish their control over PH licensees, but that would be outweighed by national safety standards and the removal of a local authority’s requirements being undermined by other PHDs and PHVs. It would also require the principal
authority to accept this responsibility and expand its licensing operation accordingly,” Button says.
How is this possible within the current legislation? “While the ability of a local authority to license PHDs and PHOs is mandatory, the power to license PHVs is discretionary,” Button says. “Therefore, every local authority (bar the principal authority) could refuse to licence PHVs. As a PHO can only use vehicles and drivers licensed by the same authority that licensed the PHO, only a PHO licensed by the principal authority could fulfil a booking.”
“Local PHOs could accept bookings, but would have to sub-contract them to a PHO licensed by the principal authority. It would remain to be seen whether there was a demand for locally licensed PHOs or whether the operators would move wholesale to be licensed by the principal authority.”
So it’s not as simple as it seems –and it would involve local authorities voluntarily giving up on a lucrative revenue stream from PH licensing. “This could be offset in relation to enforcement against principal authority PH licensees by such costs being recharged to the principal authority,” Button suggests.
“Those costs would be recoverable by the principal authority via its license fees. This would also remove another concern expressed by local authorities about their funding of action against licensees from other areas.”
The other problem would be the standards themselves. “Good, high
standards already exist and could readily be used by the principal authority,” Button says. But he adds with caution: “Whether those would be acceptable to all the other local authorities who would be asked to relinquish control would remain to be seen.”
Any agreement would involve some compromises, and the absolute highest possible standards might not be achieved. “But this approach would undoubtedly raise the standards applied by many local authorities,” Button says.
Greater London might be problematic, as TfL might choose not to become involved. “This might not be an immediate issue as London has its own legislation,” Button says. Effectively, London would be an “island” with its own rules.
Ultimately, the ‘Button Plan’ will only work if everyone buys in to it. “There needs to be a concerted desire by local authorities for this to happen. Those authorities would need to agree this is a more desirable situation than the current one,” Button says.
That would involve compromising on standards and control, and some horse-trading regarding revenue.
“Experience indicates this would not be easy, but it is surely not beyond the wit of those involved,” he concludes.
In a way, carrying out the plan would at least mean local authorities were in the driving seat. And with more pressing problems for a new Government to solve, that might be the only way that something like national standards will happen.
Renault’s sudden decision to close its Karhoo mobility service last month took the industry by surprise. A blunt statement on the Karhoo website read: “Unfortunately, the decision has been taken that the business is no longer financially viable. It has therefore become necessary to enter an administration process. Under these circumstances, regrettably, we will not be able to conclude any new contracts or fulfill our obligations under our current agreements, and our platform will no longer be able to execute rides with immediate effect. We apologise to all our customers and partners.”
Within 48 hours, even this message had been removed, and a new “important notice” bluntly states: “Unfortunately this website is no longer active”. No further explanation is given, and no link to any “administration process”. Renault has basically shut Karhoo down and made its entire staff redundant.
It leaves many unanswered questions about Renault’s commitment to the taxi industry, though it seems the future of the other high-profile taxi sector acquisition that Renault made in recent years, Dublin-based dispatch systems provider iCabbi, is not in jeopardy. Renault acquired a 75% stake in iCabbi in June 2018, just a few months after it bought Karhoo from receivership after its original collapse in 2017.
iCabbi’s day-to-day operations seem to be unaffected by the Karhoo closure, and iCabbi founder Bob Nixon took to social media last week to celebrate six years of life within the Renault empire.
Will the sudden closure of Karhoo see Renault’s mobility division refocus on food delivery and car leasing rather than the taxi sector? And where does it leave dispatch provider iCabbi? Mark Bursa reports
He wrote: “As with any partnership like this we weren't to know how well it would all pan out, and thankfully it’s turned out to be an really successful and rewarding partnership that continues to grow in strength day by day. We’ve made four acquisitions (with more on the way), our revenues have grown in multiples, and we’re one of the few mobility acquisitions that we know of that is profitable.”
While the backing of Renault seems to have been positive for iCabbi, the business does now look rather isolated within a car company that doesn’t seem to have much of a strategy for addressing the taxi sector.
Both Karhoo and iCabbi had been placed under the umbrella of Mobilize, launched in January 2021 amid much fanfare. Renault CEO Luca di Meo said at the time: “Mobilize’s mission is to be Renault Group’s pivot to the future of mobility and to new value-creating activities.”
Like a lot of “mobility” business models, it’s quite a challenge to work out what the company actually is. Mobility’s launch documents were peppered with management-speak and marketing hyperbole, such as:
“Mobilize, a new brand for a new paradigm shift. Its comprehensive, modular and flexible offering is shaping the future of travel, where the car is no longer the ultimate solution.”
The concept is designed to address
issues as diverse as emissions, low vehicle use and high depreciation by using “a new Vehicle-as-a-Service model, a set of services whose design begins with the vehicle and a complete technological platform”.
OK, so this explains why cutting-edge tech companies such as Karhoo and iCabbi had an appeal. And back in 2021, Renault followed this investment in the taxi sector with an actual car, designed specifically as a taxi and carrying Mobilize branding, not Renault.
Called the Mobilize Limo, the four-door electric car was launched at the 2021 Munich Motor Show. It was intended to be built in China and was targeted especially at ride-hailing and taxi operators.
Operators would not able to buy a Mobilize Limo – availability was through a subscription service. A small fleet of cars was deployed on test in a number of European cities. It wasn’t designed for right-hand drive markets, so we never saw the Mobilize Limo in the UK.
The Prius-sized car looked good – a 60kWh lithium ion battery pack gave it a claimed range of 279 miles per charge on the WLTP cycle, while DC fast charging could add 155 miles of range in around 40 minutes. Its cabin was roomy and a 411-litre boot gave plenty of luggage space.
In 2022, Mobilize said it would
CLOCKWISE FROM ABOVE: Mobilize Limo was canned after just 33 sales; Mobilize is now focusing on Bento and Hippo delivery vans; iCabbi was acquired in 2018 (l-r RCI's Bruno Kintzinger, iCabbi founders Gavan Walsh and Bob Nixon); the end for Karhoo is a blunt message on its website
“soon announce large contracts with major ride-hailing firms”, for the car – but these never materialised. The market shrugged, and the programme was quietly killed off in November 2023.
According to French media, only 33 Limos were registered, and in a statement, Renault admitted defeat.
“Despite the good feedback on the vehicle, taxi and VTC professionals were not ready to accept the proposed offer across the board. As the saloon is aimed at this market, the volumes are too low to ensure a sustainable economic model,” the company said.
This is a pretty big failure in a market in which, by its own admission, Renault sees huge potential. When it launched the Mobilize Limo, Renault said the European ride-hailing market was a growth opportunity, with a value of €28 billion in 2021, likely to almost double to €50bn by 2030. Renault had even set up a partnership in 2020 to provide partner drivers on the Uber App with discounted electric vehicles in European markets, including the UK, France, the Netherlands and Portugal.
Yet the market very decisively rejected Mobilize, its specific-branded
cars and its subscription model as a way forward. Rather than change the model, it ditched the car completely. And now it has unceremoniously shuttered one of the two businesses that were designed to provide the “technological platform” that would serve the taxi sector.
Of course, the taxi sector was not the only area in which Mobilize was intended to operate. The “Vehicle as a Service” (VaaS) model also includes other diverse areas such as rental, car sharing, leasing, EV charging and
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delivery. And Mobilize has fingers in all of these pies.
However, it does appear that the one that has been identified as the most likely to provide the big growth numbers Renault is looking for is food delivery. The latest Mobilize-branded vehicle is the Mobilize Bento, an electric delivery quadricycle which is clearly the successor to the Renault Twizy. Bento even has a built-in load box on the back, ideal for pizza deliveries and the like. A bigger electric delivery vehicle, the Mobilize Hippo, has also been unveiled.
In 2022, Renault said boldly that Mobilize should represent 20% of Renault’s overall group turnover by 2030. This is before the Limo failure, but given the growth in food delivery, especially in Asia, the Bento and Hippo EVs might just deliver.
Earlier this year, Uber spent close to $1 billion buying Taiwanese food delivery company Foodpanda – giving an indication of the size of the honeypot. In 2022, the then Mobilize CEO Clotilde Delbos said: “We have decided to cover the sections of the mobility value chain presenting the highest growth and margin potential.”
As well as food delivery, Mobilize appears to be focusing on simple, finance-based services such as leasing. It has set up a partnership with large UK leasing broker Select Car Leasing, giving Mobilize better market access and expertise. Car-sharing services have fared less well. Renault closed the Zity EV-sharing service’s Paris and Lyon services this year, though the service is still operating in Madrid and Turin.
Apart from iCabbi, the only service that Mobilize still offers to the taxi sector is EV chargepoint installation through Mobilize Power Solutions. As well as home and workplace installations, Mobilize is planning to open a network of 200 fast-charging stations in western Europe this year, located mainly at Renault dealerships close to motorways.
Mobilize will install 90 of these stations, which will feature 400kW very fast chargers, in France, where there will be one fast-charging station every 93 miles on the country's trunk roads. The remaining 110 stations will be set up in Belgium, Italy and Spain.
The closure of Karhoo after seven years had a definite ring of déjà vu. After all, it is the second time the business has collapsed, after the first version of the company called in the receivers in 2016.
Karhoo was originally launched in London as a taxi comparison site in 2016. It allowed users to see available cars from different operators and click on the one they want to book, based on price, pick-up time or type of car.
In 2016 Karhoo founder, tech entrepreneur Daniel Ishag, told Professional Driver: “Over the past 15 years, over a trillion dollars has been spent educating the consumer to use comparison websites. We’re just bringing that concept to the ground transportation sector.”
Operators, including Addison Lee, ComCab, Keen Group, GLH, iRide and eConnect Cars signed up, and the service was launched with a marketing blitz including tube ads and massive screen advertising at Waterloo station. Further launches followed in New York and Singapore.
But within four months, the company had fallen into receivership amid allegations of profligacy by the management, especially Ishag himself. Karhoo v1.0 had apparently man-
It started as a taxi price comparison site, but ended up as a B2B taxi broker. But in reality, Mark Bursa says Karhoo never really got going
aged to burn through $250 million in investors’ start-up funds, though Ishag claimed only $52m had been spent on marketing. The rest went on expensive offices and even a New York flat for Ishag to use. Karhoo’s 120 employees lost their jobs.
In a statement that is echoed in this week’s news, Karhoo posted a message on its website in November 2016: “It is with much regret that we have to announce that Karhoo has had to close its service and is now looking at the next steps for the business.”
John Daily Jr, Karhoo’s head of product throughout its existence, said: “The ambition of Karhoo 1 was great, but the timing and lack of funding prevented us from fully exploring its potential. We were also competing against amazing apps like Uber, Gett, Didi, Grab, Lyft, and others that were just pushing the consumer product faster than we could.”
Karhoo was rescured from adminis-
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Karhoo founder Daniel Ishag hits London; launch day takeover of Waterloo station in 2016; Karhoo head of product John Daily Jr; Karhoo's final CEO Terry Coates; Karhoo's final logoto infinity and beyond
tration in January 2017 by a company called Flit Technologies, run by Boris Pilichowski and Nicolas Andine, two former employees. RCI International, a division of Renault, immediately took a majority stake in Flit, and Karhoo became part of Mobilize, Renault’s mobility division.
In a statement immediately after the RCI rescue, Pilichowski and Andine said: “There is a need in ground transportation for someone to aggregate all the independents and allow them to compete, and we are determined to make sure Karhoo fills that need. Karhoo was amazingly successful in ferrying hundreds of thousands of people around the world but lacked a corporate backer, but with RCI Bank and Services, we now have that.”
Gianluca De Ficchy, CEO of RCI Bank and Services, said: “We have created an original ecosystem bringing together taxi and ride-hailing companies and the customers or employees of large organizations. Karhoo is an integral part of our strategy to develop new automobility services with a view to becoming a benchmark player in this market.”
Under Mobilize, Karhoo changed focus from price comparison app to being a B2B mobility provider, calling itself a “a white-label mobility solu-
tions provider” forming partnerships with rail operators, travel operators, airlines and others across Europe, and offering work to major car fleets that signed up to the service.
In April 2019, Karhoo won the prestigious European Startup Gold Prize for mobility, after it was judged judged to be the breakthrough innovation with the most potential to shape the mobility landscape in Europe.
Karhoo was still doing deals just a few weeks ago. As recently as March 2024, Karhoo added Sixt Ride to its platform. Sixt Ride provides premium transfer and chauffeur services in more than 600 destinations.
“By integrating SIXT ride, we harness our collective capabilities to establish a Mobility-as-a-Service ecosystem, revolutionizing the manner in which individuals access and employ transportation services,” Terry Coates Karhoo’s CEO, said at the time.
Last November Karhoo also integrated FreeNow’s ride-hailing services on to its European platform, putting more than 200,000 vehicles in 150 cities at the disposal of leading travel apps and websites.
John Daily Jr said integrating with ride-hailing operations was a major shift for Karhoo – but it came too late. “For a large portion of Karhoo’s
history, we viewed the ride hailers as our primary competitors. It was a long time coming, but the likes of Uber, FreeNow and others began to resemble the challenges we were already solving for the more traditional transportation industries, but at a much larger scale. This was the missing piece and formed a pivot in strategy not taken at Karhoo since reforming under Renault. By viewing ride hailers as potential partners, with Karhoo technology, we could showcase fleets at their best in their local market and enable them tap into that demand on their terms,” he said.
Details of the Karhoo administrator have not been published, and it seems that no further attempt will be made to sell it as a going concern. This time, the closure looks permanent.
Daily Jr concedes that Karhoo’s story has come to an end. “I still believe there is a massive need that has not been addressed by anything on the market today. Perhaps the timing is just a bit off, or the solution takes a more radical form in the future as the market consolidates. But if there is anything Karhoo has proven, there are fleets and drivers looking for a better way, the tech can be built and there are individuals out here that are passionate enough to keep at it.”
Indian-owned ride-hailing operator Ola quietly closed its operations in the UK last month, six years after taking on Uber and Bolt as a global player.
Ola’s operations in Australia and New Zealand have also been shuttered, and the company said it was shifting its focus to its Indian domestic business ahead of an initial public offering.
An Ola spokesperson said it saw “immense opportunity for expansion in India,” where it operates in hundreds of cities. “With this clear focus, we’ve reassessed our priorities and have decided to shut down our overseas ride-hailing business in its current form in the UK, Australia and New Zealand,” the spokesperson added.
Ola struggled to gain a foothold in the UK, especially in London, where it was up against three global ride-hailing rivals, as well as the established taxi and private hire market. Uber is clear market leader, while Bolt has a strong presence as an alternative, and FreeNow has focused on black cabs to give it a USP.
Ola’s problems were compounded when TfL refused to renew its license in October 2020, deeming it “not fit and proper”. This was a major blow, coming at the height of the Covid-19 Pandemic. Ola had only launched in London in February 2020, but a TfL investigation revealed data anomalies within the Ola app, which led to unlicensed drivers and vehicles carrying out more than 1,000 trips on the platform, compromising public safety.
Ola was allowed to continue operating pending an appeal, but its business was badly hit by the pandemic, and sources say it has never recovered to the sort of levels projected at launch.
Ola claimed earlier this year to have 25,000 drivers registered on its platform in London, in addition to operations in 27 other UK towns and cities, including Birmingham, Cardiff, Coventry and Liverpool.
Helen Chapman, TfL’s director of licensing, regulation and charging, said in a statement in October 2020: “Our duty as a regulator is to ensure
Ola has closed its UK ride-hailing service to focus on making electric scooters in India. Mark
passenger safety. Through our investigations we discovered that flaws in Ola’s operating model have led to the use of unlicensed drivers and vehicles in more than 1,000 passenger trips, which may have put passenger safety at risk. We will closely scrutinise the company to ensure passengers’ safety is not compromised.”
Ola claimed that the data breach was a result of using different database conventions to TfL to track licensing for drivers and vehicles, and this meant Ola was not seeing licensing expirations come through on time. This resulted in a gap between the expiry of a driver’s licence and the issue of a new one. TfL flagged this up as a safety issue, claiming Ola was using drivers working temporarily without licences.
In an attempt to clean up the problem, Ola made two high-profile appointments in May 2021. Former EasyJet chairman Sir Mike Rake joined the Ola UK Board as non-executive Chairman, while former TfL officer Leon Daniels became an independent non-executive director. The appointments were designed to provide stronger oversight, corporate governance, and strategic counsel.
Ola started operations in the UK in 2018 and has expanded rapidly since, launching in London in February 2020. Between 2015 and 2018, the company raised $1.6 billion in funding for the overseas expansion. Ola was valued at $7.3bn in 2021.
At launch, Ola said its UK service would bring a “dynamic, responsi-
ble new service to the market”. Ola said senior managers had spent time speaking with local authorities in the regions where it plans to operate, “working with national governments and local authorities, to help solve transport mobility issues in innovative and meaningful ways”.
The company initially took10% commission from private hire vehicles, and 5% from black cabs, so drivers would take home a bigger portion of the fare than when taking jobs from ride-hailing rivals.
Bhavish Aggarwal, co-founder and chief executive of Ola, said: “We look forward to our continued engagement with policymakers and regulators as we expand and build a company embedded in the UK.”
Plans also included a scheme to develop electric cars and scooters in the UK. Announced with considerable fanfare in January 2022, Ola said it would build a so-called Future Foundry in Coventry, employing 200 people, at a cost of $100m. This turned out to be a design studio, headed by former Jaguar designer Wayne Burgess, designing scouters to be manufactured at Ola’s facility in Bengaluru, India. Burgess left the business in May 2024.
Ola’s future seems to be concentrating on the scooter business. Ola Electric, the electric two-wheeler manufacturing brand in India was spun out of Ola and plans to file for an initial public offering, which it hopes will raise $662m, according to paperwork it filed late last year.
Ethos Asset Finance are the experts in your industry for finance solutions.
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We have access to multiple panels of funders who also specialise in B2B vehicles finance
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We provide ongoing support to secure credit lines for fleets and operators/owner drivers
We have access to competitive rates of interest
Efficient payouts to support delivery and target needs
Price OTR £65,025
Powertrain Single electric motor
Transmission SIngle-speed auto, rear-wheel drive
Battery pack 99.8kW Li-Ion
Power 200bhp
Torque 350Nm
Top speed 114mph
0-62mph 9.4sec
Electric range 349 miles (WLTP combined)
Charging time 9h 5min (AC 10100%)
1h 23min (DC 50kW) 24min (DC 350kW)
CO2 emissions 0g/km
Length 5,010mm
Width 1,980mm
Height 1,755mm
Wheelbase 3,100mm
Loadspace 333 litres (7 seats) 828 litres (5 seats) 90 litres (front)
Turning circle 12.0m
Vehicle warranty 7yr/100,000 miles
Battery warranty 8yr/100,000 miles
Anti-perforation 12yr/unlimited miles
Paint warranty 5yr/100,000 miles
Insurance Group 45
VED Band A
There’s no doubt that the Korean brands are right at the forefront of the electric car market. The EV9 is the fourth EV model in Kia’s range, and it’s the biggest yet. Where it sits in the market is open to debate. Is it an SUV? An MPV? Kia calls it an SUV, and while it has some of the rugged looks of the former, we think it’s more of a people-mover.
The two-wheel drive version is the main seller, and there’s relatively low cabin access, despite the large wheels that are a feature of just about every EV, a result of the taller stance required by the underfloor battery pack.
However you slice the market segments, the Kia EV9
is an impressive beast. It’s a genuine seven-seater and it’s more likely to be considered as a Galaxy or Sharan replacement than a luxury SUV.
The EV9 is the second vehicle in Kia’s range to be built on its Electric Global Modular Platform (e-GMP), so mechanically it is very similar to the acclaimed EV6 model. There are three trim levels, and all EV9s come with a 99.8kWh battery pack.
The rear-wheel drive EV9 Air, tested here, is the one with the greatest range. Kia claims a WLTP range of up to 349 miles on a full charge. The more expensive all-wheel drive GT-Line and GT-Line S versions see the range reduced to 313 miles.
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As with the EV6, the EV9 is one of very few vehicles on sale with 800volt charging capability, which means the EV9 can wring the best out of the fastest charge points such as Gridserve or Ionity’s 350kW units. Kia claims the EV9’s battery can be charged from 10-80% per cent in only 24 minutes, but this depends entirely on intangible factors such as the state of the grid, and how many cars are using the charging facility at the time.
In fact unless you’re on a major motorway, 350kW chargers are hard to find. We had to make do with our local 80kW Instavolt charge point, which took our car from 23% charged to 82% in 63 minutes. This added an estimated 250 miles of range (or 68kW of charge) at a cost of £57.19 –
Instavolt is one of the most expensive networks at 85p per kW. The 80kW charger didn’t achieve full power either – the charge came at an average speed of 65.33kW.
The cost equates to 4.39 miles per pound spent. By comparison, a 40mpg diesel car can travel around 5.7 miles per £, given average diesel prices of £7 per gallon. So the equivalent refuelling bill to add 250 miles of range for a 40mpg diesel car would be £43.86 – a saving of £13.33. Of course, the figure is skewed in favour of the diesel by the use of expensive commercial charging networks. If you charge at home, the EV’s running costs are substantially lower.
And your car purchase will give you access to discounted schemes. Kia offers a service called Kia Charge which costs £6.90 a month, but allows
access to Ionity chargers at a discounted price of 54p per kW, a 20p/ kW reduction on the standard 74p/kW tariff. At that rate, a similar recharge to the one we carried out at Instavolt would have cost £36.72 (not including the subscription fee) – cheaper than the diesel.
Whichever way you cut the cake, there doesn’t appear to be the promised cost saving for going electric – unless of course you only charge at home, an option not available to the vast majority of drivers. Then there’s the price of the car – our test car costs £65,025 on the road.
We’re not being negative here –but clearly the transition to electric comes at a cost, and it requires careful thought if you’re going to leverage what advantages in charging costs are available, whether it be home charg-
ing or providing workplace chargers for drivers.
If you do intend to make the switch, the EV9 has much to commend it. It’s extremely roomy. As a five-seater, with the third row of seats folded down, there’s plenty of legroom and a whopping 828 litres of luggage space. In seven-seater mode, with the third row of seats taking up much of the boot, the luggage volume tumbles to 333 litres – enough for a couple of cases, but not a full family’s holiday baggage.
There’s also an extra load area under the bonnet – a so-called “frunk” –offering another 90 litres of stowage. This is ideal for the two charging cables that come with the car, as well as any valeting products and suchlike
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that you might want to keep to hand – very useful to have these items not cluttering up the boot at the rear.
There’s also an under-boot storage area which contains tyre inflator kit (there’s no spare wheel) and also room to stash the rear loadspace cover when it’s not in use. Great idea.
The rear seats are split so you can fold one flat and carry five passengers with a fair bit more luggage room. We like the electric operation of the rear seats, which can be raised or lowered by pushing buttons on the side wall of the rear load compartment. The rear doors are large too, giving a decent aperture for passengers climbing into the third row.
Fit and finish is of the standard we’ve come to expect from Kia over recent years – not for nothing is the
brand one of the fastest growing in the UK. The driving position is commanding as you’d expect from a tall SUV-style car, and the leather seats are extremely comfortable.
The dashboard is a BMW-style twin panel affair, with digital dashboard and widescreen satnav screen. It’s similar to that in the EV6, and offers a good, crisp display, though some of the text on the maps is a little small and difficult to read.
The infotainment system is comprehensive, and the car comes with a large number of safety features, including emergency braking at slow speed that stops you hitting a neighbouring car when parking. There are various speed warnings and lane departure systems that are rather irritating, with far too many audible bings and bongs. The lane departure system is very “snatchy” and quite uncomfortable.
Turning them off requires a deep dive into the system, and rather annoyingly, they reset to “on” once you turn off the car and restart.
On the plus side, the climate control system is separate from the infotainment system, so you can change the temperature without having to delve deep into the system.
On the road the car is a solid if unspectacular drive. Like most EVs, it’s a heavy car, and the low centre of gravity means there’s not a lot of body roll in cornering. If you want performance, the all-wheel drive versions offer a substantial power boost (378bhp against 200bhp on the Air version).
But the steering is precise and the EV9 is manoeuvrable around town, with a decent 12.3m turning circle. There’s a little bit of transmission whine and road noise through the 19in alloys, but noise levels are acceptable.
Kia is competing with the big boys these days – natural competitors for the EV9 would be Tesla Model Y, Polestar 3 and Volvo’s forthcoming EX90 electric SUV. It certainly doesn’t feel like a budget brand compared to those vehicles.
It certainly packs a punch – it’s as long as a Land Rover Defender, but with a much lower roofline. We still think it’s more of an MPV than an SUV!
On the plus side is a very decent range (Kia claims 349 miles – we managed 232 miles on test on a charge, starting at 90% and recharging at 23% - that’s roughly two-thirds of full capacity, which is pretty much on the money for Kia’s claim (232 miles is two-thirds of 348).
You also get as good a refuelling capability
as any car on the market – providing you can find a charger fast enough to deliver the 350kW that the car can take. Don’t blame the car if the promised 350kW charge doesn’t happen –that’s down to the inadequacy of the infrastructure.
The Air spec on test here is the best in terms of performance, but it’s a shame that the more luxurious 6-seat interior, with swiveling captain’s chairs on the second row – is only available on the more expensive AWD versions. These offer less range and more power than you’ll ever need for private hire work.
Our main beef is with the overbearing safety features that can’t be permanently turned off. Bings and bongs are the last thing you need with a jetlagged business client in the back of the car. Visual warnings or steering wheel vibrations will do fine, thanks.
Mark Bursa Mark Bursa
One notable consequence of the shift toward electric cars is the arrival of new brands.
Tesla showed that it was possible to launch a new brand on an EV-only platform, and now others are repeating the trick.
Many of these new brands are coming from China, where cheaper costs mean new brands can launch into the lower priced end of the EV market –where established automakers have found it difficult to succeed.
The latest to hit the streets is Omoda. It’s the first of a series of brands to be launched by one of China’s biggest and most successful automakers, Chery Automobile.
A second brand, Jaecoo, is already being prepared for launch with a larg-
er, seven-seat SUV already under test in the UK, and a third, more up-market brand, Exceed, is likely to follow.
Chery is a relative newcomer, having only built its first car in 1997, but it has grown to become the fifth-largest Chinese automaker, with production of 1.88 million cars in 2023.
Omoda’s arrival means five of the top 10 Chinese car companies are now selling cars in the UK: It joins Geely (Volvo and LEVC), GWM (Ora), SAIC (MG and Maxus) and BYD –and all are focused on the EV sector.
The Omoda 5, the launch model, is perhaps unusual as it is available as both an EV and a petrol-engined model, with a 187bhp 1.6-litre four-cylinder turbo petrol engine.
The Omoda E5 is the electric version, and as a compact SUV it’s
very much on trend – its natural rivals are Hyundai Kona and Kia Niro. The E5 has a 204bhp electric motor and a 61kWh battery, which offers 257 miles of range on the WLTP cycle.
Omoda says it can fast-charge at 80kW, meaning it can be charged from 30-80% (a 50% charge) in just under half an hour.
It’s a stylish car that doesn’t push design in any new direction – but it doesn’t need to. The interior is also on trend, with fashionable twin widescreen display and good quality fit and finish.
At £33,500 for entry-level Comfort trim, rising to £35,500 for the top-spec Noble trim level, it’s competitively priced and should compete with other Chinese-built compact SUVs such as MG 4 and BYD Atto 3.
DATA
Price OTR £33,500
SPECIFICATION
Powertrain Single electric motor
Transmission SIngle-speed auto, front-wheel drive
Battery pack 61kW Li-Ion
Power 204bhp
Torque 340Nm
Top speed 107mph
0-62mph 7.2sec
Electric range 257 miles (WLTP)
Charging time 30min (DC 80kW, 30-80%)
Length 4,424mm
Width 1,830mm
Height 1,588mm
Wheelbase 2,630mm
Loadspace 378 litres
VED Band A
Vauxhall has revealed a facelifted version of its electric Vivaro people-mover with a welcome increase in range, thanks to a new 75kW battery.This gives the Vivaro Life Electric, as it is now called, a much more practical 217 miles of electric range (WLTP) on a full charge.
This is an increase of 62% on the original Vivaro-e Life, and greater than other key rival electric 7-seater MPVs such as the Ford Toureo Custom and MercedesBenz EQV. A lower-capacity 50kWh battery is also available with a range of 139 miles (WLTP).
The Vivaro Life Electric can seat up to nine people, comes in two lengths: standard (4.96m) or XL (5.3m). Load volume is up to 1,500 litres with all three rows of seats installed. With two rows, up to 3,000 litres can be transported depending on the length of model specified. It is available with a choice of Combi, Design and Ultimate trims. There is also a 6-seat VIP configuration with individual rear seats and a foldable sliding table. The second row of seats can be fitted so that passengers sit face-to-face. The VIP pack is only available in Ultimate trim.
To increase energy efficiency, the Vivaro Life Electric has three levels of regenerative braking, which can be adjusted using paddle shifters located behind the steering wheel. The Vivaro Life Electric features a 7.4kW on-board charger as standard, with an 11kW charger available as an option. At a 100kW DC rapid charging station, the 50kWh battery can be charged to 80% of its capacity in around 38 minutes, while the 75kWh battery takes 45 minutes.
The updated people carriers feature Vauxhall’s Vizor front-end design for the first time, with the Vauxhall Griffin logo in the centre. Inside, there’s a digital cockpit with 10in colour touchscreens.
The most basic Combi version (short wheelbase, bench seats, 50kW battery) costs £39,190, while the entry level XL Combi with 75kW battery costs £44,590. The XL Ultimate 75kW version costs £56,330, plus £1,490 for the VIP pack.
The new Vivaro Life Electric is available with Vauxhall’s Plug & Go offer, which includes a free Octopus Energy Ohme Pro wallbox and installation. Customers can instead of the wallbox choose one year’s free charging credit at Tesco stores, or a £675 roaming charging credit with Octopus Electroverse.
Upgrades have also been made to Vauxhall's smaller electric van. The Combo Life Electric has gained new connectivity and comfort features.
Like the Vivaro, the Combo Life Electric is available in two lengths. The standard version offers space for five people with three individual seats in the second row.
The Combo Life Electric XL can accommodate up to seven passengers across three rows, with two individual split-folding and removable third-row seats, and a sliding facility for its third-row seats.
The Combo Life Electric now comes with a 52kWh battery, located under the floor. It can travel up to 199 miles (WLTP) on a single charge – approximately 25 miles (14%) more than the previous model, thanks to an improved drivetrain and an optional heat pump,
which improves battery range in low temperatures. With 100kW DC rapid charging capability, the battery can be recharged to 80% of its capacity in around 30 minutes.
The facelifted Combo gains the same family look as the Vivaro, including LED lights in place of halogen lights.The Vauxhall Combo Life Electric is available in two trim levels, Design and Ultimate.
Design includes a multimedia audio system with a 10in HD touchscreen, while Ultimate adds the Multimedia Navi Pro infotainment system, a panoramic rear-view camera, a heated leather steering wheel and dual-zone electronic climate control.
Pricing starts at £32,180 for the 5-seater Design version, rising to £33,080 for the 7-seater Design model. Ultimate trim only comes in 5-seater guise; it costs £34,695.
Can I please urge you not to ignore the private hire VAT consultation that is currently taking place. It is important for a number of reasons. Firstly, as an industry when do we really get asked what we want or don’t want? The consultation is about your business, a business that is an important family asset, that provides you, your staff and your drivers with a living.
What you say does matter. Future decisions won’t include the industry if it ignores something as important as the VAT treatment of everyone’s businesses and the opportunity to influence that treatment.
The consultation is in my view a very easy document to access, read and understand. In many respects I think it is fair as it lays out a number of scenarios and options.
While it may not be strictly relevant in every detail to your particular business, that is no surprise. Indeed, that is almost the rationale for the consultation. Your expertise is needed because nobody knows your business better than you.
There is no need to answer every question in the consultation.
Dr Michael Galvin
and should not influence your response. No one expects any of us to be world class economists.
Arguments and disputes normally end up being fought over the extremes of a situation. In this case should we be zero-rated or should we charge everyone who uses our service 20% extra and pass that onto HMG? Many people I speak to tell me they “don’t think we will get zero rated”, normally based on nothing very much. But if that is where you think we should be, if that is good for your business then give it some thought, give your passengers some thought and include it in your response.
Many buses enjoy zero-rated VAT plus subsidies, and yet around my way they never seem to carry any more passengers than would fit in the average PHV. If buses get these concessions for carrying fresh air around in lumbering, smoke-belching diesel vehicles why should we not get them?
If you don’t understand a question, or don’t feel a question is relevant to you, then leave it. This is not an exam! There are no right or wrong answers; it’s about what you think, how your business works and what you would like to happen.
Don’t get worried about the figures that are quoted. We are not here to support the inflow of tax to HMG through VAT. A great deal of VAT is “wooden dollars”. You bill your customer, they reclaim the VAT, they charge their customer plus VAT, the customer reclaims and around it goes. The net collection is not our concern
Private hire is at the vanguard of clean transport – we’ve been driving hybrids for 20 years and are increasingly going electric.
Unbelievably, I understand that one of the major trade associations doesn’t see a problem with charging VAT on all fares. Well while they may not see a problem I certainly do! If there is 20% going begging, the operator would I am sure have been charging it by now. Just based on “Economics 101”, putting fares up by 20% will reduce journeys.
Over the last 2-3 years fares have, thank goodness, moved up in this industry. Fare increases were needed,
after 10 years of reducing/flat fares. During 2021-22, when no one could get drivers, the increase in fares started to bring demand and supply back to a semblance of equilibrium. Even as demand reduced somewhat due to increased fares, drivers and operators had the benefit of higher fares so although demand was reduced, most companies’ turnover was at least stable.
An imposition of a 20% VAT rate on all fares, including consumers, will reduce demand and turnover as the 20% won’t be staying in the business or with the drivers – it will be going to HMG.
You may take the view, as I do, that the treatment of VAT before these two High Court Cases (London and Sefton) was pretty fair. On contract work we charged VAT; on consumer work we didn’t. Drivers’ subs, commissions attracted VAT as did car hire. Overall, I think it worked well. I can honestly say I never heard anyone complain about it.
If you feel the same then you should make that point in your response but also add why. And let’s think about why. A number of councils are concerned about transport in their areas, particularly at night, but also in areas where there are infrequent or no bus services.
The taxi/PH industry provides both a proxy for public transport and an assurance of public safety for late night revellers. We also provide many other valuable services which a 20% tax imposition would take outside of many vulnerable peoples’ budgets. So much at stake
Folks, as an industry please respond and when you have, please tell ten of your friends to respond as there is so much at stake.
So before August 8, simply Google “VAT consultation private hire”, pour yourself a coffee, shut yourself in a room for two hours read the consultation and write what you think is good for your business, your customers and your staff and drivers.
Like any of us, when working out of one of the many fantastic 5-star hotels in London, I look forward to availing myself of the bathroom facilities. Who wouldn’t? Glass screens on the urinals protect polished shoes, the softest of toilet tissue (though I hate disturbing those ones folded into a point) and, obviously, the neat little, fluffy white hand towels, which are very handy for cleaning car windscreens.
Visiting the toilet in these fine establishments is the only liberty I personally take with these grand premises and their uber-rich owners. But it appears the same courtesy is not afforded me from them. Heading toward one particular revolving door I pass morning greetings to the doorman, who I know well enough to call him by his first name.
“G’morning Door, are you well?” We shake hands but when I try to proceed toward the porcelain sanctuary he stops me and asks: “How do you get your work, Kev?”This question has been put to me many times before, usually from other drivers, so I have a stock answer primed and ready to go when asked.
“Because I am bloody good at what I do!”. Now, I am not being big-headed here, though I do consider myself to be one of the best chauffeurs in the industry. This is purely a personal opinion and not one shared by this magazine who only placed me secnd, to a Green Tomato Cars driver, back at the 2014 QSi Awards. Still, my therapist said I mustn’t dwell on the past…
Kevin Willis Chirton Grange contact@chirtongrange.co.uk
which to allow me to continue with my day as, basically, “I'm not telling you”.
Door Man (who sounds like the worst superhero in the Marvel series) persists when telling me that his hotel had contacted my client and offered a courtesy car for the duration of his stay. Except, Mr Man tells me, the client had turned them down.
When I return from the loo, one load lightened and jacket full of window wipes, the doorman introduces me to Rachel from Guest Services. Now she wants to know who I am, where my work comes from and why their guest had stuck with me over their free ride. My answer remained pretty much the same. “I was the second best driver in London nine years ago, deal with it.”
The following week I am waiting at St Pancras Eurostar for a delayed train from Paris. The service is irritatingly late yet not as annoying as the muppet on the public-access piano next to me who is bashing out the same note for forty minutes straight (there really should be a minimum standard before being allowed to harass beleaguered passengers).
noid? What is going on? Hotels, it would seem, are now actively nicking our work!
How would they feel if I picked up from Heathrow and offered them to come and stay at my house for a couple of days? “Half the price and I've got SkyGo in all rooms.”
And look, hotels have always offered a car service but they at least used to partner with a chauffeur and/ or taxi firm to facilitate their work. Now, they have upped the ante by supplying their own car and employed drivers. Do they have an operator’s license?
Look, all is fair in love and war, and what I wouldn't give to be afforded the travel plans of the rich and famous who frequent these hotels, but this particular hotel is pursuing an aggressive tactic to freeze out people like me, like us.
Talking to Kevin (the imposter) at St Pancras he shrugged and said “she’ll still be charged, they add it to their bill, and hardly anyone checks”. It is a worrying trend as businesses try to recoup the lost revenue of the Covid years any way possible. There may come a time soon when none of us receive direct bookings, without a middle man either taking their cut or dictating our rate.
I have very loyal clients but trends like these become the norm. It wasn’t that long ago I believed I would never lose a client to Uber. Yet passengers think nothing of hailing an Uber to meet the guide at Tower of London or drop them off at Wembley.
My answer is geared to convey a humorous response and, hopefully done with sufficient flippancy in
Anyway, I look along the line of drivers to spot that the same hotel has a driver waiting. I wonder? So I sidle up, ask the question and lo and behold he has only come to meet the same client. The driver is even called Kevin! Coincidence, or am I para-
In the meantime I will continue to shake the disruptors to the point it is easier to buy me out than fight me. We do that by offering the service, being punctual and having a pile of mini towels to keep the car clean…
[Not wishing to spoil the flow of your story, but Chirton Grange did win Gold for Chauffeur Company, 1-10 cars, in 2015. So get over yourself!- Ed]
Tuesday, August 20, 2024 Epsom Racecourse, Epsom Downs, Surrey
Join us this Summer four your opportunity to test and evaluate the latest cars for the taxi, private hire and chauffeur industr y.
As a Professional Driver Car of the Year judge, you’ll be able to drive around 50 cars – and score them
on 17 points that encompass everything from looks to comfort, driveability, passenger space and even the boot.
Your scores are used to help us choose our six category winners – and we present the awards at our legendary Professional Driver QSi Awards event later in the year.
Why not reward your best drivers with a day out too? Their expertise and knowledge will be very valuable! Click the link below to become a judge or you can also send an email to editor@prodrivermags.com and we’ll make sure you’re on the list.
To register: https://www.prodrivermags.com/car-of-the-year-home/
