TaxiPoint April 2021 Edition 24

The UK’s #1 Taxi News Source

Edition 24 | April 2021

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SADIQ KHAN INTERVIEW

WHAT3WORDS|TAXIAPP|DR MIKE GALVIN BARNARDO’S|THE LAST TX4|SEISS|AND MORE...

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EDITORIAL

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TAXIPOINT JOINS

NEWS NOW GLOBAL NEWS AGGREGATOR

This month we are delighted that TaxiPoint has been accepted onto the News Now platform. It’s another big step forward as News Now is the world’s second biggest mainstream news aggregator behind Google News, with over 11 million monthly users. There are no other taxi industry news sources appearing on News Now, making TaxiPoint the first of its kind for the global taxi trade.

We have over 1.3 million different readers each year and we are proud to have become a vital tool for the UK taxi industry. Being the trusted news source means we attract opinions and interviews from the biggest names in the industry. We are also able to share news quickly and accurately to you, our readers, on your preferred digital platform.

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THE MAYOR

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TAXIPOINT SADIQ KHAN

Q&A

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has overseen many changes in the capital since he took office in 2016.

TaxiPoint caught up with the Mayor of London in the lead up to this year’s election race to put to him some of the burning questions the industry wants him to answer.

authorities to assist drivers has gone straight to the councils in London and not to TfL. We did explore whether councils across London would be able to provide financial help for drivers, but all of their funding had already been allocated.

Where I have been able to, I've Yourself and Transport for London been keen to help. TfL were right to (TfL) have supported taxi and offer cabbies some flexibility for private hire drivers currently vehicles that were coming up to working throughout the pandemic having their licence renewed during with free PPE and cleaning the first lockdown and I’ve also products. However, unlike other lobbied the Chancellor on behalf of large licensing authorities there has the trade. I’ve pushed for more been no financial assistance to flexibility in the way that the Self drivers from TfL. Why has this not Employment Income Support been possible?

Scheme (SEISS) grants are I'm acutely aware of how hard the calculated, urged the Government to exempt ZEC taxi purchases from last year has been for taxi and private hire drivers in London and I capital allowances and have made have been keen to provide support the case that payment holidays for wherever possible. The coronavirus taxi and private hire licensees with vehicles on finance should be response money from the further extended. We haven’t had Government that's been used much joy with Government yet, but outside of London by some local I will keep pushing.

Image credit: Greater London Authority

THE MAYOR

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With every new road scheme that bans or restricts taxi drivers from areas in the capital, drivers' confidence in a viable future continues to deteriorate. What reassurance can you offer to the 20,000 licensed taxi drivers and why should they feel confident investing in new vehicles?

It’s not true that taxis are being banned from roads across London.

Although there are a small handful of locations where access has been restricted, black cabs have unprecedented access to many parts of London where others don't.

I actually think that if you look back over the last few years TfL has proven time and time again that it's a world class regulator and one that is not shy of taking difficult decisions. TfL rightly won global acclaim when they said they weren’t happy with Uber's safety arrangements – now Uber is only allowed to operate in London with a clear set of conditions that TfL closely monitors.

In terms of the Bishopsgate ruling, decisions about how to make the best use of London's roads are always going to be difficult. Keeping Londoners safe is my number one Some of my most recent initiatives priority, and the pandemic give black cabs even greater priority highlighted the pressing need to than before – including a new raft have safe walking and cycling of 24/7 bus lanes that are being routes to enable social distancing. trialled on more than 80km of our I think it's important to remember busiest roads. Likewise, the that the decisions we take about temporary scheme on London the use of the road space are not Bridge also benefits the taxi trade by giving access where most other about penalising one group of users vehicles are not permitted. TfL also over another. And I fully recognise continues to press forward with its how important it is for new road programme to increase the number schemes to work for the communities they serve, including of taxi ranks on our streets, giving people who use taxis. more dedicated space to support the trade as we emerge from the But we cannot get away from the pandemic. fact that more than 2,000 pedestrians and cyclists are killed or Why should taxi drivers have confidence in the regulators given seriously injured on London's that TfL are now taking legal action streets each year. We need to find a way of sharing road space that to ensure taxi access remains protects the most vulnerable as restricted in key areas? Can the relationship between the industry well as enabling other journeys to take place. and regulator ever be repaired?

THE MAYOR One of your mayoral pledges is based upon investing money to help unemployed people into 'future-proofed' employment. Firstly, do you consider the role of a taxi driver to be 'futureproofed'? And secondly, if so, will you show your support for the taxi industry by investing funds in the Knowledge of London to increase the number of students training to become taxi drivers?

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My £42m support package has enabled more cleaner, greener ZEC vehicles to be licensed and I applaud the efforts made by the taxi trade to clean up the taxi fleet. In total, more than 4,000 delicensing payments have been made, equating to more than £34m of direct support for the taxi trade.

TfL has worked hard to promote the benefits of being a London taxi driver London’s black cabs are iconic and are by raising the profile of the internationally recognised as a part of our city’s Knowledge and have fabric. As we emerge from the pandemic, I cannot explored ways for TfL to imagine a future without black cabs. They offer gain accreditation for the passengers both safety and convenience, playing a Knowledge. If I'm rekey role in providing accessible travel for all. elected, I'd be happy to ask my team to discuss with As long as I am Mayor, taxi drivers will have an important part to play in London. You only need to trade reps what more can look at my track record - if this was an industry that be done to increase the I didn't believe had a viable future, then I wouldn't number of students training Image credit: to become taxi drivers.

Greater London Authority be investing tens of millions directly into the trade.

Charity

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EDITORIAL

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SEIZE THE

OPPORTUNITY

Thousands of businesses across the UK will have started preparing to get their employees back to the office, whether that’s under the same working patterns as pre-COVID, or for some a more flexible working pattern that incorporates some ‘Working From Home’ (WFH).

that the majority of workers will leave the office environment altogether, with a more flexible WFH and Work From Office (WFO) favoured by both employer and employee.

The pandemic has forced much of the workforce into working from the confines of their own four walls through periods of the pandemic. Companies and workers have found ways to adapt and function away from familiar office space and the daily commute.

Howard Dawber, Head of Strategy at Canary Wharf Group, told the BBC that people still wish to divide their time between the workplace and home.

Whilst the pandemic has highlighted that WFH can be achieved, it has also highlighted the downsides too.

During the pandemic the Canary Wharf financial district situated in East London has only had This might suggest that around 6% of people in its office culture may look buildings compared to different post-pandemic, 100,000 pre-COVID. Whilst but how will this affect speaking on the BBC's public transport and in Today programme, Dawber particular the taxi industry? suggests that people will be It’s looking more likely that eager to get back in the workers will be offered office after so long away more choice in where they from their colleagues. work. It’s however unlikely

EDITORIAL Dawber said: "We've got to the point where there is a lot of fatigue out there."

He added: "Working from home for the first couple of months of last year when the sun was shining and people were enjoying perhaps a more flexible environment, there was a sense that this was going to be a short-term process.

"I think now people are really missing that opportunity to collaborate with and just see their friends in the office, to get your hair cut, to go and get a good coffee at lunchtime, and to do all the life admin things you can do in a city centre."

The Chancellor Rishi Sunak also supported the need to get people back in the office.

He told the Telegraph that workers could potentially "vote with their feet" and consider moving to a rival if WFH was made full-time.

April 2021 | www.taxi-point.co.uk | 9

If the bread-and-butter income of annual season tickets reduces, expect public transport operators to change the pricing on daily tickets to cover the revenue lost.

There is a strong opinion that commuters will instead use safer and more personal modes of mobility on the days that they do travel to their workplace. With more money in their pocket, saved from season ticket travel, purpose-built taxis are well placed to seize the opportunity.

Mariusz Zabrocki, UK General Manager at FREE NOW, told TaxiPoint: “I expect people to move away from buses, tube and rail and increasingly choose more personal ways of transport, apart from taxi and PHV, that would be bikes and e-scooters for example.

“On balance, I expect the industry to come back to pre-Covid levels by the end of the year, with taxis recovering stronger than Sunak said: "You can't beat the spontaneity, the team building, the culture PHV due to additional personal space and that you create in a firm or an organisation perceived safety. Over the past year on the FREE NOW platform, taxi has been from people actually spending physical recovering much stronger than PHV when time together." lockdowns were lifted and its share in our The Chancellor also detailed how business has increased substantially.” important the office environment is for Juraj Atlas, CEO of Mileus, told TaxiPoint: younger workers looking to understand “This shift in working arrangements will how a firm works and develop in the create a unique opportunity for the taxi company. industry that can take advantage of the Taking this into account, it is the traditional newly found discretionary income of these five-days a week of commuting that is knowledge workers. This should already under threat and not the ad-hoc flexible bring some additional demand for taxi mobility that the taxi industry can cater for. services as we know them.”

Train, bus and underground companies will Atlas continued: “I am a firm believer that all be concerned over whether their we won't stay working from home postcustomers, who spend thousands of pounds on season tickets, will still need to pandemic, even if our occupation does not require our presence in the office at all. At make the huge outlay. least not every working day. Instead, I think

EDITORIAL we will adopt a new weekly rhythm combining WFH and WFO. “This newly formed rhythm will lead to a decreased commute demand compared to the prepandemic times as some occupations, especially among knowledge workers, will start splitting their workweek between WFH for some days and commuting to their work location a day or two within a week.

“As a result, the costs of commuting (discomfort and price) will decrease in line with the commute needs of the

April 2021 | www.taxi-point.co.uk | 10 knowledge workers, now commuting only one to three times a week rather than the previous five times a week.”

It would certainly seem postlockdown there is an opportunity for the taxi industry to recover quickly, with changes to working habits and mobility an area with great potential to be seized.

Perry Richardson TaxiPoint Founder

MAYORAL RACE

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BRIAN ROSE LONDON MAYORAL CANDIDATE

“When we think London’s licensed taxis, we think of safety, trust, reliability and accessibility.”

Image credit: Brian For Mayor

MAYORAL RACE

When we think London’s licensed taxis, we think of safety, trust, reliability and accessibility. Cabbies are A public or private service? How would you there to help – and cabs are iconic, and have long view the licensed taxi industry if elected? been used as shorthand for London, something It’s an interesting question, because cabs are a every driver should be proud of. private service but integrating them into the What improvements / changes could be made transport network could bring additional public to the service offered by London’s cab drivers obligations. But, ultimately, the people best-placed and fleet owners? to run taxis are those in the taxi business, not The initial priority has to be getting cabs back on the politicians. road – cars parked in fields can’t offer any level of The number of licensed taxi drivers, fleet service. And Covid-safety needs to be a default, not vehicles and Knowledge students are dropping something wheeled out when virus levels spike.

at an alarming rate. How will you aim to Would licensed taxis be part of the integrated reverse this trend if elected as Mayor of transport network in your Transport Strategy if London? elected?

Q6.

Q3.

In your opinion what core values does the licensed taxi service bring to London?

There should be a presumption of access – in particular, to protect the rights of elderly and less able people, but also to help drivers carry out their jobs and to reduce pollution and congestion. That means revisiting all the existing restrictions and lifting them unless an over-riding and exceptional case can be made for retention. In addition, the illegal Streetspace scheme will be abolished and the hated Bishopsgate bus gate will be one of the first things to go.

Q5.

Q2.

Q1.

Welcome London Real Party candidate and founder of Real London... Brian Rose.

Should licensed London taxi drivers have access to all bus lanes and bus gates in London?

Q4.

The race to become the next Mayor of London has well and truly sparked into life.

The runners have all been confirmed and TaxiPoint are pleased to talk taxis with the latest contender looking to close the gap on the current Mayor, Sadiq Khan.

April 2021 | www.taxi-point.co.uk | 13

Cabs need to be put at the heart of an integrated Yes – Sadiq Khan’s muddle-headed decision to transport policy and, equally importantly, we need exclude cabs from the integrated transport network to get London back to work so there is a proper is politicking at its worst. Of course, even electric customer base for taxis. cabs create pollution but so do all forms of transport, and excluding cabs in no way addresses this issue.

Additionally, those who cannot easily use public transport or walk to their destinations must be recognised in any truly integrated transport strategy, and easy-access cabs with a door-to-door service are the obvious way to do that.

Image credit: Brian for Mayor

Q7.

MAYORAL RACE

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Transport for London has for some time called for powers to place a cap on the number of taxi and private hire licences available in the capital.

Is this a policy that you would continue to support as Mayor of London?

Q8.

At a time when numbers applying to learn the Knowledge are falling, it is essential to work with the cab industry and private hire sector to ensure London has a service that is fit for the 21st century.

As Mayor of London how would you support the continued greening of London’s black cab fleet?

We need to accelerate the adoption of electric vehicles. Huge steps have already been taken by the trade but we want London to be at the forefront of a transport revolution. That means thinking creatively about issues including charging points, and running experiments with breakthrough technology such as induction charging.

Image credit: LEVC Image credit: Brian for Mayor

APPS

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TaxiPoint caught up with Taxiapp, a driver run co-operative booking app in the capital, to discuss the impact of COVID and the road to recovery.

How has the pandemic impacted Taxiapp?

London taxi users.

With such a difficult year it was very important that we kept the app ticking over, we were dependent on the confidence and trust of our drivers supporting us.

The app will be eternally grateful to the The pandemic has impacted every part commitment made by those drivers of the taxi trade. who understood how we needed them Particularly as work levels were at a through the pandemic. point where it seemed you could only A year of keeping the app floating get work if you happened to be on an above water was the most important app. and necessary aspect of keeping the It highlighted how very fragile we are Taxiapp dream alive. as an industry.

Literally as Taxiapp was beginning to build momentum we were confronted with a pandemic.

How do you expect the taxi and private hire industry to recover once all COVID-19 measures have been dropped?

It was at a time when the decision was made to take another positive step in I wish there was an easy answer to this particular question. the right direction, by rebranding Taxiapp.

The taxi & PH industry will be very With months of preparation we were dependent on public confidence, I predict people will want to return to a readily in position to push the app to normalised routine, as soon as it is drivers, as well as focusing on promoting Taxiapp to the loyal base of humanly possible.

APPS

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Any recovery whether through a recession or in this instance, a pandemic, will require the public to feel good about the future.

Do you anticipate new opportunities for the taxi industry post-lockdown?

And if the momentum grows with a confident nation, why not the same with a vibrant metropolis, in which confidence would certainly bring back business to the taxi industry.

The taxi trade is unique for thinking of ways to evolve, more so by individuals.

Do you see a fast recovery in work levels or a slow improvement?

We certainly need to make the Knowledge attractive again and with natural growth, the window of opportunity will present itself.

It will possibly take some time to recover to pre pandemic levels and one in which most drivers were at least able to earn a liveable wage.

What we really need is a collective approach on sustainability.

I think most drivers will be looking to play catch up, especially with any outstanding debt they may have accrued over this last year or so.

The flexibility of deciding when you choose to How important is taxi road access to work, gives drivers an advantage of doing hours Taxiapp, its drivers and its customers? Do that suit their financial position or circumstances.

you see reduced road access as a threat?

I am sure for most taxi drivers it will feel like starting a new job. Might just need to brush up on Yes. It is very important. our knowledge.

APPS If apps can provide the convenience of picking passengers up from a desired address, it is essential that we have access to be able to provide our service.

April 2021 | www.taxi-point.co.uk | 18 maintain the highest standards.

London is a lesser city without the assured sight of a yellow light that gets customers home safely.

Road access is the number one factor for the What new developments can we trade to work, this enables us the ability to offer efficiency whilst providing a competitive expect from Taxiapp in 2021? service.

The app has some really exciting news shortly The unique selling point for the taxi trade is but for the immediate future, we need the all purpose wheelchair accessible vehicle, drivers to continue pushing the app because they are integral to Taxiapp’s success. which cannot be provided if customers are denied access to a taxi on all streets and roads.

Sending vehicles on prolonged time consuming routes, is certainly not beneficial for the environment and further confirms how exclusions will deny residents access to the most efficient and professional service.

Local councils may request that residents should walk the last part of a journey.

Is this really an option if a resident happens to be disabled or visibly impaired?

The relevance of being the only ‘door to door’ service is significant if we are to

The push for our brand to become more visibly recognised will hopefully show a significant difference, upon returning to work.

All of this has been achieved by the sheer determination of drivers wanting to have a real impact on making Taxiapp successful.

We will of course look forward to informing TaxiPoint of the exciting news, much nearer the time.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank Taxiapp drivers for their continued support.

FEATURE Q&A

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If there’s ever an operator in the world that doesn’t need an introduction, it’s this one…

Uber. Joining us to answer the BIG questions currently circulating in the taxi and private hire industry is Uber’s Regional General Manager for Northern and Eastern Europe, Jamie Heywood.

Will Uber customers see a difference in the service as a result of the Supreme Court judgment? Do you foresee the price of a journey increasing and/or the number of vehicles available decreasing?

We are committed to keeping prices competitive for riders in the UK. The changes we are making are good for drivers, which we believe is good for our business, particularly as we head into the recovery where we expect demand to increase significantly. It is my strong view that apps like Uber will help power the collective recovery, and these changes will improve the way drivers earn with Uber.

With the change to drivers' worker status, are Uber now likely to be liable for VAT in the UK? The Supreme Court judgment concerns the status of drivers in the context of UK employment law and was not concerned with VAT, which is an entirely different regime. In December 2020, the Treasury launched a call on evidence on VAT and the sharing economy. As one of many stakeholders, we welcomed the opportunity to respond and review how VAT works in the modern economy. We, like many others, are awaiting the Government’s response.

Why have drivers on the Uber platform only been offered workers’ benefits for the time they have an active job, rather than the time they are logged in looking for work on Uber as well?

If drivers were entitled to the minimum wage for all the time they simply had the app open, this would mean set shifts and a drastic cut to the number of

FEATURE Q&A drivers who can earn with Uber, at a time when the UK needs more earnings opportunities not less.

Drivers have told us this is not what they want and the changes announced recently are the only way to ensure these new rights come with flexibility. This is consistent with the Supreme Court ruling which assessed Uber’s business in 2016 and based its decision on key features which have subsequently been removed.

The Supreme Court has raised debate over who takes the customer booking first. Can you explain whether it’s Uber or the driver?

Uber London Limited accepts the booking as the registered private hire operator for London, in compliance with the regulatory regime. This remains unchanged.

April 2021 | www.taxi-point.co.uk | 21

Do you think other ride-sharing apps in the UK should follow Uber’s stance by providing drivers with basic workers’ rights?

Uber is just one part of a larger private-hire industry, so we hope that all other operators will join us in improving the quality of work. Many drivers work with several private-hire operators at the same time and unless other operators make these changes then drivers could enjoy the protections of worker status on one trip with Uber, but lose them on the next. That doesn’t seem to make sense.

If the acquisition of Autocab completes, what can customers on your platform expect?

I am delighted that the CMA has approved our acquisition of Autocab. Every month thousands of people open the Uber app in places the company doesn’t operate to try to get a trip. Through Autocab’s iGo marketplace, Uber will be able to connect these riders with local operators who choose to take their booking. In turn, operators should be able to expand their operations and offer more earnings opportunities to local drivers. Autocab has worked successfully with taxi and private hire operators around the world for more than thirty years and Uber has a lot to learn from their experience.

Does Uber support the growing network of Low-Traffic Neighbourhoods (LTNs)?

We are supportive of measures to reduce congestion and emissions in our cities, especially given the importance of ensuring a green recovery.

Does Uber have any input into transport policy at a Government level? If so, what input do you have?

Like many stakeholders, Uber responds to public consultations where relevant to share our experience and expertise to help inform policy development. For example, we, like other operators, have inputted into the Department of Transport's Future of Transport regulatory review recently.

JAMIE HEYWOOD Image credit: UBER

OPINION

April 2021 | www.taxi-point.co.uk | 22

GLASGOW TAXIS

LOOK AHEAD AFTER ONE YEAR OF THE PANDEMIC

Image credit: Glasgow Taxis

Glasgow Taxis’ Chairman Dougie McPherson offers his thoughts to TaxiPoint a year on from the first lockdown while looking ahead to what the rest of 2021 might bring.

– which we believe may be a first in the UK – which will make training easier and more accessible as we continue to work to attract new drivers into the trade.

He said: “It’s been a hell of a year for everyone as we know. From a Glasgow Taxis perspective, the first thing I must say, on behalf of the management committee, is a sincere thanks to all staff, drivers, operators, customers and partners for their support over the last 12 months. None of it has been easy but working together has helped us face all the challenges as well as we possibly could.

“The recent Scottish Government funding made available for drivers was very welcome. We’ve been in constant dialogue with government to try to agree a separate fund to support operators and hope to see this bear fruit upon the new financial year.

“From April, in Scotland, we will also start to see further gradual easing of lockdown with schools back to capacity, businesses and retail reopening and, of course, pubs, restaurants and hotels. While all “One thing lockdown did allow us to do was to undertake a fresh audit of our internal processes and optimism is measured, this will only be a positive for costs which has enabled us to create some new cost- the trade. In fact, many stakeholders we have effective solutions and provide a much more efficient spoken to – in Glasgow and other cities – are predicting a domestic boom in spend through service for our customers. Further to this, we are under way with taking the topographical test online staycations and much more localised summer

OPINION

April 2021 | www.taxi-point.co.uk | 23

activity until such time that international travel really kicks in again.

“To what scale and just how quickly the events market opens up again is anyone’s guess but we all hope to see at least some supporters in Hampden during this summer’s Euros, while it appears to be full steam ahead for the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) in November – which quite simply will be enormous. We are front and centre for such major events thanks to the strong partnerships and relationships we have fostered over many years with ‘team Glasgow’.

Image credit: Ross Campbell

“One constant during the last year has been our Separated, Sanitised, Safe campaign and that will continue for the foreseeable future. In this much talked about ‘new normal’, people are

understandably much more health-aware and safetyconscious so we want to continue to make it clear to them that a Glasgow Taxi can guarantee them that safety as they move around the city.”

TAXI FLEET

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UK’S GREENEST

TAXI FLEET

WHICH CITIES ARE LEADING THE WAY? Image credit: Ralph Hutter (Upsplash)

With traffic increasing year on year, and cars becoming ‘bigger, badder and better’, the air quality in large cities has taken a beating for many years.

With the Government planning to ban the sale of new petrol and diesel cars in the UK from 2030, Lease Fetcher wanted to investigate how green current UK taxi and Private Hire Vehicle (PHV) fleets are and which areas of the country are leading the way when it comes to electrifying their fleets.

Lease Fetcher, the UK’s first car leasing comparison site, also looked into how the average taxi and PHV fleet looks. Which car manufacturer makes a good vehicle? And do taxi and PHV colour preferences match those of the general public?

By sending out Freedom of Information requests to the 25 biggest cities in the UK, Lease Fetcher were able to gather a clear overview of which ones have the greenest fleets, and provide some unique insight into what the nation's favourite taxi and PHV

manufacturers and models are. Here’s what they reported...

How green are UK taxi and PHV fleets?

Investigating the fuel spread across the 25 taxi and PHV fleets, there is good and bad news.

Starting with the bad news; diesel still reigns supreme on a national scale. Across the 25 cities, 53.74% of all taxis and PHVs are still diesel-fuelled, and a whopping 72.07% if you exclude London. That’s 80,451 licensed diesel taxis and minicabs still roaming British roads and that’s only counting the 25 largest cities.

The good news is that hybrid electric vehicles in the industry have overtaken petrol-fuelled ones and hold a strong second place with 33.09% of all cabs. Exclude London, and the second place is a little less impressive, albeit still a second place, with 12% hybrid vehicles.

TAXI FLEET

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The fuel charts below show the fuel breakdown of the as Jaguar, who recently announced that they will only fleets across the 25 largest UK cities, the first produce fully electric cars in the UK from 2025. If including London, the second excluding. other manufacturers follow suit, this will speed up the rollout of electric vehicles across the board,” says John Richardson, FleetCover.

The need for manufacturers and authorities to step up has only increased over the last year with coronavirus causing havoc across the world.

“Many taxi drivers have been hit hard financially by the Coronavirus pandemic. In return, their ability to invest in EV models that are currently more expensive (though cheaper to run) than their combustion engine counterparts is constrained until life returns closer to pre-Covid times,” says Amer Hasan, Minicabit.

Greenest taxi and PHV fleets revealed So, which of the 25 largest UK cities has the greenest fleets?

Looking at electric taxis and PHVs by a percentage of the city’s total fleet, there are three green frontrunners: Source:

•

So, how far away from fully electric taxi and PHV • fleets are we in the UK? Lease Fetcher reached out to a few experts to ask just that.

“At Cab Direct we continue to see the demand for our electric cars increase, however, drivers all over the country still experience difficulty with charging availability when out on long shifts. We need to see more investment into charging networks before this becomes a feasible way of working for taxi drivers,” says Susan Smith, CabDirect.

•

Milton Keynes leads the way with 6.57% of their fleet fully electric.

A close second is Birmingham with 5.67% of their fleet electric.

Third place goes to London with 4.54% of their fleet electric.

If a fully electric UK taxi and PHV fleet is to become a reality, authorities and car manufacturers need to show initiative and invest in developing both affordable vehicles and an EV friendly infrastructure.

“The transition will be accelerated by the decisions taken in the board rooms at car manufacturers such

Image credit: LEVC

TAXI FLEET The below table shows the top 10 greenest UK taxi fleets, based on EV percentage.

April 2021 | www.taxi-point.co.uk | 26

The nation’s most used taxi and PHV model Moving onto the popular car models used in the taxi and PHV industry and you’ve really got three main manufacturing contenders, Toyota, Mercedes and Volkswagen.

In first place, not surprisingly, is the Toyota Prius with a total of 32,927 vehicles. A clear winner making 30.11% of all taxis and PHVs in the 25 cities.

Second place is the traditional London black Cab, the Hackney Carriage with 9,637 taxis (8.81%).

The nation’s most used taxi and PHV manufacturer

Toyota grabs another place with the Auris taking a third spot with 7,420 vehicles (6.79%)

The uncrowned King of taxi and PHV is Toyota, accounting for a whopping 31.91% of all cars in the taxi and PHV industry in the UK’s 25 biggest cities (49,112 vehicles).

Mercedes-Benz takes a strong second place with a market share of 13.87% (21,347 cabs).

Third, is LEVC (also previously known as London Taxi International / London Taxi Company) with 10.51% (18,067 taxis).

Source:

The above tables represent all taxis, not just electric vehicles.

An issue that came to the mind of Lease Fetcher when investigating how to increase the uptake of electric vehicles in taxi fleets is the current car model availability. Although there are electric car models that are used both across fleets and for personal use, for example the Auris and Prius, many of the popular car models used for cab work are yet to emerge.

Source:

Amer Hasan, Minicabit, hopes we should start to see more suitable EV cars for the cab sector, such as minivans, emerge from 2024 onwards. Importantly, they should be priced with little/no premiums to combustion engine cars and so should be affordable to deploy on scale.

TAXI FLEET

April 2021 | www.taxi-point.co.uk | 27

National colour preference Of all the cabs registered in the top 25 biggest UK cities in 2020, there was a loud and clear colour favourite.

With more than 51,706 vehicles or 38.76% of licensed taxis and PHVs, the first place and preferred colour was black.

Comparing the taxi and PHV fleet colours to the colour preferences of the general public, the general top 10 share a lot of similarities although the rank of the colours differ.

Below Lease Fetcher listed the top 10 taxi colours vs. the top 10 colours for cars registered in 2020. It’s worth noting that the taxi colours are all taxis and PHVs on the register in 2020, and the SMMT numbers are exclusively new cars registered in 2020:

Source:

The future of the UK taxi and PHV industry For a cab driver to get their taxi or PHV licence from their Local Authority, their car cannot be older than 5 -14 years old max, depending on the region. As long as this requirement is either kept in place or improved and the 2030 diesel target is honoured taxi fleets will inevitably become fully electric at some point (5-14 years) after this deadline.

Susan Smith, CabDirect, says the speed of EV adoption depends on Government support. Smith says: “Government support is needed to facilitate this move, firstly to increase the availability and compatibility of charge points and also by providing more grants for those who wish to buy electric. The Government should also be investing directly with

taxi manufacturers, allowing them to develop more electric solutions at an affordable price point.”

There’s a lot of talk about flying taxis with the news of the UK’s first taxi/drone airport being built in Coventry. Lease Fletcher’s expert panel all agree that this is not something that will happen in the near future - not as an affordable transport for the masses anyway.

“For flying taxis, a whole new regulatory framework is required that needs to align airspace with ground transport operations, which may need to operate on a national or city level. We might see ad hoc trials over the next 5 years in the UK though larger cities but it will probably be 2030 by the time a flying taxi service is ready and reasonably affordable for consumers to use,” says Amer Hasan, Minicabit.

WHAT3WORDS

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TALK OF THE TALK OF THE MAPPED-OUT MAPPED OUT TOWN Image credit: what3words

WHAT3WORDS One of the cornerstone tools used by any taxi driver is the trusted map. Whatever your level of local knowledge, books or devices used for mapping are still found within touching distance of every working cab driver. Maps can be used to reinforce knowledge you already have, update your knowledge with recent changes, or simply map areas you are unfamiliar with.

Q1.

Over recent months there has been much talk about what3words and how the technology can transfer over to the taxi and private hire industry.

Dispatch software firm Cordic became the first systems provider to offer what3words bespoke geocoding technology on all of its white-label applications. They join private hire operator Addison Lee as one of the first in the industry to integrate the technology into their platforms.

April 2021 | www.taxi-point.co.uk | 29 Image credit: what3words From the feedback we’ve been given by operators, this is a real frustration in the taxi and private hire industry because passengers expect drivers to find them, but unreliable street addresses make that difficult.

Image credit: what3words

what3words is an easy way to communicate a precise location. Every 3-metre square has been With the help of Patrick Arbuthnott, Mobility Partnerships Lead at what3words, we delve deeper given a unique combination of three words: a to find out how the London based mapping firm can what3words address. For example you can find the main entrance to what3words’ Head Office at /// positively affect drivers’ working days. filled.count.soap in London. what3words addresses How do you see what3words making the cover the entire world, meaning passengers can taxi and private hire industry more easily enter destinations that don’t have street addresses, such as park entrances, pop-up events efficient? and markets. what3words is a very simple and accurate location Often, passengers will already know the technology system. what3words address for their pick-up point or Street addresses aren’t very efficient – they often destination. They might have discovered the don’t lead you to the right place. Search for one and what3words address in a guidebook, website a pin will typically drop in the centre of a building, contact page or anywhere they would normally find rather than the entrance passengers need to get regular street addresses. They may be sent one by picked up from or dropped off at. Road names are email, text message, or calendar invite. By accepting often duplicated and easy to confuse. Did you know a what3words address, taxi and private hire there are 14 different Church Roads in London, 367 companies give passengers a way to communicate Park Streets in California and 632 Juarez Streets in exact locations, improving efficiencies.

Mexico City? Providing a street address by voice, Passengers can now quickly and easily tell drivers either over the phone, radio or into a voice interface, can be really difficult. For example, “Lawn exactly where to pick them up and drop them off, Road” and “Lorne Road” sound exactly the same. In without having to give a long explanation based on landmarks or having to drag and drop a pin each many situations, street addresses may not exist at all, for example, if you’ve broken down on the side time. Providing a destination is much more efficient now that passengers can simply enter the three of the road or if you live in a new build.

WHAT3WORDS

April 2021 | www.taxi-point.co.uk | 30

credit: what3words what3words includes the likes of Image Mercedes Benz, For drivers, gone are the days of circling around the Ford and Mitsubishi. block looking for the right building entrance. When Do you see a time when it might become customers use a what3words address, drivers will more common for a person hailing a taxi off know exactly where to go. Accurate locations also the street to provide a what3words address help to save fuel and reduce emissions, so rides rather than more traditional forms of become more sustainable too.

words and receive a smoother service.

Q2.

Q3.

How do taxi drivers search for a what3words address if a passenger provides one?

address like a street name or place of interest?

Even where there is no technical integration in the dispatching software, drivers can still benefit from what3words. Many navigation apps are compatible with what3words. When a passenger provides a what3words address, drivers can search those three words in the what3words app and then use it in their preferred navigation app with just one tap.

Drivers simply type, scan, or enter the what3words address by voice using the search bar. They then select the correct result, tap Navigate, and choose their preferred navigation app, such as Waze, Citymapper or Google Maps.

safer, more efficient and less frustrating. Thousands of businesses use what3words to improve efficiencies and customer experience – from ecommerce and logistics companies to travel and navigation apps.

In the UK specifically, we’ve seen that what3words is useful in rural areas, like Yorkshire, where postcodes cover large areas and houses have names, rather than numbers, which are frequently replicated. For example, there are over 8,000 Rose Cottage addresses across the UK! We also see what3words being used in urban areas, such as In addition, what3words has been integrated into a London and Manchester, where lots of people live in apartment buildings with multiple entrances. range of in-car navigation systems. Drivers with compatible models can now say or type in a 3 word There’s also a big use-case for what3words with people living in new builds, which take months to address to get directions to a precise 3m x 3m location, anywhere in the world. The growing list of appear on maps, making it very difficult to order a taxi. automotive companies that have adopted

Q4.

Some people assume that we’re trying to replace street addressing, but that’s not the case. Rather, Where what3words has been integrated into what3words is an additional tool for when street dispatching software, a driver will just follow their addresses aren’t accurate enough. It also provides usual navigation process and arrive at their instant solutions for places where addresses don’t customer’s what3words address. Many major exist at all – a roadside for example. We’re dispatch software providers, including Cordic, cab9, increasingly being used by taxi and private hire Dispatch from Dever Software, Catalina Software businesses in the UK because, when a passenger and Chauffeur Drive Systems, have integrated wants to be picked up from a new build or dropped what3words directly into call-taking software, web off to meet a friend in a park, a street address isn’t booking tools and passenger apps. CMAC also now going to help drivers find them. accepts a what3words address from their In which places in the UK is what3words breakdown recovery partners to help taxi drivers most used at the moment? navigate directly to passengers on the side of the road.

Millions of people use what3words to make life

Q5.

WHAT3WORDS

April 2021 | www.taxi-point.co.uk | 31

Image credit: what3words response, especially where multiple agencies are Aside from bookings (pick up and destination details), how could what3words required. For example, an insurance company like LV= can pass on a customer’s location to a recovery be used by taxi drivers and motorists?

vehicle.

Taxi drivers and motorists can use what3words to As part of their health and safety practices, help resources get to exactly the right place faster. organisations are urging their staff and customers to This could be locating anything from a pothole, to a download the free what3words app so that they’re road traffic accident, to a front door for a delivery. prepared to provide their exact location in case of A road only has one address that can stretch for an emergency, which could happen anywhere. This hundreds of miles. Some roads are unmarked and is especially important in the taxi and private hire new roads can take a long time to appear on maps. industry where employees are often outside of the A pin can’t be communicated over a phone call, safety of an organisation’s offices. which is how the incidents are often communicated.

As more and more taxi operators throughout the UK This means that it can be difficult for taxi drivers have pivoted to delivery and courier services over and motorists to get help when they need it the the pandemic, what3words has become even more most. valuable. It’s easy for people to say exactly where what3words makes it easy to pinpoint the exact they want their packages – a safe location for location of an incident or emergency faster, which contact-free delivery for example – and you can means that responders can arrive quicker. This is guarantee their orders find them first time every particularly important in situations where every time. minute counts, such as in an emergency, or where We would encourage anybody reading this article to an incident is in a dangerous location, such as on a download the free what3words app now so that motorway. That’s why 85% of the Emergency you’re prepared in case you ever need to let Services in the UK, as well as breakdown recovery someone know exactly where you are! Click here to providers like the AA and National Breakdown, are download the app: https://what3words.com/ enabled to accept a what3words address. It’s also products/what3words-app/ easy to share a what3words address to coordinate a

Image credit: what3words

GUEST WRITER

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DR MIKE GALVIN WAS THE RADIO CIRCUIT A FRIEND OR FOE OF THE TAXI INDUSTRY? Dr Mike Galvin continues his series of articles based on his Doctoral Dissertation; Culture, Change and The Management of London’s Taxi Drivers. In his previous two articles he discussed the Knowledge and Culture, in this article he considers the impact of radio and what he discovered in his research about this phenomenon.

As the editor is unlikely to allow me to write a book in one edition of TaxiPoint this will be the first in a short series about how radio both revolutionised and divided the London Taxi Industry. Please bear in mind when you read this that my research and therefore the narrative is set in a period largely before the internet, social media and of course apps.

Mobile phones were in their infancy and resembled large house bricks. Minicabs were still unlicensed in London.

Radio taxi companies were institutions within the industry. They were both powerful, empowering and ground-breaking. Their function was to provide taxi drivers with additional income and they provided value as a tool with which to fight the incursion of minicabs into the industry. Some drivers I know loved radio circuits and others hated them. It appears that every driver had an opinion as to whether they had been a valuable contribution to the industry or had damaged it.

GUEST WRITER During my research, London taxi drivers I spoke to had decided to join a radio taxi circuit for a number of reasons, chief amongst these was the opportunity to earn more money or the same amount of money quicker and/or easier. Many also joined for altruistic reasons; to help what they viewed as the fight against minicabs and to win back business for the taxi industry.

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words ‘I love my circuit’. This feudal perspective manifested itself in almost a hierarchy with Computer Cab being seen as easy come, easy go, and Dial a Cab and Radio Taxis were considered somehow much better as there was a two year waiting list to join versus Computer Cab’s perpetual six week free trial. Dial-a-Ride and Radio Taxis were the oldest, they gave drivers destinations and therefore a choice of work whereas Computer Cab Often drivers were prompted to join a radio taxi circuit as a consequence of being recommended to was a ‘no refusal’ circuit when voice was used and a ‘view you do’ circuit when they moved to digital. do so by another taxi driver - this was what happened in my case. The recommendations from Computer Cab when it started was called the catchy other taxi drivers to join a radio taxi company were (sic) name of London Wide Radio Taxis and was known variously as the Mickey Mouse circuit or the often based on increased earning potential, often expressed as having two irons in the fire. In effect a Lollipop circuit due to the shape of the mics that driver on radio [the colloquial term for belonging to were fitted in the taxis. or subscribing to a radio circuit] can trap a fare from During the boom years of the late eighties after ‘Big the street or through the radio, thereby potentially Bang’ when the giant American banks and doubling the chances of picking up a fare. Fares from the radio circuit were also promoted as being higher value than street hails and typically involved travelling longer distances. There were additional benefits in that payments were guaranteed by the radio circuit, every fare included an automatic gratuity and, as was often the case, waiting time was involved and a supplement was paid for the time the taxi and driver were kept waiting. There was also a going home feature which could shorten a driver’s working day significantly. Due to the nature of radio trips drivers used less diesel and benefited from frequent breaks rather than expending energy (physical and mental) and fuel driving around looking for fares.

Radio circuits appeared to engender a tribalism in taxi drivers not dissimilar to that of football supporters. Whilst many taxi drivers and certainly most football supporters have little real say in how the circuit/football team is managed they none the less expressed ownership, pride and would in some cases defend their circuit to the death if needed.

Drivers I had spoken to have uttered those immortal

GUEST WRITER

April 2021 | www.taxi-point.co.uk | 34

consultancies poured into London, law firms boomed and ‘radio work’ went through the roof, the cooperatives found their structures limited their growth (they had to have an AGM to agree to increase the fleet size) whilst Computer Cab was able to grow almost exponentially and did. Very quickly the smallest, Computer Cab, became larger than the other two put together and never looked back.

drivers to shoulder some of the pain – the Roller Bond was born. For those who were not around then, a Roller Bond was a system whereby 10% of a driver’s account work was rolled up until it reached e.g. £500 and then repaid. This meant that on average every driver had £250 on account that could be used to smooth cash flow somewhat. The £500 moved up over time as demand continued to grow and cash became more stretched.

Channels were like gold dust in the 80’s and 90’s, motorbike couriers boomed before the advent of email and PDFs when every document had to be moved around physically. Minicabs proliferated and the big three taxi circuits needed more and more channels. Clever technologists split channels, moved from VHF to UHF and introduced Vehicle Identification (VI) so instead of a despatcher needing to hear a call sign they saw the first successful one to bid for a job on a small screen.

Paper dockets were replaced by VDUs (Visual Data Units) an early and primitive version of PCs and gradually conveyor belts carrying paper dockets handwritten by telephonists to despatchers were a thing of the past. Computerisation was at this point in its infancy – Computer Cab’s first computer needed Woodfield Road to be closed to admit a massive lorry and crane that lifted a vast cabinet of technology into the building where a wall had been removed for the purpose. A couple of years later the replacement was carried in under an engineer’s arm and provided something like 100 times the power!

I will pause the history lesson here to talk about one of the concepts of Managing London’s Taxi Drivers that was one of the themes of my research. This was a major change at the time and its path was not an easy one. This was partly due to management’s belief that their role was to manage, and a theme I spoke about in my last article that within the industry a strong cultural belief amongst London’s taxi drivers was that ‘we are all equal’ – ‘we are all taxi drivers’. These simple statements set the scene for a number of very real battles where tempers frayed, and power was wrestled between management and driver. Another concept was that probably the majority of taxi drivers considered themselves to be small business owners and expected, not unreasonably, to be treated as such.

So, the cultural battle lines were drawn.

Management felt it their duty to manage the company’s balance sheet, to generate as much business as possible and to grow the company at the fastest rate possible. Drivers also had views, and many believed that they were doing okay and did not appreciate this race for growth, especially if The common theme amongst radio taxi operations they were not to see the benefits personally and was that they had no cash. Drivers were paid instead were disadvantaged by in effect being paid frequently and long before money was collected later through a Roller Bond system. Soundings were from customers which caused huge cash flow gaps. taken, informal conversations took place and kite Meanwhile growth in demand was high double flying was frequent and meanwhile cash was digit, staff were growing and technology was running dangerously low whilst turnover and incredibly expensive. Frequently circuits were on profitability grew albeit EBITDA rather than net the edge of insolvency but in a booming period of profit due to continual investment in technology. demand. Innovative schemes were developed to get So, look at one example, Computer Cab, a meeting

GUEST WRITER was arranged at the Queen’s Head Hoxton Street where in an upstairs room the LTDA branch meeting for the North East Branch normally attracted 6-8 diehards.

April 2021 | www.taxi-point.co.uk | 35

to calm things down so order and a reasonable discourse could be established.

Suffice it to say a change of tone, a cards on the table, a dismissal of the experts (the company’s On the evening of the Roller Bond discussion, where accountant was trying to explain cash flow to an messages had been issued to drivers that the angry mob), and a ‘we are all cab drivers here’ let’s meeting was important, some 300 people turned sort this problem out, resulted in a proposal or two, up. The regular attendees wanted their normal a majority in favour and management walking out, meeting and to hell with Computer Cab and its hardly able to believe what had happened with not drivers. So many drivers in fact turned up that they only a Roller Bond scheme having been accepted could not get in the room where meetings were but a scheme fully supported by the drivers that normally held, they queued up the stairs, filled the was double the value they had tried to introduce bar and stood outside. A couple of regular earlier in the evening. attendees stormed (as best they could through the So, from an academic perspective what did this crowds) out. The temperature was high (not, I might episode tell us about the culture and management add, the ambient room temperature), tempers were of London’s taxi drivers? My perception was that stretched, management battled valiantly to present London’s taxi drivers, members of the circuit, a logical and sensible solution, but with a hue of wanted to be treated as businessmen not insistence which was not appreciated. The more flummoxed by accountants talking about cash flow, logical the argument that was being presented the not management telling workers what was good for more petulant and annoyed the drivers became. them (in truth they didn’t do that), but instead a There were demands to move the meeting outside flattening of any perceived hierarchies and a ‘we are into Hoxton Street. Messages were verbally passed all cab drivers here’ approach to solving a business up and down the stairs and to those outside – the problem. I also believe that it demonstrated that accuracy was dubious. Harry Feigen, MBE the drivers really did ‘love their circuit’ and were not General Secretary of the LTDA (owner of Computer going to see it fail even if it meant that 10% of radio Cab) stood on a trestle table to try to be heard and work was going to be held back for six months or a year.

The Roller Bond quickly became a means to save for tax, for Christmas, for overhauls and holidays and when the circuit no longer needed a Roller Bond it continued for consensual reasons.

The end of the meeting ended very much as many often did with management applauded and a queue of people keen to shake their hand and tell them they were doing a good job. It also showed that whatever your job title, however important your staff thought you were… you were a cab driver…like us!

FINANCE

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REFINANCING:

HOW CAN ASSET REFINANCING SUPPORT YOUR BUSINESS? WRITTEN BY: What is Asset Refinancing?

Benefits of Asset Refinance

Companies that hold assets, such as vehicles, can take For companies looking to release cash quickly, asset advantage of asset refinancing. It is a type of secured refinancing comes with several benefits. finance product that allows businesses to release Lower Monthly Payments equity quickly and efficiently.

Refinance allows companies to extend their terms, Asset Refinancing is based on using a company’s thereby reducing the amount they would pay each existing assets as a low-cost way to quickly make month. Being able to reduce monthly costs allows available cash for the business to support growth or businesses to invest back into the company and cash flow. continue their growth.

Most importantly, companies of all sizes can benefit from this type of financing solution, whether they are Reduced Interest Rates looking to expand, set up new projects or just need to One of the key reasons to refinance existing assets is raise funds quickly. to reduce the interest rates. With a lower interest rate, businesses can pay off their loans faster or lower How does Asset Refinancing Work? your monthly payment while paying it off at the same Asset Refinancing is becoming one of the most pace. popular finance solutions on the market. It is a way of Frees Up Capital using the equity contained in high-value and unencumbered business assets logged inside the Asset refinance allows businesses to inject carefully business’ balance sheets. selected cash at the exact time they need it. It is a When applying, lenders will ask what the asset is and perfect solution to grow and consolidate the how it has been used. Furthermore, they will need to company’s long and short-term future. know the value of the asset, which involves a In some cases, it is also possible to refinance the qualified valuation inspection. Following on from this, existing debt, which can reduce monthly payments by when an advance gets paid out, the ownership of the spreading the agreement over a longer term, and assets gets transferred to the lender. However, sometimes at a more competitive interest rate. businesses can still use the asset as normal. Once all the new repayments have been made, the ownership If you have any questions about Asset Refinance, you can get in touch with the experts at Ethos Asset is transferred back to the company.

Finance.

SEISS ACCOUNTING

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JASON SHORT

SEISS ACCOUNTING:

HOW AND WHEN DO I ACCOUNT FOR MY SUPPORT GRANTS? For struggling self-employed workers the Government’s Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) grants have been a vital lifeline throughout the coronavirus pandemic.

A year on from the first coronavirus travel and social restrictions placed on the UK, the Government’s support scheme is still running with a fourth and fifth grant promised by the Chancellor Rishi Sunak to come.

The actual process of claiming a SEISS grant is relatively easy if the claimant is eligible under the Chancellor’s strict criteria. However, with annual accounts starting to be finalised there is now some confusion as to how and when the SEISS payments are accounted.

Jason Short, a taxi industry and self-employed specialist accountant from Short & Sons Accountants Ltd, said: “We have had a number of clients who have supplied us with their 2020-21 self-employment data already, but it has come to light that there is some confusion over the dates at which the SEISS grants should be reported.

“Most self-employed people finish their accounting year (known as a basis period) on the 5th April every year, but some do not. In one extreme case, we have one of our clients that finishes his accounts on the 30th April. This means his 2021 accounting year starts on the 1st May 2019 and finishes on the 30th April 2020. To add to the confusion, he can only file this information after the 6th April 2021, and he then has until the 31st January 2022 to pay any tax due. That is a full 21 months later!

SEISS ACCOUNTING “It is no wonder there is so much confusion.”

There is also added confusion for some over how to account for the payments based on when the grant was received and the time period the grant covers.

For example, the upcoming fourth SEISS grant will be paid in April/May 2021, a new accounting year, but is partly based on a loss of revenue in the previous accounting tax year.

April 2021 | www.taxi-point.co.uk | 39

grants are taxable in the tax year 2021/22 and should be reported on your 2021/22 self-assessment return in due course.”

Short says: “The grants are taxable in the fiscal year they are received, not your accounting year. This means that the first three grants are taxable in the tax year 2020/21 - April to April. They should be reported in full on your 2020/21 self-assessment tax return in due course. According to the Chartered Institute of Taxation, specific boxes will be provided on the SA100 and the following self-employment pages.

“Grants should not be reported within your tax return for the tax year 2019/20 and the fourth and fifth

Image credit: VERIFONE

CHARITY

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BARNARDO’S

LAUNCHES LONDON

TAXI TOOLKIT

TO SPOT SIGNS

OF CHILD

EXPLOITATION Barnardo’s, the UK’s largest provider of child sexual exploitation support, has launched a new toolkit designed to help night-time businesses spot signs of child exploitation.

The toolkit supports the free Nightwatch training delivered by Barnardo’s to safeguard children and young people from exploitation by increasing awareness among businesses and services working in the evening and through the night.

Image credit: Barnardo’s

Lynn Gradwell, Director for Barnardo’s London, said: “We know from our long expertise as the UK’s largest children’s charity that there is another side to the bustling fun of London’s night-time economy; one sadly where those who seek to harm and exploit children and young people use the hours of darkness as a time to operate.

The toolkit explains what child exploitation is, why businesses should care and what people should do if they have concerns that a child is being exploited. It includes helpful checklists for businesses including hotels, licenced venues and taxi drivers to ensure they “We are all too aware that child exploitation is under are fully equipped and knowledgeable about how to reported and using this toolkit could be the difference spot the signs of exploitation and how to respond to between someone coming to harm or receiving the prevent children from being harmed. help they need.”

Barnardo’s has launched the toolkit ahead of the Barnardo’s has provided training to over 1,000 nightgradual reopening of London’s night-time economy. time workers in London including the Met police and In the toolkit taxi drivers are urged to look at the six Transport for London. It has created a vital network of important points listed. If drivers support the eyes and ears after dark that will help keep children checklist, cabbies are then able to book themselves on and young people safe. a free Nightwatch training session. In the short For further information about the free Barnardo’s session, Barnardo’s will teach taxi drivers what child Nightwatch training, please email exploitation is, how to spot the signs and how they nightwatchlondon@barnardos.org.uk or call 0207 790 can respond to prevent children being harmed.

4621.

VEHICLE

April 2021 | www.taxi-point.co.uk | 42

Image credit: KAHN Image credit: MG

In 2017 the London Taxi Company (LTC) ended production of its diesel TX4 cabs with a run-out edition of 300 Limited Edition vehicles.

The LTC announced that they would commission renowned British automotive designer Afzal Kahn to create a limited run of only 5 luxury ‘Last of Line’ black cabs, as a collector’s edition of the iconic vehicle.

Image credit: KAHN

PRICE £69,999

The LTC decided to award the commission to Afzal Kahn, having been impressed by his significant achievements in the industry.

An LTC spokesperson said at the time: “There was only one person for the job. Afzal Kahn is famous for his original designs and willingness to push the boundaries and we admire his ability to capture the essence of a vehicles’ character. We believe he is the best designer to give this iconic vehicle the send off it deserves.”

Image credit: KAHN

These ‘Last of Line’ models are a reimagining of the

VEHICLE

April 2021 | www.taxi-point.co.uk | 43

EXTERIOR

TX4; designed with a super luxurious finish and understated design features selected by each owner.

Two tone Rolls Royce paint Shadow Chrome Headlamps Colour-coded Contrast wheels Privacy VIP glass VM Motori 2499cc four cylinder diesel with power upgrade

Adorning a bespoke rooftop light-box, and other elegant design touches, such as heritage inspired paintwork and luxurious leather, the ‘Last of Line’ aims to utilise classic design cues to surpass luxury limousines as the ultimate way to travel.

FACTORY SPECIFICATION 5-Speed Automatic Transmission Dual Zone Climate Control Bluetooth Connectivity Electric Windows Central Locking Electric Wing Mirrors

Afzal Kahn said: “While it is sad to see a beautiful, iconic vehicle reach the end of its life, it is a great honour to be given the opportunity to refine and celebrate what is truly one of the most famous cars in the world. I look forward to embarking on a journey with a select few clients who wish to possess their own piece of British history.”

INTERIOR Front and Rear Seats in Quilted Leather Centre Glovebox in 3D Quilted Leather Armrests in Quilted Leather Original Front & Rear Seat Covers in Quilted & Perforated Leather Door Armrests Re-Upholstered in Quilted & Perforated Leather Centre Glove Box Re-Upholstered in Quilted & Perforated Leathe Door Entry Sill Plates in Stainless Steel Floor Mats (Toughened Rubber) Vented Foot Pedals in Machined Aluminium Heated Front Seats Interior Investing in British Industry Badge Interior Chelsea Truck Co. Identification Plate VIP roof LED Interior star lighting Thick quilted leather seats Piano black instrument surround Colour-coded seat belts Last of Line door sills Leathered steering wheel Last of Line Branding

Image credit: KAHN

Image credit: KAHN

FUEL

March saw the fifth straight month of petrol and diesel price increases at UK forecourts, with prices up another 2.7p and 2.4p respectively and both fuels now costing the same as they did in February 2020, according to new data from RAC Fuel Watch.

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historic low of just $13.21 last April, the ongoing impact of the pandemic on demand – particularly with global travel well down on normal – is, for now, helping to prevent it from going much higher.

Drivers looking for the best value at the pumps With the average price of a litre of petrol now should continue to head to supermarkets, with a litre standing at 126.28p and diesel at 129.07p, drivers are of unleaded currently costing 121.9p on average, respectively having to pay 12.2p and 11.4p more for with diesel at 124.86p. Asda leads the way with every litre than they did at the start of November, a petrol at just 120.99p a litre, and diesel at 123.99p. It rise of about 10% rise in just five months. is still the case, however, that all the major retailers raised their prices in March in line with the rest of the This means it now costs £6.68 more to fill a 55-litre industry, to the tune of an average of 2.61p for petrol petrol car than it did in November (£69.45 in total), and 2.59p for diesel. and £6.29 more to fill an equivalent-sized diesel car (£70.99).

In fact, RAC Fuel Watch data suggests that drivers should even be in line for a pump price cut in the While the oil price was $63.67 at the end of March coming weeks if retailers fairly reflect wholesale having recovered in recent months after hitting a prices on their forecourts.

GLOBAL NEWS

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AROUND THE WORLD JAPAN Japan Airlines has announced a collaboration with global ride-sharing firm Uber. Passengers will be able to use the JAL app to request services from the arrival airport such as arranging a ride to their destination, or to request food delivery services to arrive at their destination. The initial service will be available at local destinations in Japan, with plans to expand to visitors of North America.

SINGAPORE USA Traditional yellow taxis can now be booked through the city’s public transportation service app, Transit. The news comes after taxi mobility platform, Curb, integrated their platform with Transit, which will allow riders to compare taxis with a variety of other mobility options, including subways, buses, bike-share, car-share and ride-hail.

SINGAPORE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES A new ride-hailing app has been launched in the Northern Emirate. The Ajman Public Transportation Authority (APTA) announced the new mobile application, called ‘Route Taxi’, via their official Twitter account. Omar Lootah, Executive Director, Operations Sector of the APTA, said: “Passengers have multiple options of vehicles that they would like to book, including limousines.”

SINGAPORE SOUTH AFRICA Didi Chuxing, China’s leading mobile transportation platform, is set to offer its ride-hailing services in Cape Town, as it looks to continue its global battle with its ridesharing rivals Uber. Didi announced the news following a successful pilot launch of its operations in Gqeberha, South Africa on 1 March. In less than a month, more than 2,000 drivers in the city connected to DiDi’s app.

ITALY Italian architecture firm Giancarlo Zema Design Group have partnered with EHang, one of the world’s leading autonomous flying taxi vehicle makers, to design and build an eco-sustainable vertiport in Italy.

The vertiport will use green design and construction materials and generate energy to recharge the EH216 passenger-grade autonomous aerial vehicles.

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