Image: BBC

A private hire driver who lives and works in Grantham but is registered in Wolverhampton says plans to reform taxi licensing do not go far enough.

The government has launched a consultation on tackling issues such as "out of area working" – when drivers are licensed by one authority, but work in another – amid concerns about the safety of passengers.

Under the proposals, the number of licensing authorities would be reduced from 263 to 70.

But driver Adam Mason said only a single licensing body would ensure an improvement in standards across the industry. He added: "As soon as you've got 70 new licensing departments, you'll have 70 slightly different interpretations of the regulations."

Mason said he decided to get his licence from City of Wolverhampton Council because the process was quicker and easier, as he needed to start working quickly.

Figures showed that in the year to March 2024, up to 96% of licences issued by Wolverhampton – a total of 20,375 – were for drivers living outside the city.

According to the government's consultation, "out of area" licensing means an authority would not generally be able to take action against a driver "where unsafe activity is identified" unless it had issued the licence.

Under that system if a concern is raised about a driver working in Lincolnshire, but who is registered in Wolverhampton, the Lincolnshire authority has to ask Wolverhampton to consider whether to suspend or revoke the licence.

Source BBC News

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Image: Daniel Thomas

Halifax Regional Council has rejected a bylaw change that called for more oversight of ride-hailing companies like Uber and Lyft, choosing instead to take a closer look at the issue.

Under the current rules, there are different oversight requirements for ride-hailing drivers and those who drive regular taxis and limousines. While taxi drivers must submit the results of all background checks to the city, ride-hailing drivers hand the results to the ride-hailing companies.

In December, a staff report to council recommended changing the rules to require ride-hailing drivers to submit their background checks to the city, bringing them in line with the taxi industry.

On Tuesday, councillors voted against the proposal but endorsed a motion from Mayor Andy Fillmore to have a committee prepare a report on how other jurisdictions are handling training, auditing and compliance. The committee would include representatives from ride-hailing companies, the regional government and the taxi industry.

Before the meeting, Uber Canada made it clear the company opposed the proposed changes, saying Halifax already has the authority to request documents to determine whether ride-hailing drivers are complying with applicable laws. The company also argued the proposed rules were overly bureaucratic and would lead to higher fares.

Uber Canada spokesperson Keerthana Rang issued a statement Monday saying the company wants to avoid regulations that could impede access to flexible work for drivers and reliable transportation for riders.

Source: CBC Canada

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Pa. Has Added Hundreds of Truck Parking Spaces That Drivers Desperately Need

Truck drivers traveling through Pennsylvania face tough choices about where to park. There is just one parking space for every 11 truck drivers on the road, according to the Pennsylvania Motor Truck Association.

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Can a Proposal for Free VIA Rides Get Enough Supporters on Board?

A trio of San Antonio City Council members wants to consider how to make VIA Metropolitan Transit free for all riders eventually. But it’s not clear whether they will be able to secure enough support to get an official policy discussion moving forward.

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North Carolina Shifts State Strategy for Electric Vehicle Infrastructure

The North Carolina Department of Transportation recently announced it will scale back the number of electric vehicle (EV) charging stations it planned to build along interstates and highways.

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Uber Invests $500Mn in Canada’s Waabi to Accelerate Robotaxi Push

Uber is investing up to $500mn in Canadian self-driving truck start-up Waabi as the ride-hailing app accelerates its push into the fast-growing robotaxi market. The U.S. company on Wednesday said it would participate in Waabi’s latest funding round. Uber will invest $250mn as part of a $750mn raise that values the company at $3bn, according to people familiar with the matter.

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Drones Used for Blood Transport: Soon a Reality in Quebec?

Using drones to transport blood is an idea that is being studied more and more around the world, particularly in Quebec, but it is still far from becoming a reality in the province. A recent study from Concordia University highlighted the use of drones to transport blood donations more quickly from collection sites to laboratories.

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Transit Fares Are Going Up. Why Do Canadian Cities Struggle to Keep It Affordable?

With transit fares on the rise in a number of Canadian cities, some experts say it’s time to rethink how we fund public transportation. Calgary hiked fares from $3.80 to $4 per ride earlier this month, and Ottawa just approved an increase of 10 cents, to $4.10. Earlier this year, Edmonton raised cash fares from $3.50 to $3.75 in February, while Victoria jumped from $2.50 to $3 in March and Vancouver went up from $3.20 to $3.35 in July.

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Crawley Council Freezes Taxi Licensing Fees Despite Inflation Pressures

Crawley Borough Council has confirmed it will not increase Hackney Carriage and Private Hire licensing fees and charges for the coming year, holding costs steady for the local taxi trade. The decision comes at a time when inflation remains above zero, meaning the fee freeze represents an effective real terms reduction for licensed drivers and operators, easing some of the financial pressure facing the sector.

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More than 1,400 Inspections in 2025: Hundreds of Violations in Taxi and App-Based Rides in Prague

Prague City Hall carried out extensive inspections in the taxi sector in 2025. In several hundred cases, the authorities identified breaches of statutory requirements. App-based rides were particularly affected. Last year, the city inspected a total of 1,470 taxi companies and drivers. Violations were identified in 314 cases. In total, 18 security deposits amounting to CZK 815,000 were imposed, along with further sanctions.

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Freenow by Lyft to Bring Robotaxis to Hamburg

The autonomous taxi project has the full support of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg, which has signed a letter of intent with Freenow by Lyft. Unlike US companies such as Waymo or Uber, Freenow by Lyft does not intend to offer robotaxis as a standalone ride-hailing service outside the regular taxi system. Instead, Lyft aims to collaborate closely with the local taxi industry in Hamburg and involve relevant businesses, as well as integrating into public transport services.

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Uber Shuttle Launches Operations in Mexico City

Uber Shuttle, Uber’s transportation service in vans or buses with fixed routes and schedules at a lower price than its traditional services, has launched in Mexico City ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

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New International Bus Line to Connect Budapest with Slovakian Town

Representatives from the MÁV Group and Nógrád County Council announced on Wednesday at Somoskőújfalu on the Hungarian-Slovak border that new scheduled international coach services will launch between Budapest and Lučenec, calling at Salgótarján and Fiľakovo, the Hungarian News Agency wrote.

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How Deadly Scholar Transport Crashes Reveal Systemic Failures in South Africa

The South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) has called for immediate, coordinated reform of the country’s scholar transport system after two devastating accidents on the same day left 12 children dead in Vanderbijlpark and nine others injured in Pinetown. The Commission said the tragedies “underscore the systemic failures in the provision of scholar transport” and warned that unsafe transport not only undermines the right to basic education but also places learners’ lives in danger.

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Image: Waymo

Waymo, the California-based autonomous driving company owned by Google parent Alphabet, has confirmed it is engaging with Australian officials about its autonomous vehicles.

In a statement provided to Zag Daily, a Waymo spokesperson said: “Waymo has global ambitions. We actively engage with regulators and lawmakers around the world, including Australian officials, to explain our technology and advocate for policies that would allow us to serve riders just as we do in the U.S.”

The comment follows online reports that Waymo is accelerating plans to launch a robotaxi service in Australia as early as this year and that the company has held discussions with electric vehicle makers and the New South Wales Government. Waymo did not confirm those reports and declined to provide specifics on the nature, timing or stage of any discussions with federal or state governments.

Any Australian deployment would require regulatory approval. Testing autonomous vehicles on public roads is currently governed by state and territory permit schemes, while the federal government is working towards a national automated vehicle safety framework due to be introduced later this decade.

Source: Zag Daily

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