Image: Visit London

Passengers could book taxi and bus-style self-driving vehicles later this year, as applications open today for operators to run cars across Great Britain.

The pilot scheme will enable firms – including British self-driving technology company Wayve – to bring the technology to British roads, with the government projecting thousands of new jobs and billions of pounds of economic value by 2035.

Services could support greater freedom and independence for older and disabled people, as well as expanding travel options across work and leisure.

Human error currently contributes to 88% of collisions on UK roads, and the government says self-driving technology has the potential to reduce that figure.

Safety will be central to the pilot, which will gather real-world evidence on how self-driving vehicles operate on everyday roads, from navigating busy urban streets to interacting with traffic and carrying passengers. Services will be subject to approval checks by government, including safety assessments covering cyber and security threats.

“Self-driving vehicles represent a transformative opportunity for Britain, opening up independent travel for disabled people and older adults, whilst driving growth and creating high-skilled jobs across the UK,” says Simon Lightwood, roads and buses minister. “This pilot scheme brings that future closer, giving passengers the opportunity to experience self-driving travel first-hand while ensuring safety always comes first.”

Source: TTI

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Image: KIA

Kia’s latest wheelchair-accessible vehicle (WAV) offering could provide taxi operators in some parts of the UK with a new electric option as the industry continues its transition towards lower-emission fleets while maintaining accessibility standards.

The manufacturer recently showcased its new PV5 WAV Side Entry model at the Motability Scheme Live exhibition in Birmingham, introducing an electric vehicle designed around the needs of wheelchair users, community transport providers and passenger transport operators. While Kia has yet to confirm UK market availability, the vehicle’s arrival prompts questions about whether it could also find a place within taxi fleets operating beyond the country’s largest urban centres.

Unlike traditional rear-entry WAV designs, the PV5 WAV Side Entry features a side-loading wheelchair configuration that enables passengers to board directly from the pavement. The design is aimed at urban mobility use cases, including taxi services, shuttle operations and private transport. For wheelchair users, side-entry access can offer greater convenience and improved safety by avoiding the need to enter or exit from the road.

The vehicle has been developed under Kia’s ‘Made-In-Plant’ conversion programme, allowing accessible variants to be built either directly within the manufacturer’s production facilities or through a dedicated conversion centre. The approach is intended to deliver greater production consistency and potentially improve supply for European markets where demand for accessible vehicles continues to grow.

For taxi drivers, particularly those working in towns and cities where fully-accessible vehicle requirements are becoming more common, the PV5 could offer an alternative to the limited number of electric WAVs currently available. Many licensing authorities have increased expectations around accessibility while also encouraging the move towards zero-emission vehicles, creating a challenge for operators seeking vehicles that satisfy both objectives.

Source: TaxiPoint News

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It's Still Way More Expensive to Insure an EV. But That's Changing

A new study from Insurify shows that car insurance is one of the biggest cost differentiators between owning a traditional internal combustion-engine (ICE) car and an EV. In fact, the average late-model EV (from 2024 and newer) costs 18% more to insure than the average late-model gas-powered vehicle.  

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Survey Finds Fleets Struggle to Use Telematics Data

When fleets decide to invest in telematics, installation is just the beginning. Achieving the desired return on investment depends on usage. Though the concept may seem obvious, it’s easier said than done. 

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Uber Launches $49 World Cup Shuttle from MetLife to NYC on Match Days

They will have 50-seat vans with no surcharges. Fares will be $49, and riders can book seats on match day or in advance using the shuttle icon in the Uber app. The shuttles are not available to get people to the games. The shuttles will operate at host stadiums, including MetLife, Boston, Miami and Dallas.

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Taxi Drivers Sued Quebec over Life after Uber. Now They Want to Take the Fight to Canada’s Top Court

Essentially, the class action argues taxi permits were a form of property and that when the government ended the permit system, owners should have been compensated the same way they would have been if the government had expropriated any other type of property, such as land.

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TTC Unveils Last Major Subway Closure to Accommodate World Cup Preparations

The agency said those closures, ending on June 9, will be the last planned shutdown of its subway system before the World Cup begins with Canada versus Bosnia and Herzegovina in Toronto on June 12.

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TransLink Offers Cyclists a Lift to BC Ferries, Weekends Only

The bus is also outfitted to carry 10 bicycles per trip, making it easier for cycle tourists to get to Vancouver Island.

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UK Law Clears Hurdle for Airlines to Ban Unruly Passengers from Travelling

The scheme, currently being developed by officials from the Department for Transport and the Home Office, would require airlines to notify the government when a passenger is disruptive. An airline participating in the scheme would then be alerted if a passenger on the blacklist checks in for a flight. The airline would then have the option to refuse to carry that passenger if they wish.

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Taxi Monaco App Celebrates Strong First Year of Growth

Launched to modernise urban mobility in Monaco, the app has recorded more than 21,000 completed rides in its first year and over 36,000 downloads across 154 countries, according to its latest figures. The service has also transported more than 7,000 customers, with usage steadily increasing in 2026 as more than 10% of all taxi journeys now go through the platform.

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Istanbul Taxi Chief Says Efficiency, Not More Cabs, Key to Solving Shortage

Istanbul’s taxi problem can be solved by improving efficiency rather than increasing the number of cabs, according to İsmet Dalcı, the head of the Istanbul Taxi Drivers Chamber (İTEO). Dalcı noted that Istanbul currently has 20,311 taxis operated by around 60,000 drivers, but emphasized that the core issue lies in how efficiently those taxis are used. “Istanbul taxis operate at 48 percent efficiency. A taxi that drives 100 kilometers is occupied for only 48 kilometers and runs empty for 52 kilometers. This is very low,” he said.

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Tangier Confrontation Renews Scrutiny of Taxi Drivers Taking Enforcement into Their Own Hands

A video that recently went viral on social media shows a woman in Tangier being surrounded by a group of taxi drivers as she explains why she works through a ride-hailing application. The woman, who says she is 45 years old, can be heard telling the group that she struggles to find employment and relies on the work to earn a living and support her family.

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Jamaica: Cabinet Implements Remaining 16% PPV Fare Increase

Commuters are paying more to travel as the government has implemented the long-delayed 16 per cent increase in public passenger vehicle fares. The 16 per cent increase is being phased in, with the first 8 per cent taking effect Tuesday. The remaining 8 per cent will take effect July 1. Transport operators have long been waiting for the fare adjustment, which forms the second tranche of a 35 per cent increase announced back in 2023.

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BlackRock Poised to Buy 15% Stake in Japanese Taxi-Hailing App Go

Nikkei Asia said the asset manager plans to buy a 15.2% stake for roughly 28 billion yen as the Japanese taxi app sells up to 36.9 million shares.

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Image: Leah Willingham 

Drivers for ride-hailing apps such as Uber and Lyft celebrated Tuesday after Massachusetts became the first state to recognize their union, a milestone in the growing effort to organize gig-economy workers classified as independent contractors under federal labor law.

The victory could provide a model for similar campaigns gaining traction in states including California and Illinois, where labor organizers are increasingly targeting app-based industries as drivers also grapple with the rapid expansion of self-driving technology.

As drivers waved signs and chanted with the gold dome of the Massachusetts State House providing a backdrop, labor leaders described Friday’s certification as the largest private-sector organizing win since Ford autoworkers unionized in 1941.

Jean Fredo, who has driven for Uber for more than seven years, said he hopes the union will bring better pay, stronger protections against sudden deactivations and more stability for drivers.

Uber and Lyft said they planned to work with the new bargaining framework as negotiations move forward. Uber said it would work with the union and regulators while preserving “driver flexibility and hard-won benefits,” while Lyft said it was committed to “engaging in good faith” and “helping drivers succeed while keeping rideshare affordable and dependable for everyone who counts on it.”

The certification became possible after the state’s voters approved a 2024 ballot measure creating a first-in-the-nation framework allowing ride-hailing drivers to unionize and bargain collectively while remaining independent contractors — a model some business groups and legal scholars argue could face antitrust challenges under federal law. Organizers say the union will ultimately represent nearly 70,000 drivers statewide.

Source: AP News

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