Professional Driver Magazine October 2020

Leading the charge

VOLUME 14 ISSUE 04 £4.95

Mercedes’ game-changing all-electric EQV on test

NEWS ANALYSIS LEADING THE FIGHTBACK: Industry responds to Uber Autocab deal

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contents

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26-27

OVER STORY C ELECTRIC EXCLUSIVE Mercedes-Benz EQV on test 6-13 B usiness News The latest from around the UK private hire sector

12 N ews analysis CAZ update: no-go in Leeds, but Bath and Brum set for 2021

20 N ews analysis Uber-Autocab: the latest developments, plus new industry initiatives

24 N ews analysis Covid-19: regulations remain vague on PHV driver safety

28 First Look New Mercedes-Benz S-Class and future EQS

30 Running report BMW 745Le plug-in hybrid

32 Road Test Hyundai Ioniq EV Regular features

34 The Knowledge

36 The Negotiator

37 The Insider

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

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Leading the charge

VOLUME 14 ISSUE 04 £4.95

Mercedes’ game-changing all-electric EQV on test

EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Mark Bursa 01932 858575 markbursa@prodrivermags.com

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

COMMERCIAL DIRECTOR Paul Webb 07807 133527 paulwebb@prodrivermags.com

WEBSITE MartinCoombes 01959547000

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

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

first roaddrive test

Mercedes Benz EQV 300 Sport

Mark Bursa

ProDriver Tested 32.8mpg / 30.0mph July 2019

Space invader

I

T’S TAKEN A WHILE, BUT FINALLY, ULEZ-COMPLIANT SEVEN-SEATERS

are starting to become available. Now, with the arrival in the UK of the Mercedes-Benz EQV, London chauffeurs looking to replace their tired diesel MPVs will by the end of the year have a genuine, practical, all-electric luxury shuttle they can buy.

Of course, coronavirus has meant a lot of investment has gone on hold, and the lack of corporate events and business travel means the seven-seater fleet has been sorely underused in 2020. But the arrival of the EQV, along with Ford’s innovative range-extender Tourneo Custom PHEV and forthcoming electric MPVs from Peugeot and Vauxhall, means that when the work starts to pick up again, the big MPV fleet can quickly become a good deal greener.

On the downside, the EQV is not cheap. UK prices start at £70,665 OTR for the EQV 300 Sport, rising to £72,895 for EQV 300 Sport Premium and £77,145 for the EQV 300 Sport Premium Plus. It is one of the entry models – in fact, the first EQV in the UK – that we managed to get hold of for an exclusive first drive. Sensibly, all EQVs are based on the extra-long wheelbase version of V-Class.

The EQV is the second Mercedes-Benz model to form part of the all-electric EQ brand, following the EQC SUV, launched earlier in the year. Both

cars are something of a technical compromise – they’re adaptations of existing platforms (GLC and V-Class) with the fossil fuel powertrain replaced with electric motors and batteries. The real deal all-electric platform will come next year with the EQS (see page 29).

Indeed, the EQV is really rather conventional.

It takes a keen eye to distinguish it from a regular diesel V-Class: just some badges and a different grille treatment set it apart from the plain vanilla V. But being a big vehicle, there’s plenty of room under the structure to squirrel away bulky batteries below the floor, between the front and rear axles, so there’s no compromise to the interior or the boot.

The EQV has a 90 kWh battery, the EQV’s electric motor can generate 204hp and 364Nm. The motor is front-mounted, where the engine usually sits, and drives the front wheels. Mercedes-Benz claims the EQV has a range of up to 213 miles and can be charged from 10% to 80% in only 45 minutes

ESTABLISHED SINCE 2005 NEWS ANALYSIS

LEADING THE FIGHTBACK: Industry responds to Uber Autocab deal

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Tesla Model S , Nissan Leaf 01707No.: 649 090 Registered in England 70 86172 © 2020 All contents copyright of Pro Driver Media Ltd. : info@chauffeurrentals.com Daily , Weekly or Monthly Hires

data PRICE as tested WARRANTY BATTERY WARRANTY VED

£70,665 36 months/unlimited mileage 8 years/100,000 miles A

performance ENGINE TRANSMISSION

Asynchronous electric motor Single-speed auto, FWD

BATTERY PACK 90 kWh Lithium-ion high-voltage ON-BOARD CHARGER POWER TORQUE

0-62MPH TOP SPEED TURNING CIRCLE

11 kW [AC] & 110 kW [DC] 204bhp 366Nm 12.1sec 98mph 11.8m

CHARGING TIME

Wallbox (10-100%) 110kW rapid (10-80%) ELECTRIC RANGE (WLTP)

10 hours 45 minutes up to 213 miles

dimensions LENGTH WIDTH HEIGHT WHEELBASE LOADSPACE

5,370mm 1,908mm 1,928mm 3,430mm 1,410 litres (7 seats )

OCTOBER 2020

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comment

Inside the tent, or outside?

M

AYBE IT’S A RESULT OF THE Coronavirus lockdown, and the extra pressure that has brought, but the taxi and private hire industry does seem to be descending into madness.

Uber’s purchase of Autocab has been the most divisive move in the controversial ride-hailing app’s eight years of trading in the UK. Having tuned in to a number of webinars on the subject over the past few weeks, the industry seems to be at a loss as to how to address the issue.

Yes, Uber has a bad reputation. It has been arrogant in its dealings with competitors and regulators, and when the going has got tough, its lawyers have got going to the courtroom. But as we’re going legal, let me play devil’s advocate. Uber has used its resources well, spending billions in building its brand to a point where it is more recognisable than any other taxi brand – after just eight years.

Because this is one salient point that everyone has to accept. No matter how much you might dislike Uber, your customers love it. Uber has without doubt expanded the market, especially with younger people who see its cheap rides and promo codes as a better alternative to public transport. These people were not taxi users, but they are now. And what’s more, Uber’s Autocab deal means they could be your customers as well.

Yes, we are right to distrust Uber. It is a business, and an ambitious one. It wants to be a market dominator – that is the way of the big tech companies, such as Google and Amazon. Costs are cut wherever possible, and service is sacrificed for speed and price. On the other hand, this doesn’t necessarily make Uber stronger.

OK, it has a dominant position in London. But elsewhere in the UK, how is Uber doing in the other 40 or so towns and cities where it operates? Not so well. In Manchester or Newcastle, where there are a number of very good, established private hire firms, Uber is nowhere. It has cars, but they seem to be a ragbag mix of older vehicles, driven by drivers who haven’t settled into a routine at one of the big local firms.

Their ability to undercut fares is strictly limited too, as fares are already cheap in provincial towns and cities. There isn’t an obvious target either, in the same way as the London black taxis. Meanwhile, Uber is not present in hundreds of other towns, and is thus unable

OCTOBER 2020

to provide a service there. Not good for a nationally recognised brand. Imagine if Amazon couldn’t deliver in 170 towns because it had no vans.

So Autocab gives Uber a way in. Operators could choose to reject this, and refuse to work with Uber.

That’s your prerogative. But your local competitor would see that as an opportunity. Don’t go thinking that calls for unity would see opportunistic gains ignored at a local level. And anyway, if Autocab’s user base jumped ship to iCabbi or Cordic, what do you think Uber might do? Everything has a price, and an easy exit from a fringe business might just suit the likes of Renault down to the ground. What do you do when Uber buys iCabbi? Keep jumping from frying pan to frying pan? Or actually embrace the opportunity.

Maybe Uber is doing this because the direct-todriver model is a failure. Why did Uber lose its licence?

Because drivers gamed the system, and because drivers generated too many customer complaints.

Professional large operators have better checks and balances, and thus far lower complaint rates. It’s interesting that Ola has started to suffer from the same problems in London. The model doesn’t work.

I asked Uber if they would pull out of direct driver recruitment. Clearly the company has a responsibility to the thousands of drivers who work for it. But equally, there was no ringing endorsement of the model. Opening up local Uber operations in other towns was described by Jamie Heywood, Uber’s European head, as “our previous model”, and it hasn’t been pursued for three years.

It’s quite likely that the Uber endgame is to become a platform – a marketplace where customers can source a car service anywhere, without Uber needing to get involved with regulators, licensing offices and drivers.

It wouldn’t lose its licence as it wouldn’t even need one – that would be the operator’s job. And all those millions of customers would become your customers – when they tap away at the Uber app, they’d be summoning your cars.

I wonder how we’d view Uber if it had started like this back in 2012? It would have certainly given us more clout against poor regulation. Maybe it would have been the force of unity, not division.

Mark Bursa Editor markbursa@prodrivermags.com

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news

TfL refuses Uber rival Ola’s licence on public safety concerns over ‘unlicensed’ drivers Mark Bursa Transport for London is facing another lengthy court battle over a ride-hailing service’s operator’s licence after it emerged over the weekend that Ola, a key rival to Uber, has also been deemed not “fit and proper” to hold a licence.

TfL has refused the Indian-owned Ola a licence after discovering data anomalies within the Ola app, which led to unlicensed drivers and vehicles carrying out more than 1,000 trips on the platform.

Uber, which last week regained its licence following a court appeal, admitted a similar data breach involving more than 15,000 rides after a group of drivers exploited weaknesses in the security system.

Now the London transport regulator has banned Ola for a similar reason – compromising public safety, which will force the company into a similar legal appeal in order to regain its licence. Ola began operating in London in February 2020, but has been told that its licence will not be renewed because of “public safety” failings. Ola claimed earlier this year to have 25,000 drivers registered on its platform in London. It already operates in a number of other UK cities, including Birmingham, Cardiff, Coventry and Liverpool.

Helen Chapman, TfL’s director of licensing, regulation and charging, said in a statement: “Our duty as a regulator is to ensure passenger safety. Through our investigations we discovered that

Industry unhappy as judge hands Uber 18-month London licence with conditions Westminster magistrates court’s decision to deem Uber “fit and proper” to hold a London private hire operator’s licence has been greeted with disappointment and anger in the taxi and private hire industry.

In his ruling, deputy chief magistrate Tan Ikram said he had “sufficient confidence that Uber London Ltd no longer poses a risk to public safety” though he recognised “historical failings” within the company, and has only granted an 18-month licence with a number of conditions to the ride-hailing app. And even though Uber has been given its licence, it will have to pay Transport for London’s court costs of £374,776.

The ruling comes after three days of arguments this month, and the judge accepted that Uber had tightened up review processes to tackle document and insurance fraud. He said Uber “does not have a perfect record but it has been an improving picture”, adding: “I am satisfied that they are doing what a reasonable

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flaws in Ola’s operating model have led to the use of unlicensed drivers and vehicles in more than 1,000 passenger trips, which may have put passenger safety at risk.”

She added: “If they do appeal, Ola can continue to operate and drivers can continue to undertake bookings on behalf of Ola. We will closely scrutinise the company to ensure passengers’ safety is not compromised.”

Ola said it would appeal TfL’s decision. Marc Rozendal, Ola’s UK managing director, said in a statement: “Our core principle is to work closely, collaboratively and transparently with regulators such as TfL. We have been working with TfL during the review period and have sought to provide assurances and address the issues raised in an open and transparent manner. Ola will take the opportunity to appeal this decision and in doing so, our riders and drivers can rest assured that we will continue to operate as normal, providing safe and reliable mobility for London.”

According to reports, Ola will base its defence business in their sector could be expected to do, perhaps even more”, going as far as saying Uber now “seems to be at the forefront of tackling an industry-wide challenge”. However, he acknowledged that TfL had uncovered further areas of concern, including delays by Uber in removing three drivers who committed sexual assaults against passengers.

The decision was not welcomed in the industry. Liam Griffin, CEO of Addison Lee, said: “We are disappointed by today’s decision. This is the second time Uber have been deemed unfit by the regulator for serious safety breaches and yet again they have been granted a reprieve, which we believe puts passengers at risk. Uber has allowed nearly 15,000 journeys to occur where the passenger in the back of the vehicle wasn’t being driven by the correct driver – in some cases by someone who wasn’t even licensed to drive a private hire vehicle.”

Steve McNamara, the general secretary of the Licensed Taxi Drivers’ Association, which represents black-cab drivers, called the decision “a disaster for London”. He said: “Uber has demonstrated time and time again that it simply can’t be trusted to put the safety of Londoners, its drivers and other road users above profit.

Sadly, it seems that Uber is too big to regulate effectively but too big to fail.”

on a claim that the issue was partly technical. Ola says it used different database conventions to TfL to track licensing for drivers and vehicles, and this meant Ola was not seeing licensing expirations come through on time. This resulted in a gap between the expiry of a driver’s licence and the issue of a new one. TfL flagged this up as a safety issue, claiming Ola was using drivers working temporarily without licences. Ola was also accused of failing to notify TfL of the breaches when they were first identified.

In August, Ola announced a strategic partnership with ride-hailing rival Gett, which offers Gett’s corporate clients access to Ola’s platform in London. Rozendal said at the time: “Partnering with Gett and its leading offering for corporates opens a large market for Ola’s platform as travel begins to resume in London, allowing us to further scale by meeting the clear demand from corporate users for consumer ride-hailing.”

Ola claims it has been leading public safety improvements at its UK operations, introducing a requirement for drivers to disinfect their cars between each journey. The company has now suffered a major setback just a week after Westminster Magistrates Court granted Uber an 18-month licence following an appeal against TfL’s decision that it was not “fit and proper”. Uber’s latest licence comes with 21 conditions agreed by the company with TfL.

New London ride-hailing app Wystle sets launch Another new ride-hailing app is taking on the London private hire sector before the end of the year. Wystle, based in London, is set to launch in the capital this winter, aiming to compete with Free Now, Bolt and Uber.

Wystle has been granted a licence by Transport for London (TfL), and will offer five car categories ranging from basic PHV to luxury chauffeur car.

Wystle said it planned to recruit more than 10,000 private hire drivers to operate in London’s central Zone 1-6 area. The company claims to be offering drivers the “lowest commission rate on the market” at 13%.

Wystle founder Harman Gabha said: “We’re very proud to bring you London’s first home-grown ride app. We are looking for the very best drivers to join us to launch the next generation of ride-hailing and help put London at the forefront of this industry.”

“Wystle are here to stay and, unlike our competitors, being London owned and based gives us a unique understanding about what makes drivers and riders tick. We wanted to build not only an option for people to get around London but a whole experience for Londoners that offers everyone flexibility to their own schedule.”

OCTOBER 2020

news

Blacklane launches chauffeured, train-beating, flat-rate rides from London to six major UK cities Mark Bursa

Blacklane flat rates to and from London, compared to trains*

Global chauffeur service Blacklane has launched a flat-rate 24/7 inter-city chauffeur service between London and six major UK cities in a bid to offer business travellers and long-distance commuters a safe and affordable way to avoid train journeys.

The service operates between London and Birmingham, Bristol, Cambridge, Liverpool, Manchester and Southampton, and more cities will be added. And it is priced to be competitive against first class train travel, even if there is only one person travelling. For twoperson occupancy, the fare is the same, making the chauffeur car cheaper even than second-class rail on most routes.

“Pay for the ride, not the seat,” said Dr Jens Wohltorf (pictured), Blacklane’s CEO and co-founder. “Blacklane is the simple and safe way to get to and from London. You save money and have peace of mind for the entire trip, without wasting time and energy.”

Furthermore, the door-to-door transfers may start and end in city limits or suburbs. This eliminates the hassle, health risks and extra cost of getting to and from main stations, as the car will take the traveller from home direct to the meeting location in the other city – which could be nowhere near the mainline station.

The London-Birmingham service costs just £99 per one-way trip (or £49.50 per person if two people are travelling). The service is to Blacklane Business Class

DESTINATION Birmingham Bristol Cambridge Liverpool Manchester Southampton

BLACKLANE RATE £99 £99 £50 £199 £199 £70

BLACKLANE PER 2ND CLASS PERSON [2 PAX] RAIL £49.50 £79 £49.50 £46.30 £25 £25.80 £99.50 £147 £99.50 £157 £35 £46.10

1ST CLASS RAIL £104 £122.60 £41.30 £173 £185 £78.30

*Train fares were for peak-hour travel for one seat on September 15, 2020, researched on September 14, 2020

standard – which means a Mercedes-Benz E-Class or similar car. By comparison, the standard rail fare is £79 per person one way, and first class is £104. So even single occupancy is cheaper than first class rail.

Factoring in the extra cost of public transport to and from start point and final destination gives Blacklane a clear advantage, the company says. As an example, the company examined the cost of getting from One Canada Square (London) to MediaCity UK (Manchester) for two travellers. Including transfers and train fares, the price of rail travel was £322.60 on standard class and £378.60 by first class. By Blacklane car, the cost was £200. The time taken was roughly similar – 3hr 46min by rial and 3hr 52min by road – though there was more than 45 minutes’ waiting time on the rail journey and only 55% of the total journey - the Euston to New Street part – was productive, whereas 100% of the car journey could be used for work-related activities.

Blacklane says the chauffeured rides offer un-

matched benefits including a private and sanitised space. Passengers bypass health risks from crowded subways, trams, trains, escalators, platforms and stations. Chauffeurs are instructed to disinfect vehicles and water bottles before each ride, to avoid contact with passengers and to offer hand sanitiser. Chauffeurs and passengers wear face masks for all rides worldwide, and chauffeurs will provide masks if guests do not have them.

Vehicles have leather seats and charging ports for tablets and phones. Passengers can work or relax for the entire journey, rather than walk, wait, lug bags, and transfer trains. Travellers and commuters may book each way with as little as one hour’s notice.

They can choose any pick-up time without being constrained by train schedules. They can cancel Bristol, Cambridge and Southampton rides for free one hour before departure. Liverpool and Manchester rides, and Birmingham rides that exceed 200km, have a 24-hour cancellation notice.

Boro Taxis steps in to save jobs as pandemic forces closure of local rival Falcon Cars Teesside’s largest taxi operator Boro Taxis has stepped in to take over local rival Falcon Cars, which has been forced to fold in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. Falcon Taxis said the ongoing crisis had hit the business hard and it was unable to continue trading. In a statement on its Facebook

page, the firm announced Boro Taxis would step in as a result of the closure.

The statement said: “Falcon Cars is grateful to our customers for their loyalty, but unfortunately the coronavirus pandemic has hit our business so hard that we are unable to continue as we are at present. We are so grate-

ful, following our approach, to be able to transfer our remaining business to Boro Cars and to work alongside them in order to safeguard jobs with effect from today.”

The Middlesbrough-based company was formed in November 2017 by a group of taxi drivers who had become

disillusioned with the business. The closure came after Middlesbrough and Hartlepool were put into local lockdown following the rise in Covoid-19 cases last month. The new rules involve stopping indoor mixing of different households in any indoor settings, including at pubs and restaurants.

Guildford Council launches survey to gauge opinion on new taxi and private hire rules Guildford Borough Council has launched a public online survey to gauge reactions to proposed changes to taxi and private licensing in the area. The survey will run to Monday, January 11, 2021.

Among proposed changes are mandatory fitment of CCTV systems in all vehicles; a requirement for all drivers to sign up to the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) update service; the introduction of a dress code for drivers; and a ‘fit and proper’ test for vehicle owners to ensure vehicles are not defective.

Guildford Borough Council is recommending that taxi and private hire drivers must have a six-monthly record check for any new conviction or other information, and must self-report any arrest,

OCTOBER 2020

charges or conviction within 48 hours rather than 7 days, as at present.

The council also wants to encourage the use of cleaner vehicles. A two-stage policy is being proposed, under which vehicles licensed for the first time from April 1, 2021 must meet or exceed Euro 6 emission standards. All renewal applications from January 1, 2025 must meet or exceed Euro 6 emission standards. Finally, from January 1, 2030, Guildford will only licence hackney carriage and private hire vehicles that are ultra low emission vehicles.

To take part in the consultation, please visit: https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/A1CC1N/

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news

Daimler and BMW considering selling Free Now mobility business to Uber Mark Bursa Uber is considering the acquisition of Daimler and BMW’s ride-hailing joint venture Free Now, which could boost its market share in Europe and Latin America, according to inside sources.

Uber expressed interest in a potential acquisition of Free Now after the venture’s efforts to attract additional investors struggled to gain traction during the coronavirus pandemic, unidentified sources told Bloomberg News. The move would continue the consolidation of the ride-hailing business, which remains extremely volatile.

Earlier this year Daimler and BMW rolled the Kapten service, a direct rival to Uber, into Free Now, which offers virtual hailing of taxis and was particularly strong in Germany. Following this merger, Free Now offered

both private hire and taxi services in London – and an Uber deal could cause a potentially volatile situation with Uber having access to London black cabs.

The discussions are believed to be at an early stage, and none of the parties involved would comment on speculation. But Uber is certainly acquisitive, having controversially acquired UK-based dispatch system provider Autocab last month.

Free Now is part of a wider Daimler-BMW mobility joint venture called

Your Now, which comprises five business including the Free Now ridehailing service and smaller operations such as parking app Park Now and car-sharing platform Share Now. Free Now used to operate as MyTaxi, and as well as Kapten, incorporated a Greek ride-hailing service called Beat and Romania-based Clever Taxi.

Daimler valued the equity investment in its half of the Your Now venture at €618 million at the end of June. But in the wake of the Coronavirus crisis, there is a focus with-

Uber switches to fixed pricing in the UK – but the surge stays In a surprise announcement, Uber has changed the way it displays fares to UK customers, replacing the previous range of prices shown on the app with a fixed price. This means both passenger and driver know the exact cost of the trip before they confirm the booking.

Uber said it was basing the fixed price on the best-available route between the rider’s pickup and drop-off points. Uber’s system uses the expected duration and distance of the trip to come up with the exact figure, taking traffic patterns and road closures into account. Costs for tolls and additional surcharges will also be included in the upfront pricing figure.

But the move will not mean an end to the Uber surge pricing. Uber said it would still use “dynamic pricing” when demand is high. And there are a number of exceptions in the small print that could change the fixed price: n If the rider adds or removes a stop in their journey n If the final destination is more than 1 mile from the originally requested destination n If a detour is taken and the trip is further

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(40% and 0.5 miles further) and slower (20% and 2 minutes slower) than originally estimated n If the trip is at least 40% and 10 minutes slower in duration.

in automakers on generating cash and improving efficiency within their core automotive operations.

Automakers also have been scaling back their mobility service ambitions, with General Motors shutting down its Maven car-sharing business earlier this year and Ford Motor closing its Chariot shuttle service in 2019.

Other automakers appear to remain committed to the mobility market. Renault has invested in Irish dispatch systems Supplier iCabbi and in aggregator Karhoo. Volkswagen is still working on its MOIA mobility platform.

Free Now’s revenue was forecast to reach €8 billion in 2022 from about €2.5bn in 2019, but the Covid-19 pandemic has forced a major readjustment downwards of those numbers. Uber’s 2019 turnover was $14.1bn.

Bolt axes London surcharging during 10pm UK lockdown curfew Ride-hailing app Bolt has responded to the Government’s introduction of a 10pm curfew for pubs and restaurants by stopping its surcharge in London between 9:30pm10:30pm in a bid to reduce overcrowding on the streets at closing time.

In a statement, Bolt said it was “refusing to cash in on the restrictions to London’s nightlife”. The surcharging was axed for an initial two weeks, the company said. Sam Raciti, UK General Manager at Bolt, said: “We’re ditching the surcharge on our platform before curfew, when we know people will be trying to get home. We want to show our solidarity with Londoners by helping to stop overcrowding outside pubs and bars and by helping to stop the spread of the virus. “London’s nightlife and night-time economy has been hit hard by the virus and necessary lockdown restrictions. We want to do everything we can to protect our riders and the public.”

OCTOBER 2020

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news Airports blame Coronavirus for steep rises in drop-off charges Mark Bursa UK airports are using the financial impact of the Coronavirus crisis an excuse for introducing new or increased drop-off charges outside terminal buildings.

In 2021, Gatwick has announced it will be introducing a £5 charge for vehicles making passenger drops directly outside its terminals, a move which brings it into line with most other UK airports. The airport claims the revenue raised will help Gatwick recovery from the economic impact of the Covid-19 crisis.

Free drop-offs or pick-ups can be made in the airport’s long-stay car parks, which offer two hours’ free parking and a free shuttle bus to the terminals.

Currently, drop offs are permitted directly in front of both terminals, though pick-ups should be made in the short-stay car park.

A Gatwick Airport spokesperson said: “A £5 charge will be introduced for vehicles using the forecourt. This charge will help Gatwick continue to meet its commitment to reduce ‘kiss and fly’ – the least sustainable type of journey to the airport as it involves two return car journeys – while also further encouraging public transport use and potentially cutting road traffic congestion and emissions at Gatwick and surrounding local areas.” The airport said that around 15% of airport journeys are ‘kiss and fly’.

The spokesman added: “Gatwick is looking at solutions to allow those who regularly drop off and pick up at the South Terminal each day to access to the train station to make a token annual payment contribution. Suitable solutions for Blue Badge holder’s convenience are also being looked

Stoke councillors drop plans to limit taxi and PHV age due to Covid-19 crisis Stoke-on-Trent Councillors have dropped plans to impose an age limit on taxis due to impact of Covid-19. The City Council had proposed to introduce a 12-year age limit for renewing private hire or hackney vehicles’ licences, due to the deteriorating condition of the city’s taxi fleet.

But the move has been shelved after local drivers successfully argued that the scheme was “unaffordable”, claiming it would force them to replace dozens of vehicles at a time when the pandemic has severely hit their income. Members of the licensing and general purposes committee have now agreed to drop the proposed age limit from the revised licensing policy – although the issue may be revisited next year.

Under the current rules, vehicles must be less than seven years old when they are first licensed. Once they are 10 years old, they must undergo an MOT and suitability test

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at. Reducing the airport’s environmental impact continues to be an important focus and Gatwick plans to put a proportion of the revenue into Gatwick’s existing Sustainable Transport Fund.”

This includes funding for an upgraded airport railway station at a cost of £150 million.

No date has been set to introduce the new charging system but the first step includes a consultation on the implementation of a Red Route system across the airport to indicate that stopping to park, load or unload, board or alight from a vehicle is prohibited. Revenue raised through Red Route fines will also be used to fund sustainable transport initiatives.

Gatwick Airport Chief Commercial Officer Jonathan Pollard said: “Gatwick has just gone through the most challenging period in its history and this new drop off charging scheme will give us a new revenue stream to aid recovery from the Covid-19 crisis and ultimately help us continue as an important provider of economic prosperity and jobs across the region.”

Meanwhile Bristol Airport has quadrupled its ‘Drop and Go’ parking fees 10 months. The fee to use the Drop and Go area at the airport, where people can park for up to 10 minutes, went up from

every six months, but other than that there is no upper age limit. Licensing manager Rachel Wallwork told the committee that officers had proposed changing these rules due to concerns over the deteriorating condition of Stoke-on-Trent’s taxi fleet. But following a consultation earlier this year, the licensing department has now accepted that it would be the wrong time to introduce the age limit.

Wallwork said: “We were looking for all vehicles to be removed from licensing at 12 years of age. Historically, we had an endof-life age policy, after which vehicles were not allowed to be renewed. We removed that three years ago because the trade told us they wanted to be in charge of their own destiny and that they would naturally replace older vehicles with the newer vehicles.

Unfortuately, over the past three years, it’s become apparent that that hasn’t happened, and we now have a much older fleet than we’ve ever had before. We had 17- and 18-year-old vehicles that have done hundreds of thousands of miles and are still currently licensed.”

£3 to £4 in August, having been increased from £1 at the end of October 2019.

Paul Hickinbottom, boss of Wellington-based Archie’s Cabs, has slammed the move: “I was furious. They did this without any prior warning,” he said. “We take 300 people to Bristol a year – most of them also require picking up when they return.

That could be an extra £1,800 a year from when it cost £1. I can’t just afford to swallow it up these increases. I don’t want to keep putting our prices up, but I’ll have to. It’s the poor customers that ends up paying the bill.”

A Bristol Airport spokesman said the fee was increased to discourage longer stays in the Drop and Go area. “The tariff reflects its convenience and proximity to the terminal. In recent months the area has been enhanced and redesigned to provide improved dropping off facilities for customers with easy access to the terminal.”

He added: “Customers who are dropping off family and friends who have a disabled badge will continue to be able to use the Drop and Go area for 30 minutes free of charge.” He said there was also a free one hour car park where drivers can wait before relocating to collect customers from the car parks closer to the terminal.

Swindon private hire drivers will not be allowed to work for multiple companies Swindon Borough Council’s licensing committee voted against a proposal that would have let private hire drivers work for different operators – including ridehailing apps. Instead, drivers will have to continue to register with the council as working for one operator.

The change was originally suggested by Labour councillor Jim Robbins, following requests from drivers who do a lot of airport and port work, as it would allow them to take bookings on the reverse journey.

But only six drivers responded to a consultation and this led to councillors not changing the rules.

Cllr John Ballman said: “The low response rate and the mixed response itself shows that this isn’t something people are crying out for.” But Cllr Robbins said: “I’m disappointed to hear this decision.

It would have been a great environmental decision to allow drivers find fares from other operators for their return journeys rather than returning empty.”

OCTOBER 2020

news C-Charge extension would be ‘catastrophe’, says LPHCA Mark Bursa The London Congestion Charge zone could be extended out as far as the North and South Circular roads as part of a deal for the UK Government to bail out financially crippled transport administrator Transport for London. The proposal, which London Mayor Sadiq Khan said he would resist, has been described by LPHCA chairman Steve Wright as “a complete catastrophe”.

Wright said: “Any expansion of the Congestion Charge zone couldn’t come at a worse time for Londoners, and in particular the private hire industry, following the severe hardship inflicted by the current pandemic. PHVs have kept London and the country moving through this difficult time and further taxes in the form of a Congestion Charge zone expansion will not only add insult to injury, but will be a complete catastrophe for our industry.”

Wright added: “I call on the decision-makers in Government and TfL to carefully consider this issue and come up with proposals that benefit London’s economy, rather than hinder it.”

Negotiations for a TfL bailout are ongoing after the government offered to extend the existing £1.6bn bailout terms for two more weeks, just before a deadline to avert financial collapse. TfL said it was “edging towards a deal”, but City Hall said

the government’s proposals – including dropping free travel for under-18s and significantly widening the congestion charge zone to the outer suburbs were “not right”.

The C-Charge has already been increased to £15 this year as part of an earlier Covid-19 bailout deal.

PHVs lost their C-Charge exemption in April 2019, and LPHCA is continuing to campaign for this to be reinstated, claiming the industry helps to reduce car ownership and dependency on private cars.

Deputy mayor Heidi Alexander said neither she nor Mayor Khan “can see how it’s right to charge people £15 to drive a mile from Wandsworth to Clapham, or Catford to Lewisham from October next year. That’s in effect what the government has told us they want. We can’t take free travel away from under-18s when lots of people are facing genuine hardship. Government needs to come to the table and talk sensibly about this.”

Uber establishes electric car partnership with Renault and Nissan in Europe Uber is looking to accelerate plans to convert its entire European fleet to electric power by 2040 by signing a Memorandum of Understanding with the Renault-Nissan alliance to source electric cars such as the Nissan Leaf for its drivers at discounted rates.

Uber last year signed an initial deal with Nissan to acquire up to 2,000 Leaf EVs in London, and the new MoU will expand that arrangement for partner drivers on the Uber App in several markets, including the United Kingdom, France, the Netherlands and Portugal.

Uber’s plan to become a zero-emissions mobility platform by 2040 will see a target of having EVs responsible

for 50% of journeys driven on Uber’s platform across seven European cities (Amsterdam, Berlin, Brussels, Lisbon, London, Madrid and Paris) by 2025. Uber claims those markets will account for 80% of the Uber European business by the end of 2021.

The pilot partnership in the UK will be expanded into France by the end of 2020, “with a view to scaling the programme to the Netherlands, Portugal, and other markets”, Uber said in a press release. Partner drivers on the Uber App will be able to source Renault Zoe and Nissan Leaf EVs at discounted rates, which will be extended to “future new EVs from both firms”.

The MoU also specifies that the

partners will “launch joint marketing and education plans to promote the EV offers and benefits to Uber’s partner drivers and offer test drives to allow them to experience the cars”.

Gilles Normand, Groupe Renault SVP, Electric Vehicles & Mobility Services, said: “This MoU with Uber is an acknowledgement of our ability to conquest new markets and to support professionals in their energy transition.

Today, we capitalize on our competitive advantage: an attractive EV offer that contributes to large scale electric mobility roll-out. We have worked closely with local authorities over the past years to propose solutions to the growing challenges facing cities:

transportation, decarbonisation and air quality. With the signature of this MoU we aim to join our forces to accelerate the movement.”

Jordi Vila, Divisional Vice President for Sales and Marketing at Nissan Europe, added: “From 10 years of experience with the Nissan Leaf, we know people love driving electric, and that making the switch can help drivers to save money and support the clean air ambitions of our major cities. By teaming up with Uber in the UK, we have already been able to increase the awareness and adoption of zero-emission vehicles, and we are looking forward to exploring how to roll that out further in Europe.”

Amber initiative to get Leeds students home safely amid Covid-19 crisis to stranded students as a matter of priority. The Veezu’s Leeds operator Amber Cars has pledged to end location must be a student residential address, support university students throughout the academic halls of residence, police station or hospital and the year with the launch of a Safe Taxi Scheme. Working student must settle their fee with the Students’ Union in collaboration with the students’ unions at both within 72 hours. Members of each students union Leeds University and Leeds Beckett University, the are fully trained to offer support and advice about the Safe Taxi Scheme ensures that all students can get a service and take payment. lift home after a night out, even if they don’t have any Chris Neary, Regional Director of Amber Cars, money for the fare on them. which has more than 1,200 drivers operating in The measures, designed to mitigate the spread the area, said: “Moving to a new area and starting of coronavirus, include specialist cleaning regimes, university can be daunting, even more so for freshers in-vehicle protective screens, the wearing of face [from left] Barbara Pereira, Leeds Beckett University Union Affairs officer, Amber Cars this year who are beginning their higher education coverings and passengers sitting in the rear of the driver Jose Paiva and Chris Neary, regional experience in unusual circumstances. We are here vehicle. During the hours of darkness, seven days a director, Amber Cars as students in Leeds find their feet; our emergency week, students from the participating universities service will ensure they get home safe without can book a taxi journey by quoting either ‘Leeds worry over finding the fare. Our precautionary measures against University Safe Taxi Scheme’ or ‘Leeds Beckett Covid-19 will also provide students with peace of mind that their University Safe Taxi Scheme’. journey will be as safe as possible.”

If they have a valid student card as proof of ID, a vehicle will be sent

OCTOBER 2020

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news LPHCA launches Stop Shutting Streets campaign to reverse road closures as City officials plan permanent restrictions Mark Bursa The Licensed Private Hire Car Association has launched a campaign aimed at combatting road closures and the increasing conversion of road space into cycle lanes.

The move comes as the City of London Corporation revealed it was considering making new temporary street closures a lasting feature of the Square Mile. In June, the governing body of London’s financial district announced a raft of changes to its streets in a bid to encourage people to return to work. These included introducing wider footpaths, narrowing lanes for traffic and timed road closures to encourage commuters to walk or cycle. Major thoroughfares, including Cheapside, Threadneedle Street, and Moorgate, were included in the schemes.

Alastair Moss, chair of the City of London Corporation’s Planning and Transportation Committee, said many of the changes could be made permanent. “We’ve got the luxury at

the moment that we can try things out and use the pandemic as a virtue.

A lot of these roads were congested, air quality has been an issue, road safety has been an issue. We’re determined those things should be tackled, so I’d anticipate that a lot of our measures will stay.”

The LPHCA campaign, called “Stop Shutting Streets”, is not just aimed at the taxi and private hire trade. Indeed, LPHCA believes road closures affect all motorists, as well as emergency services vehicles.

In a statement, LPHCA said: “Road closures can affect all motorists.

They hit those even harder who are trying to earn a living on the streets, like the many brave Taxi and Private Hire Vehicle (PHV) drivers connected to our organisations who have been out on the frontline moving doctors, nurses and many other important people around despite the dangers of the Covid-19 pandemic. Our aim is for ‘Stop Shutting Streets’ to be a

East Cambs council to debate mandatory in-cab CCTV Local taxis could be forced to fit CCTV in their cabs as part of changes to be considered

by East Cambridgeshire District Council. The council’s licensing committee is being asked to “instruct officers to consult to see if there are any local circumstances which indicate whether introducing CCTV in vehicles would have a positive or negative impact”.

It is currently optional to fit CCTV cameras, and council policy states the licensee must display a sign in a prominent position in the vehicle to let passengers know that a camera is installed. The policy states: “The licensee shall ensure that all CCTV systems follow data protection laws and any cameras are mounted at a level equal to or greater than the level of the dashboard, and directed at face height.”

Other amendments are being proposed, including an oral knowledge test, safeguarding and customer awareness training for members and reducing DBS checks on drivers from 12 to six months.

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unified campaign, shared amongst a coalition of road users from all backgrounds.”

LPHCA has also launched a petition and is encouraging social media users to adopt the #StopShuttingStreets hashtag in support of the campaign. “The powers that be are reducing road space across the land and we believe this is a major misjudgement,” the LPHCA statement continued. “Have disabled passengers that require door-to-door transport been considered when an existing road is converted into an empty cycle lane?

What about ambulances trying to reach critically ill patients that get caught up in additional traffic backing up from the latest street closure?”

LPHCA Chairman Steve Wright said: “Street closures and streetscape reductions have proven to be trafficgenerating and environmentally unfriendly UK-wide. The widely condemned closure of streets, reduced

road space and imposition of poorly planned streetscape schemes, without appropriate consultation and impact assessments, is in our view one of the primary reasons for increased poor air quality.”

“Furthermore, this causes problems picking-up and dropping-off disabled people, the elderly and the vulnerable at many destinations where a private hire vehicle or taxi could usually take them to. The policy is not only compromising those dependent on door-to-door services, it is failing to meet one of its primary alleged objectives of improving social distancing.

Many passengers that would be getting straight into or out of a PHV or Taxi, often after dark, are having to walk great distances and pass many others who are out and about. Not only does this compromise public safety, it compromises social distancing too.”

To support the campaign by signing the petition, please follow this link: www.ipetitions.com/petition/stopshutting-streets

TfL extends English language test requirement until September 30, 2021 because of Coronavirus disruption Transport for London has again extended the deadline for London private hire drivers to complete an English language proficiency test. Blaming the Covid-19 pandemic, TfL has moved the deadline forward by 12 months to September 30, 2021.

But plans to draw up alternatives to the controversial and much-maligned written testing policy have been put on hold as a result of the Government’s new guidelines for taxi and private hire operators, published in July.

In a statement, Graham Robson, TfL general manager, Taxi and Private Hire, said: “The impacts of the coronavirus pandemic have made complying with the ELR more difficult. Drivers have been unable to take a Secure English Language Test (SELT) during recent months owing to the temporary closure of the testing centres and we recognise that recovering evidence of qualifications has been difficult because many academic institutions have also temporarily closed.”

The SELT centres have only recently reopened and English language testing has resumed, but social distancing means the centres are unable to offer the same number of tests before the lockdown.

Robson said TfL had been looking at “alternative ways that drivers could demonstrate their English language skills” without the need for onerous

written tests. “These plans were put on hold so we could focus our resources on critical licensing activities and supporting the industry throughout the pandemic,” he said.

A further delay has been caused by the Department for Transport announcement in July, of new statutory standards for taxi and private hire drivers, which include a requirement for licensing authorities to test English language proficiency for taxi and private hire drivers. “We are currently considering all of the new statutory standards announced by the DfT and will make further announcements about how TfL will comply,” Robson said.

Anyone whose application for a London PHV driver’s licence (including a renewal) that was received by TfL on or after October 14, 2016 has until September 30, 2021 to provide evidence that they comply with the ELR, either by submitting documentary evidence of a qualification or passing a SELT with one of TfL’s appointed providers. No further action is needed by any licensee or applicant who has submitted satisfactory evidence that they comply with the ELR. For details of how to meet the ELR, follow this link: www.tfl.gov.uk/info-for/taxis-and-private-hire/ english-language-requirement

OCTOBER 2020

news

New-start car finance and rental operation makes its first sale at EV event in Watford Mark Bursa A new venture designed to source and fund electric and hybrid cars for private hire (PH) operators has been launched by former chauffeur specialist car dealer Simon Posner and ex-Hertz Rental UK managing director David Rowlands [pictured]. Ram Automotive went live in September and made its public debut at an event in Watford, organised by electric vehicle consultancy Electric Blue, where a number of suppliers presented clean car alternatives to local operators.

Ram Automotive made its first sale to the PH sector at the Watford event, with Muhammad Qureshi of Radlett-based Herts Cars acquiring two Hyundai Ioniq EVs. He said his company was operating 150 cars prior to the March lockdown, though the fleet had reduced since then. “We were growing rapidly before Coronavirus. But this is part of life and we will grow again,” he said. “Who doesn’t want a cleaner world?”

Qureshi said he planned to start with one or two cars and a fast charger at his head office, and then put in more chargers as the EV fleet grew. He said he was impressed with the Ioniq: “It’s spacious and with big boot. It’s a very suitable car for our needs. Elderly customers want saloon cars not SUVs.” He said he wanted to convince his drivers to switch to EVs, as running costs were much lower at 5-6p per mile rather than 30p per mile on diesel.

Initially Ram Automotive is offering sales and finance, and the company sold 10 cars in its first

Mercedes Benz adds retail chauffeur programme for London users Mercedes-Benz Retail has created an aftersales chauffeur programme to help keep London PCO-licensed chauffeurs on the road. Drivers who sign up to the scheme will gain access to preferential rates on service and parts at Mercedes-Benz dealers throughout London and the M25.

To access the exclusive rates, PCO licensed chauffeurs simply have to sign up to the programme online, and then quote their PCO when calling or going online to book a service.

The deal gives a saving of 32% compared to the the standard retail rate for servicing.

Oil is priced at £10 plus VAT per litre, giving a 42% saving, while parts prices are 10% lower. Mercedes-Benz Retail has 15 locations in and around the M25.

OCTOBER 2020

[from left] Simon Posner and David Rowlands

month of trading – ahead of target. The company will add long-term rentals as an offering in the near future. Posner said a number of rental suppliers were being lined up as a source for cars, though ultimately Ram Automotive planned to acquire its own rental fleet, with cars rented out for up to two years before being defleeted.

Long-term rental, of 90 days and beyond, is a space in the market that is ripe for development, Rowlands said: “People who don’t want to get into PCPs are looking at long-term rentals, where it’s easy to get out of the contract with a one-month notice period.” This makes particular sense for PH operators and drivers working on the traditional owner-driver model, where the driver has to source the vehicle.

Muhammad Qureshi

The concept has less rigorous credit scoring – just credit checks – as the risks are lower than a locked-in three-year contract. Rowlands compares the concept to renting a mobile phone, where you can upgrade when you want. It also allows rentals to be dictated by mileage rather than time, giving operators more frequent upgrades. Posner said the target was to have 150 cars out on rental by the end of 2021, followed by steady growth of 60-70 cars per year.

The target for sales is “open-ended”, Posner added. He said talks were underway with a major London PH operator for the supply of 30 cars, mainly electric as well as a few PHEVs. “A couple of other companies that attended the Watford event have expressed an interest in buying cars through us,” he said.

Northampton drivers get 12-month extension on cleaner cars deadline Northampton Borough Council has extended a deadline for taxis and private hire vehicles to meet new emissions standards by 12 months because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Drivers now have until December 31, 2021 to ensure their vehicles meet the new emissions standards, with many having already taken the decision to switch to electric cars. The deadline of December 2020 was originally set in 2018.

Councillors on the licensing committee agreed to extend the deadline by a year after taxi drivers raised concerns over the cost of updating their vehicles at a time when trade has massively diminished. The resolution to

extend the deadline was passed unanimously by the committee. Cllr Andrew Kilbride, a member of the committee, said: “Like all businesses with this pandemic there have been a lot of financial problems and people are struggling. Taxi drivers are in one of the industries that has been hit most hard.

They’re not going to have the money to invest in electric cars, so it’s good we’re looking at this.”

Under the new rules, all patrol and hybrid cars must meet at least Euro 5 emissions standards and all diesels must meet Euro 6 levels. Euro 4 petrol or hybrid, or Euro 5 diesels will have to be replaced with newer vehicles.

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news analysis | clean air zones Greater Manchester set to consult on zeroemissions taxis and CAZ plan

Leeds hits clean air targets early and CAZ is no longer required, review finds Mark Bursa The planned Leeds Clean Air Zone is no longer required, as many businesses have already switched to cleaner vehicles earlier than expected, a joint review by Leeds City Council and central government has concluded.

Senior councillors will discuss the conclusions and proposals to voluntarily introduce new air quality targets that go further than the national standards at a meeting of the council’s Executive Board next week.

More than 90% of buses and 80% of heavy goods vehicles driven in the city now use cleaner Euro 6 engines and therefore would not be charged if a zone was introduced. Research shows that the newer vehicles emit significantly fewer emissions than older models, especially when travelling at the slower speeds often travelled in urban environments. Nearly half of the city’s licensed taxi and private hire cars are also now hybrid or electric.

Because of the dramatic shift to cleaner vehicles, the review found that air pollution in Leeds on key routes is below legal limits and is not likely to exceed them again—even if traffic were to return to pre-Covid levels or slightly higher.

Transport infrastructure improvements and the surging popularity of ultra-low emission vehicles in Leeds are further accelerating improvements to the city’s air quality.

The council has written to the government requesting to keep £6.9 million of CAZ funding that Leeds had previously secured to ‘lock in’ the full extent of air quality improvements. The money would be used to continue offering grants to help local businesses switch to cleaner

16

vehicles as well as to provide free licensing costs to drivers of less polluting taxi and private hire cars.

Leeds will also be able to keep and repurpose the ANPR camera infrastructure that had been installed to monitor and enforce the zone. In the unlikely event that air quality declined for any reason, the council retains this infrastructure and could seek support from central government to introduce a Clean Air Zone.

As part of an updated air quality strategy being brought forward early next year, Leeds City Council is proposing to voluntarily introduce stricter new targets for local air quality that are aligned with World Health Organisation guidelines. Cllr James Lewis, deputy leader of Leeds City Council and executive board member with responsibility for air quality said: “When we consulted on the CAZ in 2018, we said that we hoped that no one would be charged because businesses would switch to less polluting vehicles before the charging system takes effect.”

“That is exactly what has happened. We have achieved the aims of the Clean Air Zone without having to charge a single vehicle. If Leeds were to introduce a CAZ today, only a fraction of vehicles would be affected because the vast majority of businesses are now driving cleaner vehicles than they were just a few years ago.”

Cllr Lewis concluded: “While we celebrate that our air is cleaner than ever, and cleaner than some other UK cities, this council also recognises that air pollution remains the biggest environmental threat to our health. That’s why we’re considering voluntarily introducing even stricter targets for Leeds, aligned with WHO guidelines.”

Two public consultations are being held in Greater Manchester over the plan to introduce a Clean Air Zone in the region, and a proposal for all taxis and private hire vehicles to be zero emissions by the end of the decade. The consultations run until Thursday, December 3.

The Government has instructed Greater Manchester to introduce a Category C* class clean air zone CAZ covering all 10 local authority areas to tackle air pollution on the roads. The CAZ consultation will ask for views on key elements of the CAZ including the zone’s proposed boundary, daily charges, discounts and exemptions, and request to government for a multimillion-pound funding package to support local businesses to upgrade to cleaner vehicles.

Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham said: “We are serious about tackling air pollution across our region and recognise it is the most pressing environmental public health issue facing the country today.”

To complete the CAZ consultation questionnaire, please visit https://cleanairgm.com/cleanair-zone/

Andy Burnham

OCTOBER 2020

clean air zones | news analysis

Council announces March 15, 2021 launch date for Bath Clean Air Zone Bath’s Clean Air Zone is set to become the first charging clean air zone in England outside London when it goes live on Monday, March 15, 2021. The Bath CAZ was due to be switched on this November but has been delayed by the coronavirus crisis – and a further escalation in the pandemic could see a further delay.

The clean air zone will operate in the city centre 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. Charges will apply to pre-Euro 6 diesel and pre-Euro 4 petrol vehicles, except private cars and motorbikes. Non-compliant taxis, private hire vehicles, minibuses, LGVs and vans (including pick-ups and campervans) will be charged £9 a day while higher emission buses, coaches and HGVs will be charged £100 a day.

Bath & North East Somerset Council said it considered air quality, traffic levels and the impacts of Covid-19 on local businesses and the economy, before agreeing the new start date with the government. The council is currently contacting more than 9,000 local businesses to help them establish whether charges will apply to their vehicles.

A financial support scheme is being launched to support people regularly affected by charges with grants and interest-free finance to help them upgrade to compliant vehicles. Drivers affected by charges are also advised to check the council’s website for a list of local exemptions and whether they might be eligible for financial support to upgrade their vehicle or fleet: www.bathnes. gov.uk/BathCAZ Local businesses and individuals, including those in neighbouring authorities that have premises and/or regularly drive in the zone, can apply. For example, eligible van

drivers could stand to receive up to £4,500 in grants, plus interest-free finance, to help them upgrade to a similar, compliant vehicle.

Larger grants are available of up to £20,000 for HGVs and £35,000 for buses and coaches.

The council secured a total funding package of £23.452m to implement the scheme and provide supporting measures, such as the financial assistance scheme.

In light of Covid-19, the council has amended the scheme, so eligible businesses that fail their initial credit check can reapply once their finances have improved.

In addition, these drivers would be able to apply for exemptions on their non-compliant vehicles for up to two years. There are also a wide range of exemptions available for hard-to-replace or special vehicles, and to support disadvantaged groups and vital services in the city. Applications for all local exemptions and discounted vehicles will open in November.

Cllr Dine Romero, council leader, said: “In 2017 the government directed us to reduce

levels of nitrogen dioxide in the city in the shortest possible time. The council consulted widely on this and agreed to introduce a class C charging CAZ with traffic management at Queen Square, charging all higher emission vehicles, except private cars and motorcycles, to drive in Bath’s city centre. However, there is no getting away from the fact that Covid-19 has had a significant impact on many businesses and this will be an additional cost that they have to consider. We have worked hard to secure a considerable package of financial and other support to help business owners and I would urge them to get in touch, talk to us and find out how we can help.”

Drivers can check their vehicles to see if they will be charged by using the government’s central CAZ service at www.gov. uk/cleanairzone. All they need is their vehicle registration number. A central CAZ support service is also available on 0300 029 8888 to assist those with any questions on their vehicle’s compliance.

—Mark Bursa

Birmingham Clean Air Zone to go live on in June ’21 Mark Bursa Birmingham’s delayed Clean Air Zone will launch on June 1, 2021, 11 months later than originally planned. Under the scheme, drivers of older polluting petrol and diesel cars who travel into the centre will face daily charges of £8.

The scheme was originally been due to be enforced from July 2020, but faults with the Government’s new vehicle checker service and the coronavirus pandemic have delayed the introduction.

OCTOBER 2020

All drivers of pre-Euro 4 petrol and pre-Euro 6 diesel cars will have to pay the daily charge of £8 to drive within the limits of the A4540 Middleway Ring Road. The zone will be enforced by ANPR cameras and drivers of ineligible vehicles who fail to pay the charge will be hit with a £120 fine. The city council estimates that one in four cars currently entering the CAZ does not comply.

The scheme will operate 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. It means a driver of a non-compliant car who enters the zone at 11pm and leaves after midnight

will have to pay the charge twice. Buses and HGVs used in the centre of Birmingham will face much higher daily charges of £50 per vehicle. But vans and minibuses used to transport schoolchildren or provide community transport services, and vehicles with a disabled tax class, will be exempt.

Birmingham city council also confirmed that £35million worth of financial incentives will be made available to support businesses, residents and city workers to adjust to the new changes - with applications for the funding already open.

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

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

Hand sanitisers will be provided to all drivers and customers.

Drivers will sanitise their hands regularly.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Social distancing guidelines will be followed by the driver.

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

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

to get the UK moving again

#GoSafeGoTaxi

200+ signatories and counting

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

uber-autocab

Market reaction to Uber’s acquisition of Autocab continues to make waves Mark Bursa

U

ber’s takeover of dispatch systems giant Autocab continues to cause ripples

throughout the private hire industry. It has prompted calls for unity from operators and trade associations, yet the upshot is far from a unified response. Indeed, if Uber intended the deal to be a way to divide and conquer the sector, it is succeeding.

Leading operators have launched bitter attacks on the deal. Joe Polley, managing director of London operator Parker Cars, said the Uber acquisition of Autocab was “the most menacing danger to the private hire industry that has ever existed”.

Not everyone agrees with this analysis.

Consultant Dr Mike Galvin, formerly with Addison Lee and now working for Uber rival Bolt, said the Autocab deal was in no way fatal to the industry. He said: “There are many despatch companies in this industry. It is a healthy and functioning market and if you don’t like how your technology provider rolls then you have a choice; stay and enjoy, stay and moan or move. At the moment, there is choice and frankly lots of it.”

In the wake of the deal, a group of 10 leading Autocab users, including major operators such as Aqua Cars of Portsmouth and Boro Taxis of Middlesbrough, has held a meeting with Uber’s European chief Jamie Heywood, at which a number of demands were laid down to Uber, including asking Uber to pull out of directly hiring drivers, and allowing operators to exit from their Autocab contracts without penalty.

A petition has also been launched, organised by sales outsourcing company Dotted, asking for signatures to support referring the deal to the Competitions and Markets Authority. In a statement, Dotted said: “It is the purpose of dispatch providers to provide technology to the private hire industry, to combat companies such as Uber. Having now acquired Autocab, this is a direct attack on our industry.”

Autocab said a briefing note was submitted to the CMA on the day of the takeover announcement (August 6). “This is normal

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business practice when a high-profile global brand is involved. Following our briefing note, we are at the moment helping the CMA with answers to their questions and clarifications.”

Uber maintains the Autocab takeover is nothing more than a business play, enabling the users of its app – and there are many millions of them in the UK - to access cars in many more towns and cities than at present.

And on the face of it, there is an overwhelming logic to that. Outside London, Uber operates in around 40 towns and cities – if it can tap into the Autocab user base, Uber estimates another 170 significant markets will be available to it.

In a response to Dotted’s statement, Autocab restated its business case: “Autocab and Uber are not competitors. The deal will enable Uber and local private hire and taxi operators across the UK to grow through their use of the iGo marketplace. They will be able to access hundreds of thousands of additional trips every month as Uber connects people looking for trips in the app to local firms in areas where Uber does not operate.”

“Autocab and Uber are not competitors. The deal will enable Uber and local private hire and taxi operators across the UK to grow through their use of the iGo marketplace...”

Inevitably, the arguments have turned into a war of words between operators and dispatch suppliers that are in competition with Autocab. There is no doubt that Autocab’s rivals such as iCabbi and Cordic see an opportunity to convince disaffected Autocab customers to switch allegiance. They believe some Autocab operators are fearful that Uber might access their data, or worse, might be using them as a way to build up a local Uber presence, which Uber will at some unspecified future time exploit by opening up its own service in their town.

This is a genuine fear, based on many years of distrust of Uber. The ride-hailing giant has done little to win friends within the UK private hire trade, riding rough-shod over rules as it built a strong presence from a standing start in 2012. Repeated court cases, mainly over its fitness to operate in London, have not cast Uber in a good light.

And yet last month’s appeal court ruling has brought an end to that, at least for the next 18 months. Uber’s new management has clearly done enough to convince the judge that it is cleaning up its act, and to be fair to the company, there is evidence of a new approach since the removal of founder Travis Kalanick in 2018 and the arrival of Dara Khosrowshahi as CEO. Khosrowshahi has come from the travel platform Expedia, and has appointed new managers with experience of online retailing and travel, in place of the Silicon Valley types that ran the company in its earlier years.

These include European head Jamie Heywood, formerly of Amazon, who in interview with Professional Driver last month even

OCTOBER 2020

uber-autocab

These include European head Jamie Heywood, formerly of Amazon, who in interview with Professional Driver last month even described Uber’s strategy of opening its own operations in UK towns as a “previous model”, suggesting that future growth will come via Autocab rather than new local Uber operations.

Indeed, this is backed up by evidence – Uber has not opened in a new UK town since 2017, and with senior appointments coming from the app and “platform” sector rather than individuals with operational taxi industry experience, the evidence supports Heywood’s view that Uber could roll back on its own operations over time and become nothing more than a platform, When asked whether Uber might scale back in cities such as Manchester and Newcastle, where Uber has established a presence but has not achieved anything like the market domination it has managed in London.

Heywood replied “I wouldn’t rule it out.”

This contrasts with comments aired at a recent webinar hosted by Dotted. It was alleged that at the meeting the Autocab users were told that if they refused to take Uber jobs made available to them on Autocab’s iGo platform, Uber would threaten to open up or expand its own operations in their towns.

During the webinar, Dotted’s Azmat Sherwani – a former Autocab executive – said: “It has come to our attention that a number of fleets have been approached by Uber Autocab, asking you to conduct work for Uber with the indirect threat that they will open in your area if you refuse.”

He added: “We believe that Uber Autocab

OCTOBER 2020

are also now asking customers to sign an NDA. We urge fleets not to sign this. This sort of intimidation and underhand tactics are being used to silence the industry and bully fleets.”

In a response from Autocab to the Dotted webinar discussions, sent to Professional Driver, Autocab stated: “There have been no threats made, implied or otherwise, by Autocab that Uber will launch in a new location if operators refuse Uber’s work. As Uber stated in their press release and Jamie [Heywood] stated in the interview with Mark Bursa of Professional Driver Magazine, Uber have not launched in a new UK city since 2017. Uber want to work with, rather than against the trade and have launched similar initiatives partnering with taxi companies in 20 countries to date.”

The statement reaffirmed that operators could opt out of taking Uber jobs: “The iGo marketplace can provide opportunities for increased bookings for operators who have opted-in to receive this work. Operators are entirely free to choose whether they participate in the iGo marketplace and will be free to choose whether they would like to work with Uber in the future, and we have no plans to change that. Simply put, using the iGo marketplace will be voluntary.”

The situation is in need of de-escalation, but despite numerous calls for unity, there is little sign of that happening. It is highly unlikely that the CMA will be interested in the deal, as it is a stretch to see a dispatch system supplier and a consumer app as competitors. Dotted’s claim, in the documents supporting its petition, that “there is good reason to suspect that the takeover of Autocab will have an adverse effect on competition, either on the software market itself or on a related private hire market,” appears tenuous, and is denied strongly by Autocab.

Autocab states: “This deal will only increase competition. It’s good for operators, drivers and consumers. There are other marketplaces out there, other dispatch companies. This will open up competition on both supply and demand. We believe that by integrating Uber’s app with iGo, both riders who use the Uber app and drivers who are already using Autocab’s technology will benefit. Operators and their drivers will be able to benefit from the hundreds of thousands of Uber users who open up the app in the towns and cities where Uber does not currently operate. What is good for consumers and what is good for business is good for the CMA.”

Mike Galvin believes the CMA will not get involved, even if Uber were to hoover up the rest of the despatch industry. He believes the CMA would not even prevent Uber from buying iCabbi, Cordic, Catalina and other smaller providers. “Were the CMA not the people who came out quite astonishingly in favour of Uber [against TfL’s plans to curb Uber]? Don’t expect much help there.” He also said iCabbi as an French-owned, Irish-based company would in any case be outside the CMA’s influence post-Brexit.

He said: “In fairness to the CMA they see their role as protecting the consumer. If you want to build your own system you can. This is not a utility company in a monopoly situation threatening to cut you off, it is technology and there is lots of it and there is nothing stopping you from going elsewhere or doing it yourself or with others.”

As the arguments rage, Autocab operators are at a loss as to what to do. With good reason, many do not trust Uber, despite Heywood’s charm offensive. But changing horses to another dispatch supplier carries its own risks.

Firstly, if an operator in a town leaves Autocab, they will miss out on those potential Uber jobs that they could be taking. And make no mistake, a local competitor will be happy to move in and take that work.

Secondly, jumping ship to a rival dispatch supplier carries its own risks. iCabbi, Autocab’s main rival, was quick to encourage Autocab users to defect. It claimed that its own owner – a subsidiary of car maker Renault – was not trying to compete with operators in the way that Uber was with Autocab users.

Unfortunately, this has backfired rather spectacularly on iCabbi, with the announcement shortly after the UberAutocab deal that Renault-Nissan has signed a Memorandum of Understanding to supply electric cars to Uber drivers at discounted rates. Uber last year signed an initial deal with Nissan to acquire up to 2,000 Leaf EVs in London, and the new MoU will expand that arrangement for partner drivers on the Uber App in markets, including the UK, France, the Netherlands and Portugal.

In its response to the Uber-Autocab deal, iCabbi said one of Renault’s motivations for buying iCabbi was to sell cars to iCabbi users. But the MoU gives preferential rates to Uber, and it could extend low-rate deals to drivers who CONTINUED ON PAGE 22

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uber-autocab Operators look to develop their own Uber-beating apps in fightback against ride-hailing giant Among the most vociferous critics of the UberAutocab deal has been Joe Polley, managing director of Parker Car Service, one of London’s largest private hire fleets. Parker has declared the deal to be “the most menacing danger to the private hire industry that has ever existed”, has compared Uber of acting like a “parasitic wasp” on the private hire trade with a “well-documented history of allegations of unscrupulous activity”.

Polley has also threatened to resign from the LPHCA over the issue, accusing LPHCA chairman Steve Wright in an open letter of “effectively lending support” to Uber via its continued relationship with Autocab, which is also a member of the association.

Clear-the-air talks have apparently now taken place between Polley and Wright.

CAB.NETWORK

Interest has come from across the UK. In the short term, he believes Uber now, through its ownership of Autocab, is now “the keeper of data for hundreds of private hire and taxi organisations”.

He wrote: “While the article contains rather predictable assurances like ‘Autocab’s data remains Autocab’s data’, if Autocab is owned by Uber then it is in my opinion Uber’s data too.”

CABMYRIDE

Joe Polley

Rather than just complain about Uber, however, Polley has launched a new initiative which is designed to bring the private hire trade together with its own technology platform. This is called Cab.Network, and it is designed to operate on top of any booking and dispatch system, allowing operators around the country to share jobs, just as Autocab’s iGo network does.

The initial response to the Cab.Network has been positive, with 40 companies so far indicating they would sign up for the system. Polley describes it as “a network without barriers” and also as “jobs pool on steroids” – a reference to the so-called “Soft Merge” job-sharing system initiated by Parker Cars and fellow south London operators Keen Group and Greyhound Cars, which allows operators on the Cordic dispatch system to share jobs to each others’ systems. This started in 2018 as a direct challenge to Uber’s London operations, and allows operators

to share jobs, bringing down response times during peak periods. It was being used by upwards of 80 companies around London and the south-east prior to the Covid-19 lockdown, though with the drop-off in work, there is less of a need to share jobs, Polley said.

Cab.Network is still under development – at present Polley is only looking for expressions of intent from potential users. And the technical development is still in progress. But the system is not a dispatch system – it is designed to sit outside the dispatch system and therefore should allow users with different dispatch systems to link together – for example iCabbi and Cordic. He admits it may be difficult for Autocab users to come on board given his antipathy to Uber, though.

He believes Cab.Network presents a way to combat Uber, combining the best elements of the Riide network, which is affiliated to iCabbi, the CordicSoft merge and indeed Autocab’s iGo.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 21

election? Who will stop Uber or anyone else if they decide to get local licensing washed away and enable direct to driver despatch – where in our industry is that body?

“It’s no secret that it is nowhere. Likewise it will stay nowhere because no one wants to pay for it. By pay I am talking a thousand pounds a month or something meaningful not the odd tenner a month and a heroic £100 if there is a special box rattling exercise to launch a judicial review. If you look at the successful industries they all face existential threats from time to time. Some fall by the wayside, some come together and buy the representation and other things that they need to thrive. The Road Haulage Association is a prime example. There are many others.”

He concluded: “Our industry’s key systemic threats are; leadership, technology and distribution. Unless the industry starts to get itself organised and into a position where

undertake Uber work via the Autocab platform.

The risk remains too that Renault may look to exit the mobility market as a cost-saving exercise. The Covid-19 crisis has prompted a review of “mobility” investments within car companies, with Daimler and BMW looking at selling their Free Now operations – which recently absorbed Uber rival Kapten – with the potential buyer rumoured to be… Uber.

Galvin believes what is needed is proper leadership. “Where is the leadership of this industry? Yes there are lots of organisations to help you out with the local council, to get a rank, to stop a rank being taken away and to get a driver’s badge back. But where is the horizon scanning? What are we doing to influence the three/five year strategy? Who is feeding into the Labour manifesto for the next

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Polley’s Cab.Network is not the only new “unification app” being touted around the trade. In Southampton, taxi operator CabMyRide has also developed a new app that it hopes will be adopted across the trade. CabMyRide owner Harjit Singh Sahota has developed the app at a cost of £150,000 with technical input from Southampton University’s Computer Science department. The company has been using the app since 2015, but is now offering it to other companies.

Like Cab.Network, CabMyRide allows operators to share jobs, and lets users find cars in other towns and cities where there is a CabMyRide user. “I believe we can beat Uber at its own game,” said Singh Sahota. Already he has signed up his first partner, Newport, Isle of Wight-based Alpha Cars, which claims to be the biggest fleet on the island.

Singh Sarota said operators would pay just a small per-car weekly fee to access the app. “We want to open it to as wide as possible an audience in the industry,” he said. This could include offering “powered by CabMyRide” white label apps for individual operators, and full integration with any dispatch system. Like Uber, the app has a driver rating system built in, and there are separate consumer and driver apps. “Some of our customers have said our app is better than Uber,” he adds.

it has a clear strategy, where big and small can not only survive but thrive, every week, month and year will bring further turmoil to an industry that is ill placed to deal with it.

Maybe when we talk about consolidation we should talk about institutions merging instead of fighting each other for members and be properly answerable to their members who in turn are prepared to pay proper fees for a proper service?”

It’s difficult to work out where this is all heading. Uber clearly has to do a lot more work before it can even start to convince the private hire trade it has honourable intentions. Meanwhile attempts to “unify” the approach could result in greater fragmentation and fallout. And all the time, the consumers continue to like and enjoy the Uber app. Operators may hate Uber, but their customers clearly do not. Quite the opposite, in fact. This one will run and run.

OCTOBER 2020

uber-autocab MBH plans major industry consolidation and national brand Mark Bursa

T

he uber-autocab deal has stimulated discussions about operators working more closely together – alliances such as Riide have used the situation as a platform for recruitment.

But alliances are difficult to manage, and the Covid-19 crisis has prompted a number of business owners to consider exiting the sector, and opening up a space for consolidation through takeovers.

Veezu has been the prime mover in this market, targeting very large operators in major cities and building central hubs around these companies.

These deals are difficult to pull off, though, and after initial successes, Veezu has found it difficult to add to its portfolio, bringing in West Country giant V Cars in 2018 and in 2019, West Midlands-based Go Carz.

Now a new player has entered the space in the form of investment

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OCTOBER 2020

company MBH Holdings. MBH has made 14 acquisitions in a number of industry sectors and markets in the past two years, including five deals since the start of the Covid-19 crisis. And the taxi and private hire market is one it has identified as ripe for development.

Last month MBH bought Leicesterbased taxi operator ADT for £3.4 million. ADT has 600 drivers on strength and owns 150 cars. Under the deal, ADT’s managers David Hunter and Ashley Butcher have been tasked with expanding MBH’s taxi portfolio through acquisition, and the pair are currently holding meetings with taxi firms across the UK. “If we’re going to build a network we needed to own the network – otherwise there are too many chiefs,” said Hunter. “We were approached by MBH corporation, which said they would give us the money to buy taxi companies.”

Prospective companies have the option of exiting the business on completion of the sale, or staying on board and

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growing their local business, perhaps through further acquisitions. “The deal is not like Veezu, which offers a slow buyout over time. MBH issues bonds so we can buy the owner out and they can get paid in 60 days,” Hunter said.

Hunter said two or three more acquisitions would be announced “before Christmas”, and after that a pipeline of acquisitions could see a flood of business joining in the new year. “We’re going around seeing companies –about 40 so far. Of those, 16 are looking at the legal sale process.”

The spread of potential acquisitions is vast – as well as further companies

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in Leicestershire, discussions are ongoing with operators in Nuneaton, Birmingham, Wolverhampton, Telford, Manchester, Crewe, Liverpool, Bolton, Burnley, Nottingham, Lincoln, Cambridge, Norwich, Huntingdon, Basingstoke, Hatfield, Farnborough, Brighton and Eastbourne.

Once the acquisitions have been made, Hunter said there would be a process of streamlining, bringing together back office functions such as accounts, dispatch and marketing.

“Then we’ll look at technology to bring them all together. This could be a common system from iCabbi, Autocab or another supplier, or we could develop something ourselves. As a final step, the businesses within the group will be brought together under a common brand – TakeMe. This will be backed by an app, allowing the brand to be marketed nationally. ADT also diversified during the coronavirus pandemic, by introducing a food delivery service app called EatMe.

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WWW.CAB.NETWORK 23

masks & screens

Vague and confusing government stance on face masks and car screens leaves industry in limbo Mark Bursa

where possible. The DfT “advises” drivers to wear a face covering when they are unable to maintain social distancing in passenger-facing roles.

S PARTS OF THE UK HEAD FOR A And in a further loophole, it has emerged that second wave of coronavirus lockdowns, private chauffeurs and people riding in private government guidance for the private chauffeur cars do not have to wear masks as, hire sector in terms of driver and passenger unlike cab drivers, they do not encounter a series of safety remains vague and confused, with feeble, different contacts. This leaves further unenforceable standards for face loopholes – for example private coverings, and no guidance at all chauffeurs operating as a pool, for safety screens, where decisions where the rules are not clear, and to allow, encourage or in extreme predictably, Downing Street “did not cases, to ban their use has been left know” the specifics of the rules. with the 400 local council licensing No 10 later issued a clarification, authorities. stating that Johnson and other After Transport Secretary Grant cabinet ministers – who use a pool Shapps announced updated guidance of chauffeurs - would wear masks in last month, a senior union boss government cars. Johnson said the branded the time it has taken the new restrictions could be in place for Government to make mandatory the Peter Taylor, “perhaps six months”. wearing of face coverings for taxi and Mayor of Watford The guidance was so vague that some councils private hire passengers as “monstrous”. were forced to issue their own clarifications.

Steve Garelick, GMB regional organiser Liverpool City Council confirmed that taxi and logistics, gig economy & local government, said in private hire vehicle drivers will not be liable of an a Tweet: “On April 6 I wrote asking Grant Shapps offence should they carry a passenger who refuses and the Department for Transport to make face to wear a face mask in defiance of the law. In a masks mandatory in taxis for customers… The statement, Liverpool City Council Licensing’s government finally acted over five months later.

Kevin Johnson said: “For the avoidance of doubt a Monstrous behaviour.” hackney carriage or private hire vehicle driver will It is now a legal requirement for passengers NOT commit an offence by carrying a passenger to wear face coverings in taxis and private hire who is not wearing a face covering.” The penalty vehicles, as well as in hospitality venues such as for passengers failing to wear a face covering will restaurants and bars, other than when you are be £200 for a first offence, doubling each time eating and drinking. Staff in retail and hospitality to a maximum fine of £6,400. This is in line with settings will also be legally required to wear face penalties for breaking the rule of six. coverings. If necessary, the police and Transport Meanwhile, makers and suppliers of screens for London (TfL) officers have enforcement powers continue to have to jump through arduous hoops in including issuing fines of £200, halving to £100 if paid within 14 days, but doubling up to a maximum order to get Transport for London’s approval. So far the only screens that have been given an approval of £6,400 for repeated offences. are those developed by vehicle manufacturers. To However, the rules do not mandate that taxi date, only Toyota and Ford have gained approvals and private hire drivers have to wear coverings.

– which is a good start, as the Toyota Prius and Delivering the somewhat incoherent new rules Ford Galaxy are among the most numerous London to the Commons, prime minister Boris Johnson PHVs. said: “We will extend the requirement to wear face But other suppliers wanting to get their screens coverings to include staff in retail, all users of taxis approved by TfL are having to get approval from and private hire vehicles, and staff and customers one of two TfL-nominated automotive testing in indoor hospitality, except when seated at a table companies, Horiba MIRA and Millbrook Proving to eat or drink.”

Ground. Netherlands-based Driver Bubble, one of According to DfT sources, taxi and private hire the largest makers and suppliers of in-car screens, drivers, and indeed all transport workers, are not told Professional Driver that the process was taking legally required to wear a face covering while in longer than the company had hoped. their workplace, but are urged to wear face masks

A

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In a blog post, the company detailed the steps it was forced to go through in order to win approval. By the end of August, the materials used to manufacture the Driver Bubble Shield standard screen had been approved and certified

by Millbrook, but the screen would have to undergo an airbag deployment test in order to win full TfL compliance.

So far, the material has passed tests for flexibility, impact, fire-resistance, resistance to cleaning products (as well as petrol and kerosene) and light transmission. Once it has passed the airbag deployment test, the product will be fully approved and certified for use with TfL. Which is a long and arduous process when the screens are needed now.

We’ve yet to see Office for National Statistics Data from June to August, but the March-May death toll of 134 taxi and private hire drivers due to Covid-19 is still fresh in the mind.

With all respect to TfL’s commitment to safety and product testing, it’s hard to imagine plastic screens causing any fatalities in cars, no matter how many airbag tests you put them through.

Fortunately, not all councils are as petty as TfL – though on the other side of the coin, some are worse, and have actively discouraged drivers from using screens.

THE GOOD GUYS Among the good guys is Blackburn with Darwen Council in Lancashire, which has invested £64,000 to fit perspex screens in all of the borough’s 1,000 licensed taxis and private hire vehicles in a bid to protect drivers from the Covid-19 virus. The project has been backed by Pennine Lancashire licensing officers and Directors of Public Health from across Lancashire. Taxi drivers from a BAME background have been identified as an ‘at-risk’ group, so this targeted intervention has been designed to reduce their likely rate of exposure to Coronavirus as well as the potential to transmit the virus to their customers.

The Council will fund the initial purchase and installation of screens with drivers responsible for replacements as and when necessary. The Council is also promoting Covid-safe practices, encouraging taxi drivers to make use of the offer of getting tested in the borough either via the mobile testing unit or the regional testing unit at Royal Blackburn Hospital.

Cllr Jim Smith, Executive Member for Environmental Services, said: “This is a good move

OCTOBER 2020

masks & screens for the safety of both drivers and passengers and will help to reduce transmission of coronavirus.

The screens are likely to provide added benefit, especially when coupled with the usage of face coverings.”

Subsequently, the Council has decided to ask drivers to go beyond the UK Government guidelines and wear face coverings while carrying passengers. After discussions, Borough council leader Cllr Mohammed Khan said: “I think we need to advise everybody to wear the masks when they are in public. We provided the safety screens for taxi drivers. I think everybody needs to do their bit to protect ourselves and to protect other people.

I know there is a screen there but we will send a message to the taxi drivers to make sure they abide by the rules.”

Watford Council is another that believes that screens should be used and encouraged. “We are really pro the screens, and we made it quite straightforward. We just wanted them to reach a minimum standard,” said Watford mayor Peter Taylor. With a large number of BAME drivers in the town, the council has worked hard at getting a strong buy-in, especially from the Muslim community. “We’ve done a lot of work with the two big mosques in Watford to push the safety issues.

And I’ve been impressed that everyone is following the rules,” said Mayor Taylor.

Elsewhere, some councils continue to deny science regarding the usefulness of screens.

The worst offender is Wolverhampton, which licenses thousands of drivers including many who operate outside its area. Even in October, the Wolverhampton Council website is still displaying this nonsense. Under a headline stating “The City of Wolverhampton Licensing Authority have not banned partitions”, a statement proceeds to explain how the council has done precisely the opposite: The statement says: “The safety of the public is of paramount importance to the Licensing Authority and as such, much like the Government, we follow the science. There is no evidence available that demonstrates that partitions reduce the risk of transmission of Covid-19 infection. Partitions do not provide a fully sealed compartment which completely separates the driver from the passenger. Therefore, while it is possible that partitions might reduce the risk of transmission of infection, the risk would not be eliminated entirely. The current position of the Licensing Authority is that prior approval for partitions are not being authorised.”

This position is at best disingenuous, and arguably downright dangerous. If nothing else, the absurd varaiation in responses to the screens issue highlights vividly how issues such as this should not be left to local authorities to decide on a whim, an instead should be part of a national standard for taxi and private hire.

OCTOBER 2020

Ford provides TfL-approved safety screens for Addison Lee Ford Galaxy fleet Addison Lee is fitting safety screens to 1,000 Ford Galaxy vehicles after the screens, developed by Ford, passed comprehensive testing to meet all Transport for London’s private hire regulations.

Ford’s designers have used a material that complies with all regulations set out by TfL. The screen allows for clear rearward vision when the driver is using the interior rear-view mirror; it permits communication between driver and passengers; and does not interfere with vehicle safety features, such as driver, passenger and curtain air bags.

The screens are being installed by Addison Lee’s technicians, and drivers are being given clear guidance on how to maintain and sanitise the screens. Installation is already underway, with all Ford Galaxy models in Addison Lee’s fleet anticipated to have screens fitted by the end of September.

The new model of screen is the most recent measure taken by Addison Lee as part of its Safer Journey Initiative. From the start of the pandemic, Addison Lee has led the industry in safety and hygiene and prioritised the health of drivers and passengers. This has included providing drivers with personal protective equipment; regular electrostatic disinfection of vehicles and facilitating social distancing using the rear seats of its seven-seater vehicles.

A Ford spokesman said the Galaxy screens were developed in quick time specifically for Addison Lee. Meanwhile, the Ford Galaxy screens come soon after Ford’s commercial vehicle operators were offered protection shields for the Transit range, which also double up as a full-time work space for many customers.

Addison Lee CEO Liam Griffin said: “Addison Lee is proud to partner with Ford Motor Company to enhance the safety of drivers and passengers during the Covid-19 pandemic. We have worked together to design, manufacture and fit a safety screen that will add an extra layer of reassurance for commuters starting to return to work and for employers who want to offer staff a flexible and safe way to travel.

“Safety screens have been a challenging issue for the PHV industry over the last six months and we are pleased that, by working in collaboration with a close partner of ours, we have been able to find a solution that satisfies the regulator and enhances everyone’s safety.”

Addison Lee had in May started fitting its own design of screens, but was ordered to remove them by TfL after a video was posted on social media of one of the screens falling down into the rear passenger compartment. TfL has subsequently said that only screens developed by a vehicle manufacturer or approved by independent engineers at Millbrook or Horiba MIRA proving grounds would be approved for fitment in London PHVs. Neil Wilson, Fleet Director, Ford of Britain said, “Private Hire Vehicle customers have faced unprecedented challenges in 2020 and are adapting to the new norms.

Our screens provide additional support as passengers and drivers continue to operate in challenging circumstances, offering additional peace of mind as they work and travel.”

Addison Lee plans to fit screens in all its 4,000-strong fleet, which includes Toyota Prius, Mercedes-Benz E-Class, Volkswagen Sharans and Ford Transit courier vans. Last month Ford launched screens for the Transit/Tourneo Custom range, with screens for the Transit/Tourneo Connect and Transit Courier to follow later this year, as well as other vehicles in the range.

—Mark Bursa

25

first roaddrive test

Mercedes Benz EQV 300 Sport

Mark Bursa

ProDriver Tested 32.8mpg / 30.0mph July 2019

Space invader

I

t’s taken a while, but finally, ULEZ-compliant seven-seaters

are starting to become available. Now, with the arrival in the UK of the Mercedes-Benz EQV, London chauffeurs looking to replace their tired diesel MPVs will by the end of the year have a genuine, practical, all-electric luxury shuttle they can buy.

Of course, coronavirus has meant a lot of investment has gone on hold, and the lack of corporate events and business travel means the seven-seater fleet has been sorely underused in 2020. But the arrival of the EQV, along with Ford’s innovative range-extender Tourneo Custom PHEV and forthcoming electric MPVs from Peugeot and Vauxhall, means that when the work starts to pick up again, the big MPV fleet can quickly become a good deal greener.

On the downside, the EQV is not cheap. UK prices start at £70,665 OTR for the EQV 300 Sport, rising to £72,895 for EQV 300 Sport Premium and £77,145 for the EQV 300 Sport Premium Plus. It is one of the entry models – in fact, the first EQV in the UK – that we managed to get hold of for an exclusive first drive. Sensibly, all EQVs are based on the extra-long wheelbase version of V-Class.

The EQV is the second Mercedes-Benz model to form part of the all-electric EQ brand, following the EQC SUV, launched earlier in the year. Both

26

cars are something of a technical compromise – they’re adaptations of existing platforms (GLC and V-Class) with the fossil fuel powertrain replaced with electric motors and batteries. The real deal all-electric platform will come next year with the EQS (see page 29).

Indeed, the EQV is really rather conventional.

It takes a keen eye to distinguish it from a regular diesel V-Class: just some badges and a different grille treatment set it apart from the plain vanilla V. But being a big vehicle, there’s plenty of room under the structure to squirrel away bulky batteries below the floor, between the front and rear axles, so there’s no compromise to the interior or the boot.

The EQV has a 90 kWh battery, the EQV’s electric motor can generate 204hp and 364Nm. The motor is front-mounted, where the engine usually sits, and drives the front wheels. Mercedes-Benz claims the EQV has a range of up to 213 miles and can be charged from 10% to 80% in only 45 minutes

data price as tested

£70,665 36 months/unlimited mileage battery warranty 8 years/100,000 miles ved A warranty

performance Asynchronous electric motor Single-speed auto, FWD battery pack 90 kWh Lithium-ion high-voltage on-board charger 11 kW [ac] & 110 kW [dc] power 204bhp torque 366Nm 0-62mph 12.1sec top speed 98mph turning circle 11.8m charging time Wallbox (10-100%) 10 hours 110kW rapid (10-80%) 45 minutes electric range (WLTP) up to 213 miles engine

transmission

dimensions length width height wheelbase loadspace

5,370mm 1,908mm 1,928mm 3,430mm 1,410 litres (7 seats )

OCTOBER 2020

first drive

using a rapid DC charger. Not quite up there with the best of the best, but anything over 200 miles should be good enough for a full day’s driving on the sort of work these vehicles are expected to do.

Climb aboard and again you’re playing spot the difference. The EQV’s interior is not a futuristic digital paradise. It’s basically the same as a regular V-Class. So you get the same comfortable captain’s chairs for the driver and passengers in the front two rows, with a three-seater bench at the back. You can set the interior in conference seating as an option, and an optional table pack is part of the standard trim for Sport Premium and Sport Premium Plus. Because the battery pack does not extend behind the rear axle, there is no change to the boot space compared to a diesel V-Class.

Even the dashboard has analogue gauges – in fact the only difference is the replacement of the rev counter with a power meter. Showing how much power you’re using, and how much regenerative energy you’re recuperating under braking and deceleration.

As our test vehicle was an early evaluation model, it was not quite to UK spec, having cloth seats rather than leather, and sporting different wheels (albeit of the same 17in size). Some of the systems were different too, such as a lack of distronic adaptive cruise control, which is standard on all UK EQVs. Sport trim, tested here, includes LED Multibeam LED headlights; Driving Assistance package; MBUX with Navigation Plus; reversing camera; electric sliding doors; easy-pack tailgate; ambient lighting; and eight metre charging cable. For another £2,230, Sport Premium adds 360° camera; Memory package; EQV Exterior Design package; Table package; and smartphone integration. Top-line Sport Premium Plus costs £77,145, including Burmester surround sound

OCTOBER 2020

system; Airmatic suspension and 18in wheels.

The EQV uses Mercedes’ latest MBUX infotainment system with EQ-specific features, including information such as charging current and energy flow. The Mercedes me Charge network can also be accessed via MBUX, providing access to charging points across Europe without the need for multiple accounts and RFID cards. Mercedes me Charge includes multiple charging networks, including Polar, the UK’s largest charging network.

EQ-optimised navigation can also be set via MBUX, which bases its calculation on the fastest route taking into account the shortest charging time. It also informs the driver of nearby charging points.

It’s quite disarming to pull away silently in a large MPV, without the characteristic diesel grumble of the V-Class. And I’s even more disarming to experience lively acceleration when pulling on to the main road. The EQV’s singlespeed transmission offers a 0-62mph time of just above 12 seconds, and the instant torque is noticeable compared to the diesel. There’s only a very quiet electric whine – most of the in-cabin noise is from the road and, at speed, wind.

There are several drive modes, which allow you to optimise the electric recuperation abilities of the EQV. These are accessed via the steering wheel

paddles, and run from D—through D-, D Auto and finally D+. The last is the least rigorous in terms of braking energy. You access it by pressing the right paddle. It’s effectively a “sail” mode, so that when on a downhill motorway stretch you can lift off the throttle, and the car simply cruises along, not using any power. It’s the most driveable mode, but conversely, the least efficient around town.

Here, it’s better to engage either D- or, for maximum brake energy regen, D--. To get there, press the left paddle repeatedly until it reaches D-. This mode is almost a one-pedal mode. Lift off the accelerator and the EQV immediately starts slowing down quite dramatically. Approaching traffic lights, for example, will only require a gentle dab on the brakes just before you stop. On our 63-mile test drive, we managed to generate 10.7 miles of extra electricity, according to the car’s trip computer. The range – 191 miles at the start of the trip – was down to 139, which adds up to 52 miles used. So judicious use of regen can bring about a major increase in range – possibly more than 30 miles on a full charge. More time between recharges is a good thing!

D Auto mode is interesting, as it switches between the + and – modes depending on road conditions – giving less rolling resistance on a run and more in town.

verdict

T

he Mercedes-Benz EQV is worth waiting for. It’s not a radical rethink, but it offers a practical and well-thought-out electric drivetrain in a familiar package. The only real giveaway is the lack of noise – otherwise, it’s doubtful your customers will notice that they’re not in a customary diesel V-Class. This subtle approach is bound to find favour in the chauffeur market. Not every customer wants an ostentatious eco-statement, and the EQV will simply blend in to the background – which is how many clients prefer it. It’s every bit as driveable as a regular V-Class – more so in terms of acceleration. And sensible packaging, with batteries below the cabin floor, not under the boot floor, means space for passengers and luggage is not compromised. OK, it’s expensive, and it will be interesting to see how well the pence per mile costs compare when we do a full test. But for London, where zero-emissions capability is essential, here’s a big MPV that delivers everything an operator will need.

27

first roadlook test

Mercedes-Benz S-Class

Mark Bursa

Long live the king

M

ercedes-Benz has revealed its all-new S-Class, including

major upgrades in technology and safety. The new range, which will go on sale in the UK in December, will include a petrol-electric plug-in hybrid model with an electric range of 60 miles, with an all-electric EQS model to follow.

The first versions will be S350d; S400d 4Matic and S500 4Matic. 4Matic all-wheel-drive is available on right-hand drive S400d and S500 models for the first time. All models come as standard with a 9G-Tronic nine-speed automatic transmission.

28

UK prices start from £78,705 for standard wheelbase S350d AMG Line, with range-topping Premium Plus Executive models weighing in just below £100,000. There are five equipment levels: AMG Line, AMG Line Premium, AMG Line

ProDriver Tested 32.8mpg / 30.0mph July 2019

Premium Plus, AMG Line Premium Executive and AMG Line Premium Plus Executive. The cars are available to order now, with first UK vehicles arriving late 2020. However, initial models available will be only diesel and petrol models, so London chauffeurs will have to await until 2021 before a ULEZ-compliant S-Class hits the streets.

The S350d has an inline six-cylinder diesel engine, which produces 286hp and 600Nm of torque. It emits 173g/km of CO2 and delivers between 40.4 and 42.8 combined mpg (39.2 and 39.8 mpg for LWB). Priced from £94,135 OTR, the

OCTOBER 2020

first look S400d 4Matic, only available in long wheelbase, uses an inline six-cylinder diesel engine, producing 330hp and 700Nm. It emits 192 g/km of CO2 and delivers between 37.7 and 38.7 mpg on the combined cycle.

The petrol-powered S500 4Matic starts at £89,105 and produces 435hp and 520Nm of torque. The S500 uses EQ Boost with integrated starter-generator powered by a 48V electrical system, which enables certain hybrid functions, ultimately improving overall performance and efficiency. As a result, the S 500 delivers between 31.7 and 32.5 mpg for the long wheelbase variant and emits 184 g/km of CO2.

Inside the car, the dashboard has been completely redesigned, with a OLED large central screen mounted above the centre console. The new central display has an active screen diagonal of 12.8in, a 64% larger area than in the preceding model. The driver display has a diagonal of 12.3in, as before. The system uses the next generation of Mercedes-Benz User Experience (MBUX) including an MBUX tablet as part of the Executive line, which can be used as a fully-fledged tablet outside the vehicle, including the ability to download Android apps.

The driver display is also optionally available with 3D technology, including facial recognition which can monitor driver drowsiness and exterior mirror settings. With MBUX, all passengers can use voice controls to access the system, not just the driver.

The new S-Class has a high degree of electronic components, and more than 50 elements can be updated with new software over-the-air. These include the entire MBUX infotainment system, the driver display, the driving assistance systems and the lighting systems. This technology saves the customer time, as avoids the need to do this at a dealership, as well as keeping the vehicle up to date throughout its lifecycle.

The car has high levels of autonomy and is capable of full hands-off Level 3 autonomous driving, once regulatory approval is given.

The automatic park assist systems are Level 4 compliant and can be done without driver intervention. Active Evasive Steering Assist, which responds to cyclists and ends of tailbacks in addition to pedestrians, now operates at speeds to 67mph – it was previously 44mph.

The PHEV version, which follows in 2021, will be a straight replacement for current S560e models, and unlike the E-Class, which has both petrol and diesel PHEV versions, there will be no diesel PHEV S-Class, said Markus Schäfer, Mercedes-Benz head of research, development, procurement and product quality, as prime markets for the S-Class were China and the US, where there is negligible demand for diesel.

OCTOBER 2020

EQS undergoing final testing before expected 2021 launch The all-electric EQS will be on sale during the second half of 2021, said Markus Schäfer, Mercedes-Benz head of research, development, procurement and product quality. The EQS will have a different profile to the S-Class. “It will be a differentlooking car, aimed at a different customer base,” he said. The EQS will be built on the same, all-new production line in Sindelfingen as other S-Class models. It will have a range of more than 435 miles (WLTP) and will come in 4x2 and 4x4 versions.

The EQS is the first of Mercedes-Benz’s new electric vehicles to be based on a custom-developed EV architecture, which is scalable in every aspect and can be used across model series. The wheelbase and track, and all other system components including the batteries, are variable thanks to the modular design, making it possible to build electric cars from saloons to large SUVs. MercedesBenz wants all-electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles to account for more than half of its sales by 2030.

The EQS will offer a range more than 430 miles (according to WLTP). It will look something like the Mercedes-Benz Vision EQS concept car shown last year.

Camouflaged prototypes are undergoing testing, giving a hint of a cab forward design and coupé-like styling. The EQS SUV is also undergoing testing, with EQE and EQE SUV models to follow.

Currently the EQS is undergoing final tests at the Test and Technology Centre in Immendingen, Germany. “The EQS has already piled up far more than 2 million test kilometres from the heat of South Africa to the cold of Northern Sweden,” said Christoph Starzynski, vice-president electric vehicle architecture. The EQS will be built alsongside S-Class in Mercedes’ new ‘Factory 56’ plant in Sindelfingen, near Stuttgart.

29

running report

BMW 745Le xDrive MSport

High-end hybrids Mark Bursa

T

WO FOR THE PRICE OF ONE? THIS month we’ve had a choice of luxury plug-ins, with a Mercedes-Benz S560eL alongside the BMW 745Le. Normally, we’d do a full comparison test of these cars – but as the S-Class in its present form is about to be replaced, it’s a little unfair.

In fact, the reason for the S560eL was for a story you won’t be reading in Professional Driver.

It was delivered for me to use as transport on a road trip to Stuttgart, where I was to have my first encounter with the all-new S-Class. It would have made a terrific story – but thanks to increasing rates of Covid-19 infections, it was not to be. The press launch was scaled back to a brief, socially distanced test drive with no experts on hand.

And 10 hours of driving each way for such a scant reward was really not an option. Even the possibility of flying out became a no-no as airlines started cancelling flights.

So instead, we had to come up with a plan B. And thankfully, while the new S-Class will have to wait, we were able to grab a first drive of the EQV electric MPV – in the glamorous environs of Milton Keynes. You can read about that on page 26 of this issue.

So instead of comparing the S560Le to its replacement, let’s look at it side-by-side with its main rival. These are both mature products – an all-new 7-series is only a couple of years away too. And on paper, these two PHEVs seem to fit the bill for London chauffeurs looking to register a new, ULEZ-compliant car in the Capital.

But in reality, these are different animals.

S560e upgrades to a 362bhp V6, and even the electric motor has more grunt - 121bhp. This gives a total system output of 470bhp, and torque

30

of 700Nm. Thus, 0-62mph is achieved in 5.0sec.

This is a fair bit more power than the 745Le, which has combined system power of 394hp and 600Nmof torque. Yes it is the BMW that feels more sporty. The S-Class wafts along in its customarily stately way, while the BMW feels more agile and driveable. As a car to live with from a driver’s perspective, the BMW wins hands down.

In terms of cabin refinement, the S-Class has it over the BMW. The S560eL is an astonishingly refined vehicle, with almost no engine noise. Even when the petrol engine switches in and out, you have to check the dashboard to see if the rev counter needle is moving.

Neither scores that well on boot space.

Manufacturers have to put those pesky batteries

somewhere, and invariably that means under the back seat and boot on a saloon. MPVs and SUVs have deep underfloor cavities, which is why most EVs are taller vehicles these days. The S560eL’s battery pack, which is under the rear seat, does intrude into the boot. It creates a step half-way back, just as it does in the E-Class PHEV models.

The 745Le has the batteries under the boot floor, so there’s no step, but the space is shallower than on a regular non-PHEV 7-Series. In practical terms, the famous ProDriver red suitcases fit better in the BMW, though neither is ideal.

Ultimately, choosing between these cars will be a matter of personal preference. There is very little to choose between the two. But I would offer one word of advice – don’t buy either without the massage seat option!

BMW 745Le xDrive MSport

M-B S560eL EQ Power AMG

£87,680

price ved band warranty

C 36 months / unlimited mileage

£97,480

price ved band warranty

C 36 months / unlimited mileage

performance

performance

engine 3.0l inline, 6-cyl, petrol w/electric motor

engine 3.0l inline, 6-cyl, petrol w/electric motor

8-speed steptronic, AWD power 394hp torque 600Nm combined fuel economy 134.5mpg co2 emissions 52g/km zero emissions range 32-34 miles

transmission

dimensions

dimensions

transmission

length width height wheelbase loadspace

5,260mm 1,902mm 1,479mm 3,210mm 420 litres

9-speed auto, RWD 470hp torque 700Nm combined fuel economy 104.6mpg co2 emissions 57g/km zero emissions range 30 miles power

length width height wheelbase loadspace

5,225mm 1,899mm 1,494mm 3,165mm 410 litres

OCTOBER 2020

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road test

Hyundai Ioniq Electric Premium SE

On the move

ProDriver Tested 45.6mpg / 32mph Aug.2020

Tim Barnes-Clay

H

yundai launched the Ioniq back

in 2016. It came in three flavours: allelectric, a plug-in hybrid and a regular – or “self-charging” hybrid. That was a smart move, and still is. Having different power units in one body makes sense, and Ioniq started taking sales from its clearest rival, the Toyota Prius – especially as the Prius didn’t have a pure EV version.

But you can’t stand still in the EV market. Stand still long enough, and the competition will catch up with you – and then overtake you if you’re not careful.

The Ioniq was starting to be outdone by other EVs – especially in terms of range. But spurred by new EV market entrants such as Peugeot’s e-2008 and e-208, the Vauxhall Corsa-e and VW’s e-Golf, Hyundai has given the Ioniq Electric, a boost in power and smart regenerative braking. It has also had an aesthetic tweak here and there.

The Ioniq Electric is a pleasant-looking, inoffensive, five-door hatchback. Up front, the model has been updated with a pattern on the closed grille and a new bumper design, creating a more dynamic appearance.

The car has also been fitted with new LED lights that make the Hyundai stand out from the crowd at night.

The five-door Ioniq Electric isn’t the biggest car

32

around. It’ll seat four adults, no worries, but it’ll cope with five, albeit less comfortably. You’re pleasantly cosseted in the Hyundai’s cabin, although driver and front-seat passenger get the most generous slice of the pie. Headroom is decent, but there’s more in the rear of conventional hatchbacks, such as Skoda’s Octavia. Mind you; visibility isn’t bad, so you don’t feel claustrophobic.

Furthermore, with an assortment of storage areas aboard, you won’t have any reservations stashing away any odd and ends. Also, the Hyundai’s rear seats divide 60:40 and fold to allow for extra loading. With the seats up, there are only 357 litres of boot space, as the Ioniq’s batteries eat into the cargo area – making it quite shallow. A substantial load lip makes it a bit of a pain to lift heavy items into the boot, too.

The Ioniq’s cabin styling is a tad conservative, but it’s still a lovely place to be. The switchgear has a quality, solid feel, and lots of soft-touch materials are used on the hatchback’s interior surfaces. Sure, as with many cars, you’ll discover some cheap and nasty plastics, but in the Ioniq, these are in relatively obscure areas. Everything is logically arranged, too, and the cabin is easy to get to grips with.

You should also know that there’s been a major

infotainment enhancement – in the form of a 10.25in touchscreen unit. It’s the same wide display that’s in the updated Hyundai Kona – and it’s a top bit of tech. It’s quick to react to inputs, and it comes with graphics that are bright and clear. Other developments include revamped instruments complete with mood lighting.

On the road, the latest Ioniq rides well over potholes. It’s never great travelling across broken blacktop, but we have little choice in our wonderful, but rather congested nation. The pliant ride is thanks to the Hyundai’s decent suspension arrangement.

Indeed, the system comes into its own even more on motorway drives, where a relaxed, cruising experience is to be had.

Not only is the five-door electric car a competent one; it also handles appealingly. The steering reacts without delay, although there’s little in the way of feel.

The hatchback’s ability to stay virtually flat in corners makes up for this, though – and it’s easy to manoeuvre in constricted areas due to its relatively compact hatchback form. Parking is a pushover, too. Ultimately, there’s not a lot to frown on regarding the way this Korean machine behaves.

Safety is something Hyundai doesn’t take lightly.

OCTOBER 2020

road test verdict

T

here is no doubt that the Ioniq Electric

is a relatively refined vehicle. It might have been around for four years, but it still feels up to date. The interior looks like it’ll handle a battering for eons, and noise, vibration, road and wind roar are not a concern. The only sound to slightly intrude is the drone of the electric motor, but this is the case with many EVs. The general suppression of the other noises, though, is clearly down to the decent materials in the cabin as well as well-placed insulation. As tested here – Electric Premium SE – the car comes fitted with leather upholstery as well as goodies such as climate control and heated seats. Overall, the model is a laidback place to be. Its electric powertrain means it’s quiet enough for you to have an undisturbed tête-à-tête with your passengers or to indulge in often-undervalued peace.

What’s more, Hyundai has a respectable image.

Indeed, you still see quite a few older Hyundais motoring about today. That’s testament to the Korean firm’s engineering and, to some extent, its build quality. Mass-manufactured electric cars are still in their formative years, though. So, at this juncture, it’s tough to estimate its reliability. But it benefits from Hyundai’s five-year /100,000 mile warranty (for private hire use) and a reassuring eight-year/125,000 miles battery guarantee.

And when it comes to the inside of the Ioniq, the seats are nicely bolstered. Then there are the generally good textures and materials fitted around the cabin. All this taken into consideration, the Ioniq’s interior should stand up to years of wear and tear. Only the shallow boot and large load lip rain on an otherwise sunny parade.

The Ioniq Electric is kitted out with features that include: Blind Spot Detection, Autonomous Emergency Braking, Electronic Stability Control, multiple airbags, and Lane Departure Warning with Lane Keep Assist. The Ioniq also scored the full five stars in Euro NCAP crash tests. Security is nothing to be worried about either, because Hyundai fits a Thatcham category 2 immobiliser or category 1 alarm to cars produced for the British market.

The all-electric Ioniq doesn’t hang around, so it can be surprisingly enjoyable. It’s particularly nippy from a standing start, so you’ll be leaving some motorists well behind at the lights. The zero to 62mph time of 9.7sec doesn’t sound that amazing, but, trust me, it feels quick. It’s all down to the South Korean’s electric motor delivering 136PS. It used to push out only 120PS, so the instantaneous response is even more noticeable than before.

Torque is up, too – rising from 295Nm to 395Nm. Alas, as with pretty much all electrically propelled cars, the response gets less impressive after 50mph.

That said, the Ioniq Electric is a cool, silent, motorway cruiser. What’s more, with zero carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, you’ll still be doing your thing for our environment. Oh, and some more good news – you’ll

OCTOBER 2020

be immune from the London Ultra-Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) payment.

Indeed, as an all-electric car, it’s always going to be more economical than a conventional combustionengine propelled vehicle. The Hyundai’s bigger battery pack and single electric motor now give a range of 193 miles – and you can charge it up at public charging stations or at home. I only managed 168 miles on a full charge, but it was a rainy, cold day, so the windscreen wipers and heating must have taken their toll.

The time it takes to charge up depends on the power on hand. It takes around six hours for a complete charge with a home wall box, or a yawninducing 19 hours if you use a three-pin socket. (This is why Hyundai recommends you get a dedicated charging solution installed at home). But you only need to hang around for 45 minutes if you have access to a state-of-the-art public rapid charger. You can even summon up some energy without plugging in by using the car’s smart regenerative braking tech.

This observes gradients and the traffic to best govern the rate of energy recaptured through the Hyundai’s braking system. You can also tweak the recapture level manually, so the Ioniq can bring itself to a halt using this method, letting you drive it using only one pedal.

data price as tested

£34,950 60 months / 100,000 miles

warranty

A

ved

performance engine

38.3kWh battery, single electric motor

transmission

Single speed auto, FWD

power

136PS

torque

395Nm

0-62mph top speed charging time electric range co2 emissions

9.7sec 103mph 45mins (10-80%, 50kW ) 193 miles 0g/km

dimensions length

4,470mm

width

1,820mm

height

1,450mm

wheelbase

2,700mm

loadspace

357 litres

33

the knowledge

Why delivery holds huge potential for the taxi industry

D

URING THE CORONAVIRUS This includes one firm in the Midlands pandemic, taxi and private rolling out a local delivery service for hire operators have taken on 15 businesses – one of which is already plenty of work beyond their providing 30 delivery trips each day. usual remit. Drivers have done everything WHAT’S COMING IN THE FUTURE from delivering parcels for retailers and With private hire firms providing an pharmacies to teaming up with local efficient option for delivering goods, we takeaways to get food to customers – all can expect local operators to continue to support local communities through this Safa Alkateb stepping in when businesses want to fulfil difficult time. new demand coming from consumers.

As passenger trips have dropped below As restaurants are now faced with 10pm usual levels, local operators were able to CEO, Autocab curfews, the demand for takeaway orders adapt, offer deliveries and keep drivers is only set to increase. busy. But beyond this short-term change, there’s also a With many people also set to be working from home long-term opportunity in the delivery space for private for the foreseeable future, the demand for home hire and taxi firms. The UK food delivery market is deliveries isn’t going to go away either. We are likely to one that is growing at pace – it is now worth as much see some of the bigger supermarket chains partnering as the taxi and private hire industry combined and with local taxi firms to feed work through when demand it’s growing. This is likely to continue in months and is high. But will this trend continue in the long term? years to come – and could transform the role local taxi Looking further down the line, as retailers and operators play. logistics operators continue to struggle to provide

EARLY SUCCESSES

Over the past few months, private hire firms have proved a great option for restaurants and retailers who needed to find another way to get goods into the hands of customers quickly and safely. Local operators are well-placed to satisfy customer demand in minutes rather than hours – especially during busy periods.

They have also been able to expand the geographic range of takeaway deliveries beyond those offered by apps such as Just Eat, Uber Eats and Deliveroo, which only cover a small radius.

We’ve seen some huge positives from this to date.

34

same day delivery solutions that can cover the last mile of delivery across all locations, private hire firms are well placed to step in and help. The ability to dispatch a fleet of vehicles and drivers means local firms can easily add a ground transportation option, in order to service global organisations.

DIFFERENT FLEET REQUIREMENTS Instead of operating a selection of four-door saloons, a few estate cars for airport runs and 7-seater party buses, local operators could add vans, scooters and even bicycles into their dispatch fleet when demand gets too great.

Local operators would simply need to be able to receive work – be that traditional passenger, corporate or delivery jobs – from aggregators via a digital marketplace. And that platform already exists. There are more than 100,000 UK vehicles, operating the length and breadth of the UK, who are able to pick up additional work from the iGo marketplace. When private hire firms see jobs arrive on iGo, they can quickly connect those to drivers who can take advantage of this additional source of revenue.

As this delivery option becomes more established and creates new opportunities for the industry, private hire and taxi operators will see huge growth potential and they can look forward to a bright future ahead. n S afa Alkateb, CEO, Autocab

OCTOBER 2020

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the negotiator

Is Uber’s Autocab deal a sign of weakness or strength?

I to the global taxi and private hire industry.

If so, then their statement that iGo can add Uber has purchased Autocab, the app to their services does not make sense. It is despatch system used by a majority of estimated that iGo is used by about 50% of minicab companies in the United Kingdom. the minicab and taxi companies across the What does this mean in the time of Covid-19?

UK. The reaction to Uber of these private hire Covid-19 has upended every part of the firms is likely to be negative. As Uber seeks to global economy. ‘Certainty’ has become a preincrease earnings from this acquisition such pandemic word. As Lionel Bart once wrote: moves may harm the independent companies’ “Fings ain’t wot they used to be”. From Dennis earnings. What the view of the Competition shepherds on the plains of Mongolia, to the Bartholomew and Markets Authority will be to such moves tech developers in Silicon Valley, all they now remains to be seen. know is the unknown. This is also true of The Chief Executive of Autocab, Safa professional drivers in the United Kingdom, GMB Alkateb, said following the announcement where ridership has decreased by more than representative that they are working with local operators 80%. across the world to increase the What has been the effect on parasitic for Uber drivers “marketplace” to provide hundreds of companies operating in this area, such as thousands of additional trips. Quite how this Uber? Dire, it seems. Uber, the poster child for will be done under Uber’s ownership, thereby adding to modern exploitation, is facing another existential threat. their revenues, remains unclear.

How many existential threats can an organisation face When Autocab’s iGo was expanded in 2017 to iGo and still be listed on the New York Stock Exchange? These Everywhere, thereby creating a unified booking net across threats include: the UK, that was the time that local operators could n The AB5 law in California – This forces Uber to treat its have possibly stopped the Uber behemoth. Instead they drivers as employees. appeared to be sleeping on the bridge. At the time iGo n The Supreme Court case in the United Kingdom – This Everywhere was seen as a viable independent alternative forces Uber to treat its drivers as workers. for local minicab and taxi operators to Uber’s threatening n The failure of its self-driving car ideas. Self-driving cars presence. will come but not just yet.

The app offered seamless usage between companies n Covid-19, which has led to a huge loss in ridership. across the United Kingdom. In this way a customer did not This has forced Uber to once again look around for have to use a different booking app when they were outside alternative earning opportunities. It has tried its hand of their area, as iGo would offer them a local alternative. at bicycles, electric bicycles, Uber helicopters, electric This purchase upends that strategy as it places Uber as scooters, Uber Eats and now dispatch systems supplier the owner. So, iGo suddenly makes them captives to Uber Autocab, which has developed an app called iGo. This app rather than independent local operators. is used by independent private hire companies throughout In the mid-90s, when radio despatch was the norm, I the UK to manage and share online bookings. raised with almost all the operators I worked for, including With every opportunity there are threats. What are the a rising Addison Lee, the possibility of creating a network opportunities and threats presented by Uber’s purchase of across London that would share customers. From the Autocab? look on their faces, plus the eye-rolling, I felt like Oliver Information is a major factor in revenue creation. Uber asking for “more”. The owners appeared more interested can use iGo to create a database of users that will, in itself, in keeping their local ridership rather than responding to provide numerous revenue streams to Uber’s earnings. their customers’ needs. Then came Uber…

Whether such earnings can plug the huge gap in Uber’s finances is a moot point.

The move has the potential to expand the availability n Dennis Bartholomew is the GMB trade union of Uber’s services to places where it currently has no representative for driver/members working for presence, thereby increasing its customers’ access to an Uber. He is an author and broadcaster with a strong additional 70,000 vehicles. knowledge of the private hire industry.

Uber claims that Autocab will remain independent, with dennis.bartholomew@yahoo.co.uk its own board and focusing entirely on providing technology +44 7544 026 122 t has recently been announced that

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Winners and losers

the insider

HERE IS AN ADVERT ON TV stayed busy during lockdown and then at the moment in which a subsequent freeze frame in our business, chubby chap tries to sell me they wouldn’t have had any competition unique pairs of underpants to be better than!

The golden rule of the job we do is with the claim that they stop chafing discretion. We do not ask for autographs when we walk for fat lads like me. Step One and certainly no selfies and we never, claims its unique drawers allow our tree but never discuss who we drive so as to trunk legs to ‘glide’ rather than squeak respect the privacy of our clients. But, together like a couple of sweaty balloons.

Kevin Willis after reading about a guy whose father Amazingly though, this does not win was diagnosed with a brain tumour and advert of the month. had a matter of weeks to live, I was moved That prize goes to “one of our own”.

Everyday problems by the dying wishes of the old boy.

Blacklane, who boast how they will drive from the operator’s One was to see his football team play one you and a friend or colleague from London point of view... more time, which was impossible due to to Cambridge cheaper than the train. YES! the restrictions, and the second was to For £25 per person (T&Cs apply) you meet a certain singer. A massive thank you and much will have the door-to-door luxury of a Mercedes Benz E-Class. Fuelled, insured and probably sporting mineral respect goes out to Andy Dubberley at ADS who, when asked, bent the rules a little to get his client to contact water and wifi nestling within its fresh, sanitised for the gentleman and make one of his dreams come true. your safety, leather seats. Wow. What an incredible I won’t mention the celebrity involved as Andy also offer. A game changer! does security but will say what Andy did was above and After a little back and forth on LinkedIn, their beyond. mouthpiece, a doctor no less, defended the minimum Finally, the wait goes on for our government to wage payment with clever words and promises of return formulate a plan that might give us any pointers to journeys. Former drivers of Blacklane added that the suggest that they have a strategy to drag us out of the return legs hardly ever happened but, giving them the mire our industry is in. Most of us are receiving little to benefit of the doubt, let’s say their algorithm works and you return full or, as they claim, you are paid regardless no support that might allow us to keep trading.

Sometimes it is hard to stay positive so it is with if you return passengers or come back empty. great admiration that I see or hear when companies Drivers are paid £100 for a minimum of 4 hours work? come up with different ideas to divert their business They pay the fuel, insurance, car payments, wear in order to stay afloat. Not all of us will survive this, and tear and any license fees. Oh, and Blacklane indeed some have already had to give up, but when have included all fees (congestion charge) and even people start taking the food out of our families mouths the bloody tip within the £100. Like Uber, Ola and to enable themselves to offer ridiculous prices it is time Wheely, these companies are leeches. Nothing but an we said no.

App which I implore drivers to switch off in a bid to We are constantly told that ‘we are in this together’ stop the destruction of this industry. and I accept that every company has the right to THE WINNER IS... discount and charge as they see fit, but let that come Being a former Gold medal winner at the industry from their own bank account. Let that affect their profit standard Professional Driver QSi Awards, I can margin and not have them force drivers to work, in appreciate how proud you feel when recognised by their own vehicles, for minimum wage. We need to stick your peers for a job well done. But I couldn’t resist a together and force these app platforms out of business titter when I saw a certain company proudly announce and get back to good companies doing good business in they had won Ground Transportation Company of a healthy competitive market.

Take care my friends. I am just off for a walk in my the Year 2020. This was back in August, which begs new undercrackers. the question of how the hell can anyone claim they have been better than the other guys when our wheels n K evin Willis runs Chirton Grange, haven’t turned all year? Even if this company, and I contact@chirtongrange.co.uk won’t name them, makes the case that they themselves

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