‘Geo-fencing’ technology will let vehicles switch to electric in certain zones
Vehicles will become ‘zero emission’ as they travel on most polluted streets
All new taxis must be hybrid by 2018 under new plans by Boris Johnson
Part of a wider scheme to tackle air pollution and vastly reduce emission
Taxis and buses will automatically switch to electric mode when they enter some of Britain’s most polluted streets as part of a new scheme to eradicate emissions.
New technology will allow the vehicles to switch to ‘zero emission’ mode when they enter areas at risk of high air pollution such as Oxford Street in London.
It comes as London Mayor Boris Johnson revealed plans for all taxis in the capital to be hybrid in four years’ time.
New ‘geo-fencing’ technology will allow taxis and buses to switch to ‘zero emission’ mode when they enter areas at risk of high air pollution such as Bond Street and Oxford Street in central London (file picture)
By 2016, there will be 1,700 hybrid buses in London and by January 1, 2018 it will be compulsory for all new cabs to be ‘zero emission capable’.
Matthew Pencharz, the mayor’s environment advisor, said the advanced technology would allow vehicles to recognise when they are in highly-polluted areas, prompting them to switch to the greener mode.
He told The Times: ‘With geo-fencing technology, when the vehicle crosses a particular line, it will go into electric mode. Some of our buses in future will also be doing this.
‘The technology can be responsive, so if one bit of town is more polluted than another, then the buses and taxis would switch to electric mode where the pollution was worse.’
He said the technology could be fitted to private cars in ‘due course’.
Although the exact area where taxis and buses will ‘switch’ to electric mode has not yet been confirmed, it will no doubt include the most polluted roads in London as highlighted by a study earlier this year.
In February, figures from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs claimed that traffic travelling along the A302 – known as Grosvenor Place – which runs adjacent to Buckingham Palace, produced the highest levels of the toxic gas at an average of 152 micrograms per cubic metre of air in 2012.
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London Mayor Boris Johnson has revealed plans for all taxis in the capital to be hybrid in four years’ time
The study also found that Oxford Street was highly polluted, registering at an average of 150 micrograms near Marble Arch, while Trafalgar Square has an average of 138 micrograms of nitrogen dioxide per cubic metre of air.
Park Lane, Knightsbridge and Covent Garden were also all found to have seriously high levels of the pollutant.
The latest news comes after it was announced that drivers of diesel cars could face a congestion charge-style daily fee of about £11.50 to enter central London, in a bid to further tackle air pollution.
The payment could come if diesels fail to meet tough EU emission targets when an ultra-low emission zone (ULEZ) is introduced in central London from 2020.
The zone would have the same boundaries as the Congestion Charge zone, and only diesel vehicles that meet the Euro 6 emissions standard would be exempt from the charge.
Motoring organisations have had a mixed reaction to the plans, with some unhappy about the possible charge.
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Findings released in February revealed the most polluted roads in central London, with Oxford Street, Park Lane and Buckingham Palace being among the polluted hotspots in the capita
Most polluted street in the world: London’s Oxford Street
RAC Foundation director Professor Stephen Glaister said: ‘This isn’t quite a miss-selling scandal, but for years ministers took their eye off the ball and encouraged drivers to buy diesels to help fight climate change.
‘That has come at a cost: local air pollution. Today 10 million cars in Britain are powered by diesel engines – a third of the total.
‘Part of the problem is regulation. In laboratory conditions diesel cars have met strict test criteria. Unfortunately that performance hasn’t been matched on the road and now we have a significant health issue because of the dash for diesel.’
AA president Edmund King added: ‘It is somewhat ironic that cars are banned from the most polluted street in London – Oxford Street. The vehicles that have most effect on air quality in London are buses, taxis and trucks. You can also click for more info on truck related parts, here!
‘The first move should be to target the gross polluters and get them off our roads in order to have a greater and more immediate impact on air quality.’
Taxis in Zurich are the most expensive in the world, according to a new survey. Hailing a cab in the Swiss city will cost you more than other major cities including Paris, London and New York.
The study, carried out by Germany-based strategy and marketing consultants Simon Kucher & Partners and reported by Swiss newspaper 20 Minutes on Wednesday, found that taxi fares in Zurich exceeded those in 17 other major cities around the world.
A three kilometre taxi ride in the Swiss city will set you back 17.40 francs ($19.17), of which six francs is the base charge added to 3.80 francs per kilometre after that.
The fare is more than six francs higher than the second most expensive city, Amsterdam, where the same length journey costs 11.24 francs ($12.38).
Taxis in other major powerhouse cities were significantly lower, including in London (10.77 francs/$11.87), Berlin (10.66 francs/$11.75), Vienna (9.80 francs/$10.80), Sydney (8.49 francs/$9.35), Paris (6.95 francs/$7.66) and New York (6.38 francs/$7).
Despite the high fares, Zurich taxi drivers do not earn well, according to the Zurich Taxi Association.
Around 45 to 50 percent of fares go towards the costs of running the taxi service, its spokesperson Liz Spengler told 20 Minutes.
Lowering fares is not possible in one of the most expensive towns in the world, she added.
“Despite working 53 hours a week a taxi driver hardly makes enough to live on.”
Zurich’s high fares are not exceptional within Switzerland. For the same length journey in Geneva and Lausanne fares are similarly high, costing 15.80 francs and 15.20 francs respectively.
Until now the shared-car service Uber has focused on giving rides to civilian consumers. But it turns out that people have been using Uber for work travel, too.
Uber for Business lets employees bill their Uber trips directly to their company. A centralized billing system sends trip details back to people or departments at the company, so the employee doesn’t have to collect receipts.
This could put another small nail into the coffins of traditional taxi services that still rely on paper receipts.
For employees who already have Uber accounts, an option to join a work account pops up on their private account, Uber says. Uber says users will be able to easily toggle between their work and personal payment options, which means business travel is automatically expensed and personal trips stay personal.
This fall, Uber says, American Express corporate cardholders participating in its membership rewards programs in the U.S. can earn double rewards points for rides, or they can use points to pay for Uber rides.
Uber is also launching a new partnership with the expense-management platform Concur, which will let Concur users link their Uber and Concur accounts. Once the user links the Uber and Concur accounts, Uber sends expense-ready travel information, including an e-receipt, into Concur.
Tesla Motors has already been piloting Uber for Business to offer customers free rides while their Tesla vehicles are being serviced.
Uber has definitely been in partner mode lately. The company is said to be in talks with Facebook tointegrate its service into Facebook’s Messenger app.
Monday 2.50pm: A Peterborough taxi driver faces losing his licence after failing to secure an 89-year-old passenger in a wheelchair before overcharging them on a journey.
Malik Abid Hussain (43), of Reeves Way, Peterborough, appeared before Peterborough Magistrates’ Court on Thursday July 24 and pleaded not guilty to the charge of failing to safely load, restrain and transport a wheelchair passenger. He also pleaded not guilty to failing to use his meter, which resulted in the customer being overcharged, but was found guilty at a trial.
The court heard that on October 8 last year Hussain used his Hackney carriage to pick up two passengers to go from a doctors’ surgery to a care home.
The 89-year-old wheelchair passenger was accompanied by his daughter.
The incident came to light when the daughter contacted the city council to confirm the correct procedure for loading a wheelchair. An investigation carried out by the city council’s licensing team came to the conclusion that Hussain had failed in his duty as a professional driver by not putting the wheelchair into the correct safe travelling position. So no matter how advanced the weelchair is (more details at bestmotorizedwheelchair.com), the situation turns to a dangerous one.
During the journey the daughter was forced to place her foot under the wheel of the chair to stop it from moving. In addition, although a fixed price had been given for the journey, the meter should have been used as per legislation and licensing conditions, attorneys in Elgin assure. Failure to use the meter resulted in the customer being overcharged.
Despite his not guilty pleas, Hussain was found guilty by the magistrates. He was fined £800 and ordered to pay £500 costs and an £80 victim surcharge.
John Goodwin, lead officer in the investigation for Peterborough City Council’s taxi enforcement team, said: “All taxi drivers licensed by the council have a duty of care towards all their passengers. To treat a wheelchair user in this way endangered both passengers in the vehicle at the time. To further compound the matter they were then overcharged for this service. “We welcome the result and hope it serves as a reminder to all licensed taxi drivers that the protection of the travelling public is of paramount importance, and we will continue to deal severely with drivers who we believe are not fit and proper to transport members of the public.”
A decision will now be made concerning Hussain’s Hackney carriage drivers licence.
TAXI firms are opposing plans for higher fares at peak times on Friday and Saturday nights, warning it could deter people from taking a cab to make sure they get home safely.
Council chiefs have floated the idea of charging up to £2 extra for journeys between midnight and 5am in an effort to encourage more drivers to work past the witching hour.
But taxi bosses say there is no need for the proposed “party tariff”.
Trade representatives met at the City Chambers as part of a council review of fares at peak times and holidays and made their views clear.
Central Taxis, City Cabs, Comcab and the Edinburgh Taxi Association, representing independent drivers, were unanimous in rejecting a suggestion that fares should be increased after midnight at weekends.
Les McVay, director of City Cabs, said: “There’s no shortage of taxis out at night and the town isn’t as busy as it has been in the past.
“We don’t want to discourage people from getting out on the town and then home safely in a black taxi at night.”
The trade also recommended that the usual holiday increases at Christmas and New Year should be simplified and even reduced.
Mr McVay said: “We don’t want to put people off travelling safely in a taxi during the holidays because they may believe that the fares have greatly increased.”
Tony Kenmuir, director of Central Taxis, echoed his point. He said: “Most workers would expect to receive double time or more for working the likes of Hogmanay and actually our meter rates only increase on average by a little over 50 per cent during the holidays, which is a lot less than people might think.
“However, if we can encourage more people to get out and about over the holidays it’s good for the taxi trade, good for the public and good for businesses all over in the city.
“We’re very pleased to unite with the other black taxi firms in Edinburgh and recommend to the council that the holiday tariff should be simplified and reduce the rate at peak times.”
The party tariff was first suggested a year ago, but shelved for further discussion after complaints the move would penalise women in particular, when they are often encouraged to take a taxi home for safety.
Lothian Labour MSP Kezia Dugdale said: “Women have the right to feel safe and if that means choosing to get a taxi home, they should not have to pay a high price for it.”
Consultants are now taking soundings about the idea and studying the experience of other cities throughout the UK which already operate such a scheme.
One example cited is a £2 flat rate surcharge imposed for late-night taxi journeys in Glasgow.
A report on the proposals is expected to be submitted to councillors in four months.
A council spokesman said: “Taxi fare structures are reviewed regularly.
“Consultations are under way with members of the taxi trade about several proposals including the introduction of a late-night tariff.
“A report on their recommendations is due to be heard by the council’s regulatory committee in November.”
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