The debate in Parliament over rural mobile coverage may feel distant from the day-to-day realities of taxi and private hire operators. However, for many firms serving villages, market towns and remote communities, patchy connectivity is not seen as a minor irritation. It is a structural barrier to modernisation, competitiveness and, increasingly, safety. The industry has spent the last decade digitising. Local operators have been looking to invest in app-based booking systems

East Lothian Council has opened its upcoming transport contracts framework to taxi drivers licensed outside the area, as the authority moves to address a sharp decline in local operator availability that has left some public service routes unfilled. The new fleet services framework, covering 2026 to 2032, will go live in April, with bidding rounds for Additional Support Needs routes scheduled for May and June. Only operators approved onto the framework will be eligible to com

Image credit: LEVC As contactless and app-based payment technology becomes standard across the taxi sector, tipping practices in the London black cab trade are beginning to evolve. In restaurants and hotels, suggested service charges are now routinely presented at the point of payment. Customers are typically given preset percentage options on a card terminal, with the ability to amend or remove the amount before completing the transaction. That same model is now increasingly