CELEBRATING DRIVERS: Parliamentary Taxi & Private Hire Awards return for 2023 sponsored by FREE NOW

Image credit: FREE NOW

The ‘Parliamentary Taxi & Private Hire Awards’ return for 2023 on Tuesday 6 June, in the House of Commons, with founder Daniel Zeichner MP hosting the event.

This year’s Awards are proudly sponsored for the fourth year by Europe's Mobility Super App, FREE NOW.

The annual Awards give Parliamentarians a chance to nominate a driver from their constituency who has gone above and beyond the call of duty in their community.

The 2023 nominations are now open and will close on 28th April 2023. This year, the Awards are open to more Parliamentarians than ever before, with members of the House of Lords eligible to nominate drivers and London Assembly Members are also now able to nominate drivers for the first time.

Previous nominations have recognised drivers for delivering food parcels to the vulnerable, giving medical attention to those in need, helping rough sleepers with free rides to shelters and working with FREE NOW to provide vaccines to elderly people.

At the June event, which will take place at Parliament’s prestigious Terrace Pavillion, overlooking the river Thames, nominated drivers will have a chance to meet with their peers, their MP or Assembly Member and will be presented with a certificate in recognition for their efforts, highlighting why they have been selected to be their constituency’s Taxi & Private Hire Driver of the Year.

The Awards were founded in 2019 by Daniel Zeichner MP, chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Taxis, with the aim of bringing the industry together to celebrate drivers and inspire passengers. FREE NOW, a multi-mobility app that offers black cabs and private hire vehicles together on a single platform, continues to back the Awards as a sponsor for this annual event.

Mariusz Zabrocki, FREE NOW UK General Manager, said: "These Awards are an opportunity to celebrate the huge contribution Taxi and PHV drivers make to people’s lives and to our local communities. At FREE NOW, we believe in backing UK drivers and championing the work that the Taxi and Private Hire industry does on behalf of the UK public. By extending nominations to include the House of Lords and the London Assembly, this year’s Awards are an opportunity to recognise more drivers than ever before.”

Daniel Zeichner MP said: "These Awards are all about celebrating the huge - often unsung - contribution of the UK’s 330,000 taxi and PHV drivers. It’s a chance to shine a light on those drivers who - in the course of their day-to-day work - have gone above and beyond to support their customers or their local community. I would encourage all my colleagues here in Parliament and at the London Assembly to nominate those drivers who they have come across who they feel would merit recognition.”