Veezu secures three top honours at Taxi Summit Awards as CEO Nathan Bowles named industry leader of the year
- Perry Richardson
- 8 minutes ago
- 2 min read
Veezu has collected three major titles at the Taxi Summit Awards 2025, with chief executive Nathan Bowles named Industry Leader of the Year and the company securing both the Outstanding Contribution Award and the Consolidator of the Year Award.
The business, founded in 2013, has scaled rapidly through a model that combines local operating knowledge with a national technology platform. Veezu’s approach has allowed it to grow across towns, cities and rural areas while maintaining regional brands that remain familiar to passengers. The company now works with more than 20,000 self-employed driver-partners and completes over 25 million trips each year.
Judges recognised the organisation’s recent acquisition drive, which has widened its footprint in several major conurbations. Purchases in York, Hull and Manchester have strengthened its position in the North, while additional deals in Wolverhampton, Norwich and St Helens have deepened its regional networks. Veezu now operates across more than 50 locations, placing it among the very few operators with genuinely national reach.
Bowles’ leadership was highlighted as a key factor behind the company’s momentum. The Taxi Summit panel noted the strategic approach to consolidation and the ability to integrate local fleets into a unified operating framework without undermining regional service expectations. The company’s steady growth has come at a time of heightened regulatory and economic scrutiny for private hire operators.
Private hire operator recognised for national consolidation strategy, sector influence and landmark legal victory
Veezu’s recognition also follows a major legal outcome earlier this year. After a three-year dispute that concluded at the Supreme Court in July, five justices ruled unanimously in its favour, confirming the legality of the traditional agency model outside London. The ruling prevented a sector-wide shift that would have added 20 per cent VAT to private hire fares, a move operators said would have hit demand and affordability, particularly in rural areas where transport options already remain limited.
The judgment followed Veezu’s active role in campaigning against wider VAT changes, with the company arguing that proposals under consideration would have increased costs for passengers and reduced viable operating margins for drivers and small firms. Industry observers view the Supreme Court outcome as one of the most significant decisions for the private hire sector in a decade.
Bowles said the awards reflected the work of teams across the regions and the drivers who form the backbone of the business. While the company has not disclosed its next acquisition targets, analysts expect it to continue expanding into areas where fragmented local fleets may be open to joining a larger network.
Nathan Bowles, CEO of Veezu, said: “Winning three awards at this year’s Taxi Summit Awards reflects the hard work and dedication of the entire team at Veezu. Since we began in Wales over a decade ago, our ambition has always been to build a business that can grow nationally without losing its local touch. These awards affirm that we are achieving exactly that.
“It is particularly meaningful to be recognised for our leadership within the industry. The Supreme Court victory was a landmark moment, not just for Veezu but for the entire private hire sector. It safeguarded the business models for operators outside of London and supported self-employed driver-partners and protected affordable transport for millions of passengers.”
