Taxis
The European Commission’s mobility department has published new regulatory guidance for taxi services in the EU that ETSC says is a missed opportunity to improve safety in the sector. The new rules have almost no mention of measures to improve the safety standards for drivers, vehicles or passengers despite ‘safe local mobility for citizens’ being mentioned in the scope. According to an ETSC report published in 2016, taxi safety is similar to private cars, yet taxi drivers and their managers have a professional responsibility […]
Transport for London (TfL) has said it will not grant Uber a new taxi operator’s licence which could lead to the service being suspended. TfL said it had identified a “pattern of failures” by the company including several breaches that placed passengers and their safety at risk. Despite Uber having addressed some of these issues, TfL said it does not have confidence that similar issues will not reoccur in the future, which has led it to conclude that the company is not “fit and […]
The app-based taxi service Uber will require its younger drivers to undertake mandatory safety training with Safe Traffic Netherlands, a road safety NGO, following a series of deaths where Uber drivers were involved. Four deaths involving the company’s vehicles occurred in a six-week period, prompting urgent discussions with the company. According to Safe Traffic Netherlands, Uber has now taken measures to ensure that their drivers are limited in how long they can drive using the app. The minimum age to be employed as an […]
In a significant ruling, the Court of Justice of the European Union has said that services such as Uber must be considered as a transport service, and regulated by EU Member States as such. In 2014, a professional taxi drivers’ association in Barcelona brought a legal action in Spain seeking a court declaration that the activities of Uber Spain amount to misleading practices and acts of unfair competition. The Spanish court first needed to decide whether or not Uber was in fact a transport […]
Case study: Kajon Taxi ETSC’s PRAISE project addresses the safety aspects of driving at work and driving to work. Its aim is to promote best practice in order to help employers secure high road safety standards for their employees. In this interview, Juha Wallius from Kajon, a national taxi firm based in Finland, discusses the organisation’s approach to applying road safety risk management in a large taxi firm. FACTFILE Company: Kajon Taxi Sector: Taxi and minibus transport Fleet: 150 vehicles (4-45 passengers + wheelchair access)
The aim of this report is to give an overview of taxi safety issues across Europe. It will look at ways of managing the risk for taxi drivers and their passengers. The report will cover taxi safety issues in Europe, national and municipal licensing rules, and the main road risks taxi drivers are exposed to. With examples from across Europe, it will encourage taxi operators to apply good practice measures for their drivers and businesses.
The taxi service Uber has announced it is trialling technology to track the speed, acceleration and braking of its drivers using smartphone sensors. The company describes the process as designed to help verify complaints from passengers of poor driving but says it has broader plans to ensure drivers maintain appropriate speeds and are not distracted. The US-based company announced in November that it would create a permanent global safety advisory board to oversee the safety and personal security issues related to the service. ETSC […]