School Minibus

The self-driving minibus that has hit America

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The company Local Motors has gone into partnership with IBM in order to create “Olli” the world’s first 3D printed self- driving, electric minibus.

The chassis of the vehicle is manufactured using a 3D printer which takes around 24 hours to print. The vehicle is then fitted with a battery and an IT system. It will also make use of IBM’s “Watson” Cognitive learning technology.

The minibus can carry up to 12 passengers and has already been a hit in Washington DC and will soon be rolling out to Miami and Las Vegas.

Olli can be hailed via an app much like Uber and passengers will be able to interact with Olli conversationally as the Watson technology will allow it to discuss destinations and other topics such as how it works. The use of the Watson technology will not distract Olli from its driving duties and according to the designers Olli can see much more and react quicker to situations than what a human could and can process high volumes of transport data via its 30 embedded sensors.

The US has pledged $4 billion to fund driverless vehicles so far as more and more cities are interesting in them.

Lorry and Truck news

RHA – Brexit Clarification

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RHA – Brexit clarification

Richard Burnett the chief executive of RHA has advised all members of the association that it is calling upon the government to clarify the situation for road hauliers following news that the UK is set to leave the EU.

Burnett continues on to say “Whichever way you cast your vote last week, the public has spoken and the UK has decided to leave the EU. We are now entering a period of uncertainty.”

“However, I want to make it clear that your Association will be keeping close to government to ensure the best deal for UK road hauliers. Rest assured, we are already in the process of arranging meetings with relevant departmental ministers so that we can stress the industry’s needs and expectations.”

Industry sectors across the board are still waiting to see the ramifications of the Pound in the current market.

Richard Burnett has urged members with specific concerns to bring them forward as soon as possible so they can be included in to negotiations.

Concluding he said: “We need clear, demonstrative leadership – and quickly – from government as well as skilful negotiation to stabilise the economy and address the concerns of the public in general and our members in particular.  The impact for us as a key industry provider could be considerable. It is our responsibility as the only organisation solely dedicated to the UK haulage sector to ensure that the issues are urgently addressed and the transition between now and leaving the EU to be a smooth as possible.”

School Minibus

Tips for minibus insurance

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  • Increase Voluntary Excess – Insurance policies will generally have a compulsory excess which you would have to pay in the event of you making claim. Most insurance companies will allow you to add a voluntary increase on the excess which will bring the cost of your insurance down however we advise you make sure you are comfortable with the amount as it would be requested in the event of a claim.
  • No Claims Bonus (NCB) – The more years you have available the lower your premium will be. We can also accept No Claims Bonus from a private car as long as it is not already being used.
  • Introductory Discounts – In the event you do not have any No Claim Bonus we may still be able to offer an introductory discount which would depend on your claims history. As long as you hold an accident free claims history from a similar vehicle we may be able to offer a discount which is the equivalent to having 3 years No Claim Bonus.
  • Driver Restrictions – If you only have one or two people that will be driving the vehicle it may work out cheaper if you restrict your policy to the named drivers only. We also advise you check the drivers licenses to confirm they have no points that may further effect the premium. We advise you obtain confirmation of who is covered to drive the vehicle before proceeding.
  • Usage – Make sure you inform the broker/insurer of the exact use of the vehicle as failure to do so may lead in the policy not indemnifying you in the result of an accident. We also advise to make sure drivers have the correct license for the vehicle.
  • Claims – If you are involved in an accident we recommended you think about the cost of the repairs before making a claim. If the incident has caused minor damage it may be more cost effective to settle the bill yourself to keep your next year’s premium low.
  • Compliant – If the vehicle is being used for a school or educational facility we advise you should ensure that you are complying with the policy and that the policy meets the requirements of your Local Education Authority (LEA).

Karhoo – The new cab comparison app

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A new ride-hailing app has launched in London and is set to roll out in the UK’s other cities as well as internationally in New York and Singapore.

The App is looking to act as an open platform which will present customers with a range of prices, vehicles and estimated arrival times so you can browse your options and make a more informed decision. One feature that will top its rivals is the option to pre-book a journey and it will not add surge pricing.

Karhoo will allow most companies to sign up to the app to offer services which includes black cabs, minicab and executive cars however Uber will be excluded from the app.

The app has already had big branded companies such as Addison Lee and small firms like Mornington Cars sign up their fleet. So far they claim to have 80,000 drivers in the UK with 30,000 of those being in London however they claim this figure should rapidly increase by the end of the year as people are ‘flocking’ to sign up.

Karhoo is currently the only app on the market which allows you to search for a range of vehicles such as Black cab, minicab and executive cars in one place with a direct comparison on prices which it feels will put it above the other apps on the market such as Hailo, Gett and Kabee.

A big difference they will be keen to pride themselves on is that Karhoo use fleets of professional drivers compared to Uber whose drivers do not require much experience.

EU calls member states to be softer on UBER and AIRBNB

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In a draft of the guidelines the European Commission have asked member states to implement more moderate restrictions rather than ban so called ‘’sharing economy’’ companies such as UBER and AIRBNB.

Up until now UBER and AIRBNB have navigated different regulations across 28 of its member states.

UBER have had a dramatic effect on the London Private Hire market with the number of Private hire drivers increasing by a huge amount since 2013.

Several protests have been held across London by Black Taxi drivers due to the lack of regulation within London by Transport for London.

UBER and AIRBNB have been partially banned across a series of cites including France, Germany and Belgium and AIRBNB have faced heavy criticism for its effect on the local housing prices.

The draft apparently reads ’’Total bans should be a last resort and only be applied where no less restrictive requirements can be used.’’

The commission also said that operators should be considered employees if they aren’t allowed to set their own prices, this is likely to be heavily contested by UBER who have argued that the drivers are independent contractors.

 

School Minibus

School Minibus Driver saves children from Collapsing bridge

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A school minibus driver has been hailed a hero by saving 11 children from a collapsing bridge in Worcestershire.

The grade II listed Eastham Bride has been around since 1793 but last Tuesday it suddenly collapsed into the river.

Derek Trow was driving 11 pupils home from Lindridge St Lawrence Church of England Primary School when he approached the bridge and noticed the road giving way.

The driver quickly put the minibus into reverse and move the vehicle off the bridge before it dramatically gave way.

The bridge is expected to take months to replace and has left the town with severe traffic disruptions. 

 

Geeley – London Taxi Maker raise £275m to develop greener Cabs

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All London Taxis must be capable of zero emissions from 2018 in an attempt to clean up the capitals dirty air.

Geeley have raised £275 in funding to develop a fleet of greener hybrid Taxis next year. London Taxi company have said they will be able to build 36,000 taxis a year from their production line based in the UK.

London Taxi Company are hoping their new model will be a global success and are hoping to continue exporting vehicles to Azerbaijan, Australia and other countries in the middle east.

LTC raised the cash by issuing a 5 year ‘’green bond’’ which carried an interest rate of 2.75% and attracted 6X more demand than it could satisfy.

All of the new Taxis will be produced in their new factory in Ansty, near Coventry.

Dean Richardson wins 2nd fight

Professional Boxer and Knowledge student Deano Richardson wins 2nd fight by knockout

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Our sponsored welterweight professional Deano has continued to prove his determination as he pulls another win under his belt on 14/05/2016 at York Hall.

Deano made sure Ivan Duvancic aware of his impressive left hand in the early stage of the first round making the Croatian weary to move in. This continued throughout the first round with Deano forcing Duvancic onto the ropes showing that he had the upper hand.

Dean Richardson wins 2nd fight

The 2nd round saw Deano continuing with his strategy however increased the pace on his front foot and doubling up on his jabs which Duvancic responded by staying on the ropes again. The round remained the same with Deano overpowering Duvancic, with perfectly executed jabs to the body.

The 3rd round lasted all of 12 seconds as Deano released a flurry of shots that knocked Duvancic down however he managed to make the referee Lee Cook’s count. Deano was determined and went in full force with the jabs knocking Duvancic down a second time to which he did not make the count.

This is Deanos second professional fight and second stoppage which is an impressive start to the young man’s career.

London black taxis vs Uber

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London’s black cab drivers want to offer superfast WiFi to passengers travelling across the capital and have taxi ranks outside every Night Tube stop as part of new efforts to keep the taxi industry competitive.

The growing pressure the taxi trade is facing from Uber has resulted in an alliance of cab drivers, the London Taxi Company, trade unions and black cab apps such as Gett and Hailo to form a set of plans which they feel will help the trade continue to be the ‘best in class’.

They have advised that they will be calling upon the next Mayor of London to get on board with the ’28-point plan’ to help the industry thrive.

Steve McNamara of the Licensed Taxi Drivers Association (LTDA) stated; “What we are launching today is London’s taxi revolution, a guarantee to make the best taxi service in the world even better. Faster, smarter, greener is our offer and our ask of the next Mayor of London,”

Peter Johansen, the chief executive of London Taxi Company said: “London acts as a beacon for cities around the world and the next mayor has the opportunity to enact an ambitious policy agenda to ensure that our city remains a world leader in technology, service and on the environment. This means there are real choices to be made for the next mayor to keep pace with London’s ever changing transport challenges.”

One of the group’s main objectives is to have a cap placed on the number of licensed minicabs in London. The plan also calls for minicab drivers to pay the congestion fee which they are currently exempt from.

“The traffic in central London has to flow better and move faster, we must continue to adopt new technologies including apps, wifi and contactless to ensure we are smarter,” said McNamara. “Coupled with the right investment in infrastructure, such as rapid charging points to support the introduction of the new zero emissions taxi by 2018, we can make London the world’s first zero emissions taxi city.”

They have also pointed out that they would like the Mayor and TFL to integrate black taxis and ranks into plans drawn up the same way in which the Tube and Buses have been. With this they have requested that taxi ranks are set up at all 24-hour Tube stations “to create a fully integrated transport services”.

A further plan flagged as “action required” is a pilot for fast WiFi to be rolled out over the next two to five years in order to bring the industry more up to date and in line with services provided by other modes of transport.

Deano’s Debut

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Dean Richardson vs Aleksejs Grustans – 4×3 Welterweight contest

Quotax previously announced the sponsorship of up and coming Professional Boxer Dean Richardson and we are pleased to confirm his debut on the 19/03/2016 was a complete success. Deano put on an impressive and powerful performance, fighting his way to 4th round stoppage over Grustans.

Deano remained in control throughout the opening round and powered through it letting his left hand go. Grustans remained on high guard during the first round as Deano applied pressure with his jabs.

The second round saw Deano showing how impressive he can be with his solid left hand and flowing footwork to match. Due to this Grustans found it hard to fight back and also received a count from the referee after Deano landed a heavy left hand, causing him to stumble back. Although Grustans was able to make the count he was soon put under pressure from Deano who came back at him with straight shots, swinging right hooks.

Dean and Team

In the third round Deano stalked Grustans causing him to be knocked back with every powerful left hand that Deano dealt him. Grustans had no response and kept up a high guard throughout.

The fourth round started somewhat shaky but Deano got his rhythm back swiftly and made sure he put pressure on Grustans. Deano’s approached worked well as referee Bob Williams intervened after 2 minutes and 31 seconds deeming Deano the winner.