WORLDWIDE TAXI FOCUS from Germany


HAMBURG IS FIRST GERMAN CITY TO BAN DIESEL/PETROL-POWERED TAXIS


Hailing a cab in Hamburg is about to ensure a more eco-friendly ride. The city is setting a precedent in Germany,


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perhaps world- wide, by mandat- ing hydrogen- or electric-powered taxi fleets by 2025. The ban on diesel/petrol-powered cabs follows the recent passage of climate laws in the region that pave the way for cleaner taxis. The mandate is part of plans that include more public transit and underground and suburban trains in an effort to reduce air pollution. “We are firmly convinced that the future of our industry is electric and that this changeover date is feasible,” Hansa Taxi CEO Thomas Lohse said. There are about 350 cleaner cabs cruising Hamburg. 65 of Best Taxis fleet of 150 vehicles are compliant with the rule, running on batteries or hydrogen. The company is trying to kick fossil fuels to the curb by the end of 2024 well ahead of the city’s mandate.


from India


MAN DRAGGED BY INDIAN CABBIE ON BONNET, DIES AFTER BEING RUN OVER


A taxi driver allegedly drove his vehicle for around 400 metres with a man hanging onto the bonnet of the car and then ran over him, following a quarrel between the two in Bengaluru, Karnataka state on January 15 and was captured on CCTV footage. Police have registered a case against the cab driver, Mohammed Munir, and an investigation into the matter is underway. Authorities are searching for Muneer, who is on the run after the hit-and-run incident that claimed the life of the victim, Ashwath. According to police, an argument broke out between


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the pair after a collision between their vehicles. Ashwath got out of his car and climbed onto the bonnet of Muneer’s cab to stop him fleeing the scene. The cab driver, however, did not stop his vehicle and drove with Ashwath clinging onto the bonnet. In the CCTV video of the incident which went viral on social media, several bystanders can be seen running behind the cab asking Muneer to stop the vehicle. Unfortunately, Muneer’s cab collided with a pole and Ashwath lost his grip and had a fatal fall. Munir still did not stop the cab and managed to flee from the spot.


from China


CHINESE CABBIE FINDS PASSENGER WHO OVERPAID FARE BY £19K


A concerned taxi driver who went out of his way to look for a passenger who had accidentally overpaid her fare by a staggering 170,000 yuan (£19,000) because she was drunk, has won praise on social media. Du Liming eventually succeeded in finding the passenger, Chen, after persevering for five days. The incident occurred at about 3am on December 14 after Chen’s friend had to help her into Du’s cab following a night out. At the end of her journey, Chen swiped the QR code on her payment card for the fare that should have been 60 yuan (£6). It was not until the end of his shift that Du looked at the Alipay account he seldom used for fare payments and was shocked to see an amount of 170,000 yuan. “At first I thought I had read the number wrong, ” he said. After checking again, Du went to the nearest police station, called his company and also contacted Alipay as well as leaving messages for Chen. “But nobody contacted me,” Du said. “Losing things, particularly a large sum of money, is very worrying, so I wanted to find the customer quickly,” he said. Du waited anxiously to be contacted and also did whatever he could think of to try and locate Chen. He even sought help from the local media, which ran a news story that went viral online. Fortunately, the friend who had helped Chen into Du’s car saw the news story and told her. They met and Du was able to return Chen’s money. Many on mainland social media were impressed with the taxi driver’s empathy and determination to do the right thing.


FEBRUARY 2024 PHTM


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