Of course, that won’t mean it’s impossible to get hold of a new Daihatsu. A Daihatsu could be purchased as a grey import and insured on UK roads with a Japanese import car insurance policy. The new vehicle will most likely have to take a SVA test, which if passed will confirm the car fits the legal requirements for use on UK roads (different countries have different standards to adhere to).

Daihatsu have stated that the growing strength of the Japanese Yen has made importing vehicles to the UK extremely costly and the uncompetitive pricing of their vehicles has led to a decline in sales. Existing Daihatsu dealerships will continue to offer various after-sales services after January 2013.

According to a report on carandvannews.co.uk, there’s a good chance that existing Daihatsu dealerships may take on Chinese car manufacturer Great Wall, which would also be bought into the country using Daihatsu importer, IM Group.

Give2Give, a charity that operates around Bromley has raised enough funds to provide a charity or community group within the Bromley Council area with a brand new minibus.

Of course, it’s likely that the recipient will have to pay for minibus insurance themselves, as well as road tax, but this is such not be a problem considering the minibus itself will be free of charge!

The charity already provide free minibus services within the area but this new donation will be a permanent gift to whichever charity or group best fulfils Give2Give’s criteria for donation. Applications can be made here: www.g2g.org.uk

According to news on the Leicester Mercury’s website, public hire prices will increase by £0.40 per mile. Unsurprisingly it is late night travellers that will see the biggest increase in fares, with the first mile set to cost £4.80 and each additional mile costing £1.80.

Whilst the public are less than pleased about the rises, taxi drivers believe them to be a necessity. Anyone who owns a car will have noticed the increased cost of petrol and diesel (and let’s keep in mind that taxis are not as fuel efficient as most modern cars). Taxi operators are also facing an increase in the cost of black cab insurance premiums, which is a significant monthly or annual payment for drivers.

This is in fact the first increase in public hire fares within Leicester since 2007 and many taxi drivers would argue the rise is overdue. However, whilst a price rise can be detrimental to some services, the nature of the public hire industry should prevent a loss in demand — most people use black cabs due to necessity and a marginal price increase should not deter them.

Figures released by the media claim that the BBC spend nearly £50k a day on taxis and hire cars. This would lead to a cost of around £13 million per annum for taxis exclusively.

Understandably, BBC employees who have been told that pensions may have to be cut are less than pleased with the published figures.

Gent Morrissey, of media union Bectu, speaking to the Daily Express said that the head of the BBC, Mark Thompson has a salary figure larger than any savings made on taxi spend in the past year and that ’senior executives use taxis as a matter of course and they are not making programmes or on a deadline. What is their excuse?’

Whilst it is understandable that those working for the corporation after hours may need to use taxis at certain points, there is no need for to shun public transport during the day time.

Still, this is good news for public and private hire drivers situated around the BBC’s various offices.

The idea is to show that renewable energy and electric mobility can provide a solution to our fossil fuel crisis.

This time there will be four other teams racing him around the world — from Germany, Switzerland, Australia and South Korea.

The aim of the race is to show that electric vehicles are practical for everyday use and they plan to cover over 18,000 miles, stopping off at the U.N climate change meetings in Cancun this November.

Who knows if they’ll be offering lifts to passengers on the trip, if so let’s hope they have their taxi insurance!

The BBC reports that Bristol City Council asked that all public hire hackney carriages be painted blue so that the public would be able to recognise them more easily.

However, some cab drivers are less than pleased with the scheme. A respray would cost between £1,500 and £4,000. With all the other costs that taxi drivers pay —  including taxi insurance — this does seem a little pricey!

A spokesman for the council said that if a respray is too expensive, drivers could purchase blue plastic covering that is more affordable.

Whilst it makes sense that the public should know that the the public hire vehicle they choose to use is full licensed, it seems unfair to place the cost on drivers that are operating within the law, rather than punishing the drivers that are not.

However, as an article on the BBC website shows, the Lotus taxi is unique. It is the first hydrogen-powered black cab, which releases absolutely no emissions into the air.

Bizarrely, the vehicle is much quicker than the standard Hackney carriage. Whilst most petrol-heads worry that new fuel sources may mean a good-bye to the speedy cars we’ve come to know and love, this Lotus proves the opposite. Whilst, the car takes 15.5 seconds to reach 60mph (we know that’s not quick, but it does weigh two and a half tonnes!), it is seven seconds quicker than most London black cabs!

The taxi’s exterior is identical to most black cabs, but it is in fact powered by two electric motors attached to the rear wheels. However, the main source of the vehicle’s power comes from hydrogen fuel cells stored in the car’s bonnet. Lord knows how much the black cab insurance for this vehicle is! It is the energy from these cells that is converted to electricity. It is possible to power the motor using these fuel cells or by using a standard lithium polymer battery. The battery is charged via reused breaking energy– both kinetic and surplus electrical energy.

Whilst the manufacturer is better know for its sports cars, it hopes that a vehicle with zero emissions will capture the imagination of transport authorities, cab drivers and the public

A decision has been made to place signs on private hire taxis, explaining that they cannot be hailed unless they are booked in advance.

Chairman of the Hackney Carriage Association, Mathab Khan has stated ‘We have a problem with private hire cars picking up people without pre-booking in Cardiff — which has been going on for many years and we want to clamp down on them’.

Naturally, private hire firms are less than happy about the proposed change. The director of Dragon Taxis has claimed that the sings will takeaway the discreetness of a private hire vehicle — some passengers are unlikely to use a vehicle with a sign on its door if they want to make an impression.

Discussions are currently taking place as to what the signs should say.

Quotiva has helped thousands of taxi drivers find cover for their vehicles, we can help with both public and private hire insurance.

Moneysupermarket.com recommends that any home owner planning on doing this takes out a suitable landlords insurance policy as renting to a tenant can be a risky business — not everyone is as reliable as you!

There are many different kinds of landlord policy, offering varying levels of cover. Some policies will protect you from loss of rent, whilst other more comprehensive policies will offer money towards legal expenses and other unplanned and costly procedures.

Quotiva has helped 1000s of property owners find buy-to-let cover — our panel of expert brokers will help to find cover that is right for you.

Lyndon’s article begins by praising the campervan’s interior, in particular the equipment within the vehicle (fitted by Campervantastic) which includes a flat-screen television and a DVD player for those rainy days, as well as tinted rear windows for privacy.

Of course none of this comes cheaply — the vehicle without any extra mod-cons costs £44k and then you’ll need road tax, petrol and of course campervan insurance. It’s certainly not the cheap holiday that many think it may be. Of course, renting a campervan like this can be more cost efficient.

Whilst the author appeared to enjoy the day time trips in the campervan, him and his family — at total of four — came to the conclusion that the vehicle was not as practical during the evenings. Space was limited (although would most likely be enough for two adults, sans children) and hygiene was difficult. The van understandably has no shower or toilet, meaning that you’re limited to staying near a place with these two conveniences.

Of course, many campervan owners know that space is limited as are most home from home features — the campervan is about a sense of adventure, not a well equipt bathroom!