As you can see we have spent a lot of time and effort in developing a much more focused website aimed at our customers. We made sure that it was easy to navigate and simple to find out who your local agent is and to get in touch with us.

In addition we have also put a lot more information about our company and who we are as well as providing you the customer with details of our trusted and wide-ranging Taxi Insurance products.

We have over 60 years knowledge and experience behind us, we do not operate a call center - we deal with you via your local agent we believe in a local face to face way of working - and we are totally focused on the hire and reward insurance market unlike most of our competitors.

Whether you are a new or existing customer we value any opinion you have about the website or what you would like to see in the next update.

http://www.wmia.co.uk/news.php?show=m&id=1

While reforms seem to be taming New Jersey's chronically high auto insurance rates, a new problem has arisen: Owners of buses and other commercial vehicles say their bills have skyrocketed in recent years.

Bus operators large and small say that in some areas of the state, insurance rates can reach $50,000 per year and some can't get coverage at all. Minority bus owners say they have been particularly hard hit, with some being driven out of business. Cab drivers complain they pay rates that dwarf those paid by ordinary drivers.

"We're out of business," said Nate Lawson, owner of Nate's Transportation in Newark, who stopping running his own buses in 2005 after more than two decades when his premiums shot up. "We can't even buy insurance. That is total discrimination."

Assemblyman Neil Cohen, who chairs the lower house's insurance committee, is sponsoring legislation that would scale back required commercial insurance coverage to reduce rates. The bill cleared Cohen's committee last Thursday, and he announced he will hold a hearing in September on the cost of commercial insurance, and why some can't get coverage.

"There are some small companies literally going out of business," said Cohen (D-Union). "It's time to take a hard look."

Carol Katz, lobbyist for the Bus Association of New Jersey, said her members, which include large bus companies like Coach USA and Academy, estimate their average insurance costs have risen from about $12,000 per bus in 2001 to about $35,000 — just for liability and medical coverage. She said collision coverage adds another $7,500 to $15,000 per bus.

Even a cab driver in New Jersey can pay as much as $10,000 annually for full coverage, said Charley Martini, a longtime insurance executive who may form a company to sell coverage to taxi owners. They now can buy policies from only one private company and a state-run insurance pool, he said.

In contrast, insuring an automobile in New Jersey costs an average $1,185 in 2005, according to the latest available figures. Though that's still highest in the nation, the rates fell 3.3 percent because of recent reforms.

Insurance industry officials question whether rates are as high as critics claim, but acknowledge they are more expensive in New Jersey than other states because of the high population density and a legal requirement that bus owners buy broader coverage.

John Petrilli, vice president and general counsel for Lancer Insurance of Long Beach, N.Y., which insures more buses in New Jersey than any other private operator, said prices rose around 2001 but his company has charged an average of $9,300, not counting collision, over the past five years.

Katz said her members wish they could find rates that cheap.

Insurers concede many don't offer bus insurance, saying buses tend to be magnets for nuisance claims, fraud and big payouts.

"It is highly specialized and very few companies have found they can underwrite it effectively," said David Snyder, vice president of the American Insurance Association.

Some minority-owned firms feel they may be victims of racism and say they're being forced out of New Jersey. Two bus company owners, Lawson and Curtis Dukes of Irvington, recently filed civil rights complaints with the U.S. Attorney's Office contending they are being targeted because of race.

Oscar Bennett, who owns Queen City Tours Inc. of Plainfield, said he operated buses for 28 years without a major accident. From 2002 to 2005 his insurance bill went from $6,800 to $57,333 per bus. He later found cheaper insurance, but by last year, could no longer get coverage.

"Nobody would insure me. But I would match my safety record against any company in the United States," he said.

Bennett said he's already lost his house and is struggling to maintain ownership of his bus lot in Plainfield. He said he was forced to lease his vehicles to his cousin in North Carolina, where they are registered and insured — at about $7,000 per bus.

Bennett filed a complaint with the state insurance department after Lancer Insurance refused to write a policy. The insurer said they refused coverage because he violated federal transportation safety regulations and was canceled by a previous insurer for not paying his bills. Bennett said he did have trouble paying some bills after they rose so quickly, and that the safety violations were technical and minor.

New Jersey does have an "insurer of last resort" for some who cannot find policies on the open market, but its rates aren't cheap: $42,815 to insure a charter bus in Newark with 21 to 60 seats, not including physical damage coverage, according to William Rader, assistant commissioner of the Department of Banking and Insurance.

Unlike the private passenger market, which remained under tight state control until 2003, the commercial market has been largely deregulated since 1982.

Cohen said he is aiming at one of the rules the state does have: requiring bus owners to pay up to $250,000 of the medical bills of any driver injured in an accident.

His bill (A1973) would make injured passengers tap their own auto or health insurance policies for the first $10,000 in medical bills from a bus accident. Bus companies would have to pay any remaining costs up to $250,000. Katz said this would lower insurance costs because most medical claims are under $10,000.

Bus accidents and fatalities have fallen in New Jersey in recent years, according to federal data.

http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/jersey/index.ssf?/base/news-10/1213160739165610.xml&coll=1

Paratransit is a risk retention group, licensed and admitted in Tennessee. A risk retention group may not be subject to all of the insurance laws and regulations of your state. State insurance insolvency guaranty funds are not available for risk retention groups.

http://www.paratransitinsurance.com/default.asp

ChoiceQuote has been providing insurance cover for public and private hire taxi drivers in the UK for over 10 years.

Competitive private or public hire taxi insurance policies and first class service for any level of cover you may require.

TAXI INSURANCE FEATURES
Get a quote online
Legal cover available
Instalment plans available
Taxi fleet policies available
Private and public hire cover
24 hour claims line 0800 612 21 80
Cover for chauffeurs and minibuses
Policies to aid move from weekly schemes
Personal accident and public liability cover available
Mirror no claims bonus from other motor vehicle policies

GET A TAXI INSURANCE QUOTE NOW GET A TAXI INSURANCE QUOTE NOW

Whatever type of taxi you operate or are looking to purchase in the near future, it's crucial that you get the best cover to suit both your budget and your needs. Our taxi insurance advisors are experienced at offering you the best cover and advice, however many years you've been driving.

We have offices in Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds, Birmingham and Glasgow where our taxi insurance experts will look after your needs and find the right quote for you. You can also get a quote online today and let ChoiceQuote help to find a taxi insurance quote to suit your budget.

http://www.choicequote.co.uk/taxi/taxi-insurance-uk.asp

In news that may be of interest to drivers with Taxi Insurance, the city's council voted to keep the taxis following a consultation and council meetings.

The taxis are accessible to both able-bodied and disabled members of the public and bear signs to show they are properly licensed.

Features used inside the cars include a wheelchair retention system and a hearing loop and intercom system.

Rob Laidler, sales director at LTI Vehicles, said: "We are very proud of our professional taxi service in Liverpool and feel sure that that the public will be pleased with this decision to keep such an iconic vehicle and the benefits that it provides."

He added that the firm is also keen to work with disabled groups in Liverpool to look into how its current taxi model can be improved.

LTI Vehicles is a provider of a network of taxi dealerships.

ChoiceQuote.co.uk/news/taxi/taxi_liverpool_to_keep_taxi_fleet.asp">http://www.ChoiceQuote.co.uk/news/taxi/taxi_liverpool_to_keep_taxi_fleet.asp

http://www.taxiinsuranceuk.co.uk/

Whether you are a single vehicle or fleet operator we will be able to provide a very competitive insurance quote.

For a great quote, our team of Taxi Insurance experts is on hand during office hours (8:30am and 9:00pm Mon to Weds, 8:30am - 6:00pm Thurs and Fri and 9:00am - 1:00pm Sat). Call us now on 0845 241 6089.

http://www.taxi-direct.co.uk/

You can contact our sales team on 0800 980 8465 or alternatively complete our quotation form on-line. We will then search through our panel of insurance policies to select the best policy to suit your needs. We give a 5% discount for on-line quotes.

Super Johnny offers his protection in the following areas; Birkenhead, Blackpool, Chester, Crewe, Ormskirk, Preston, Runcorn, Shrewsbury, Southport, St Helens, Stockport, Telford, Wallasey, Warrington, West Lancs, Wigan and Wirral. We do not offer any quotations for any area that is not listed above.

http://www.superjohnny.co.uk/

Groupama's GAN UK subsidiary has acquired nice motor insurer, ChoiceQuote Insurance Services, for an undisclosed sum.

ChoiceQuote controls premiums in the region of £25 million and focuses on niche and non-standard motor covers, with specialisms in the taxi and motor trade sectors. The insurer bought specialist motor broker Carole Nash in December 2006.

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In a statement Groupama said that ChoiceQuote would retain its brand, senior management team and would continue to operate independently of Groupama’s other UK broking investments.

The company is headquarted in Liverpool and has offices in Manchester, Leeds, Birmingham and Glasgow. It employs 79 staff.

Chief executive of Groupama UK, François-Xavier Boisseau, said: “This is a strategic investment that gives us access to a number of valuable niche areas where we do not currently participate and also boosts our exposure to on-line trading - an area of particular strength for ChoiceQuote and something that we believe is important in securing access to market.”

ChoiceQuote chief executivee Phillip Catterall said: “I am delighted to have reached this agreement with Groupama UK. With their other broking investments in the UK they have demonstrated that they are very supportive shareholders with a very clear vision. These are exciting times for ChoiceQuote and I see a very bright future for the company under Groupama ownership.”

http://www.insurancetimes.co.uk/story.asp?sectioncode=13&storycode=370650

This trip is one of London’s most unique charity events, which took place on the 15th September 2006. A convoy of 115 licensed London Taxis took over 150 children some of who are suffering from a range of chronic debilitating illnesses and life limiting conditions, on a three day trip of a lifetime to Disneyland Resort Paris.

The taxi drivers freely gave up their time and the use of their vehicles for the duration of the Magical Taxi Tour.  Every aspect of the trip was organised by a group of unpaid volunteers from within the licensed taxi trade.

Organised annually by the Worshipful Company of Hackney Carriage Drivers, the trip starts from Canary Wharf where the organisers entertain and give the children and helpers a big breakfast before the giant convoy departs to catch the ferry at Dover.

Congratulations to Michael Davies of J&M who is a trustee of the charity and who has recently been elected to the position of Lower Warden in the Worshipful Company.

Some facts about the taxi tour:

To date 1,200 taxis have taken almost 2,500 children to Disneyland
9,000 packed lunches have been supplied to children, drivers and helpers
Nearly 28,000 gallons of diesel have been used on the trip
The Metropolitan Police, London Ambulance NHS Trust, the AA and the RAC have provided 121 support vehicles
Some of the drivers have been coming every year since 1994
That’s 7,000 unpaid miles of driving
The Children's Magical Taxi Tour went off as planned and a good time was had by all, The sheriff for the City of London together with the Assistant Commissioner for the City of London Police were also present on this special day.

You can read more about the annual tour on the official website at www.magicaltaxitour.com

http://www.jmi.co.uk/news/the-childrens-magical-taxi-tour-2006.htm