PCO Newsroom
A news page dedicated to the private hire community.
Summary
- Fines for drivers who break rules along London’s red routes increase to £160.
- The London Congestion Charge now operates during 7am-6pm on weekdays and 12pm-6pm on weekends.
- Drivers risk £200 fine using mobile phones to take photos or videos in addition to making a call or sending a text while driving.
- From 2022, all new homes and buildings in England must have car charging points.
Live Reporting
PCN Alerts

The Otto Team have received many PCNs for stopping in the box junction on Piccadilly/Half Moon Street. Please only go into a box junction when you’re sure you can put all four wheels over the other side, or you will get a £160 fine.
Check out our guide to
The top PCN Hotspots For Uber Drivers
PCO Driving

Diesel hits another record high
Diesel prices have reached another record high of 180.29p per litre.
That was up from the previous record 179.90p per litre in March on the day of the spring statement, with the announcement of cutting fuel duty by 5p a litre for a year.
Current prices mean it costs about £90 to fill a 55-litre family car with petrol, and £97 for diesel.
The RAC suggested a link between rising diesel costs and efforts to reduce supplies of Russian diesel.
Top reasons to switch to an electric PCO car
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EV Charging

Shell to install 100,000 public chargers by 2030
Shell UK announced that they aim to have 100,000 public EV charge points across the country, of which 11,000 will be rapid chargers. These chargers will be located at charging hubs, forecourts, supermarkets and other destinations.
In other words, 90% of all UK drivers, including London of course, will be within a 10-minute drive of a Shell rapid charger.
In addition to public chargers, Shell also estimate that they could have installed 500,000 EV chargers at private locations by the end of 2030.
Did you know Shell is part of our Otto Charging Network?
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Travel Updates

Here are some planned roadworks and events that may delay your journey:
- 20th-21st May: Tube strikes on the Central, Jubilee and Victoria lines between 7pm-6am
- 24th May: The Elizabeth line will open
- 29th May: RideLondon cycling events will affect travel in East and Central London. Westminster Bridge, Tower Bridge and Waterloo Bridge will be closed
Which is the best navigation app for PCO drivers?
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PCN Alerts

The Otto Team have received many PCNs for entering the pedestrian zone on Staveley Road (Chiswick). It’s one of our most ticketed locations recently. Please make sure to check signage or you will receive a £160 fine.
Check out our guide to
The top PCN Hotspots For Uber Drivers
Travel Updates

Here are some planned roadworks and events that may delay your journey:
- 16th May: The Northern Line between Kennington and Moorgate will reopen
- 29th May: RideLondon cycling events will affect travel in East and Central London
Which is the best navigation app for PCO drivers?
Read more
PCN Alerts

The Otto Team has received many PCNs on performing a right turn on Gerrard Place Junction with Shaftesbury Avenue near Chinatown. Please check signage first before turning or you will receive a £160 fine.
Check out our guide to
The top PCN Hotspots For Uber Drivers
Travel Updates

Here are some planned roadworks and events that may delay your journey:
- May 7: The Eid Festival will be taking place at Trafalgar Square from 12:00 to 18:00. Increased traffic and large crowds are expected.
- Until summer 2022: The TfL will be undertaking repair works on the A41 Edgware Way bridge over the M1, next to Apex Corner. This will involve closures in alternating directions on the A41 and lane closures on the M1.
- Until June 2022: Weekend closures of the A40 Westway will change to affect westbound traffic.
Which is the best navigation app for PCO drivers?
Read more
PCO Driving

Some PCO drivers are experiencing failed Autopay transactions with the Gatwick Airport drop-off charge, even though they have been making successful payments previously.
One of the possible reasons is that driver accounts are being affected by the new rules introduced by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) regarding anti-fraud prevention, which came into effect on 14th March 2022. The new rules require both debit and credit card providers to ask customers to verify certain payments.
If you have loaded your payment card details to the Autopay system ahead of these changes in March, please log on your Autopay account, remove your payment card details, and re-enter them again to avoid Autopay failure.
Currently the Gatwick Airport drop-off charge costs £5 for 10 minutes (£1 for each additional minute up to 20 minutes) for using the designated drop-off zones in both North and South Terminals. PCO drivers will receive a PCN of up to £100 if they ignore the charge.
What are the most common PCNs in London?
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Operator News

Uber is introducing a new travel service called Uber Pet, allowing passengers to book journeys with their pets for a surcharge of £3.20 in London.
Previously it depends on individual drivers whether they allow pets inside their PCO cars or not.
After a passenger has selected the Uber Pet option, the Uber Partner will be notified that there will be a pet riding alongside.