Manchester

Taxi drivers in Greater Manchester given new dress code and behaviour rules

Price-setting will also be made uniform across the city region.

The Manc The Manc - 30th September 2021

Taxi drivers in Greater Manchester are to be given a dress code and a new set of rules for their cabs which includes an eating ban and no vaping.

According to the BBC, council chiefs in all 10 boroughs have signed up to minimum standards for private hire and hackney carriage drivers in the licensing process.

There will be a minimum English proficiency test for all drivers including enhanced criminal record and medical checks.

Price-setting will also be made uniform across the city region.

Mantax | Manchester's Largest Fleet Of Black Cabs
Mantax

The standards agreement also means drivers are bound to take the shortest routes possible and must keep their vehicles clean and comfortable for passengers, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

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Details of the scheme presented to Trafford Council before being approved stated that the “collaborative approach” would help achieve “a strong, professional and healthy” taxi and private hire sector to provide “safe and high quality services” across Greater Manchester.

The standards, which also ask drivers to be punctual and park considerately, are based on feedback from a consultation involving drivers, customers and unions in June.

There are an estimated 2,000 hackney vehicles, 11,500 private hire vehicles and 18,600 drivers in the region.

Manchester

Manchester’s new £2.5m indoor activity park is offering 50% off tickets over half term

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant Oxygen MediaCity is recruiting a Chief Excitement Officer - and they must be an actual child. Credit: Supplied, Jamie McPhilimey

Greater Manchester’s newly-opened indoor activity park is offering families the chance to visit for half price this spring holidays.

In case you missed it, Salford was chosen by Oxygen Activeplay as the location for its next venture, an officially opened the doors to its newest state-of-the-art equipment facility above bustling food hall Kargo MKT, inside the former site of I’m a Celebrity Jungle Challenge down at Quayside MediaCity in mid February.

Since opening to the public, Oxygen MediaCity has already been helping lots of local families stay active and have fun at the same time.

Following a £2.5 million investment, the new park features more than 30 trampolines, a mega-air bag, a high ropes course, a ‘Rollglider’ aerial ride which flies over the facility, and Oxygen’s signature illuminated sensory experience ‘Excite Tunnel’, along with even more “epic” activities.

A series of optional games and dance parties are also on offer during each play session, and the new Manchester park also hosts ‘Peaceful Play’ sessions designed for neurodivergent guests, who prefer a calmer and quieter playing environment, as well as there being a ‘Toddler Venture Zone’.

A cafe serving drinks, snacks, and meals also overlooks the park, so once you’re all bounced out, you can recharge with a full feast from the new menu before heading home.

Oxygen Activeplay is opening at MediaCity this year. Credit: Supplied
Oxygen MediaCity is recruiting a Chief Excitement Officer - and they must be an actual child. Credit: Supplied, Jamie McPhilimey
Manchester’s new £2.5m indoor activity park is offering 50% off tickets over half term / Credit: Jamie McPhilimey

And thankfully, once schools are out for the spring holidays in a couple of weeks time, families can get themselves one of Oxygen at MediaCity’s Easter Holiday Pass, which gives pass holders the chance to visit the park on any five days of the two-week break – including on weekends and bank holidays – for 60 minutes of ‘Open Play’.

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For a limited time only, you can save some pennies and take advantage of a half price offer and get your hands on an Easter Holidays Pass for only £30.

Read more:

Find out more and book your passes here.

Featured Image – Jamie McPhilimey

Manchester

Little Simz announces biggest-ever Manchester gig ahead of new album

Danny Jones Danny Jones Little Simz Manchester Co-op Live tickets

The queen of British rap, the one and only Little Simz, is coming back to Manchester for what will be her biggest headline show in this city to date.

A whole three years on from her last album No Thank You, the rapper from Islington is heading back out on the road after wrapping up the recording of her sixth studio LP, Lotus.

The first single ‘FREE’ has already dropped, and despite the release date itself being pushed back, news of a new Little Simz tour later this year more than makes up for it, if you ask us.

Get ready for the ticket chaos to commence.

Little Simz already has two NME Awards to her name for Best British Solo Act and Best British Album, not to mention a BRIT itself for Best New Artist in 2022; oh yeah, and she won the Mercury Prize as well as a BET Hip Hop Award over in the States for ‘Best International Flow’ – all before she turned 30.

With that in mind, you can understand why so many are frothing at the mouth to hear her new record when it does finally drop.

There doesn’t appear to be any problems with the album itself: Simbiatu Abisola Abiola Ajikawo, to use her full name, is simply busier than ever and has just booked a role in a film because, yes, she acts too.

Lotus will now drop on Friday, 6 June, just in time for fans to get learning the lyrics ahead of festival season, which we have no doubt she’ll play a big part in.

You can hear the first taste of the next chapter down below:

Little Simz returns to Manchester for a Co-op Live debut on 16 October with tour supports still yet to be announced.

Pre-sale goes live on Wednesday, 9 April from 10am for official Co-op members and general admission will be available from the same time on the following Friday (11 April).

You can get ready to grab yours HERE.

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Featured Images — Frank Schwichtenberg (via Wikimedia Commons)/Co-op Live (via X)

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