Worth the cost? Driving groups issue safety concerns as govt floats year delay of MOT testing to save £100m January 18, 2023 MOT testing could be delayed by a year under current plans, but driving groups say they are “totally” opposed on safety grounds. Motoring groups the AA and RAC have warned ministers that “drivers don’t agree” with plans to delay testing and “believe it’s dangerous”, with more cars unfit for road use. This comes after the [...]
Settling rail dispute would have been cheaper than strikes, admits minister January 18, 2023 Rail minister Huw Merriman has admitted the government has lost more money due to the rail strikes’ impact than it would have if it had settled the dispute with unions months ago. “It’s actually ended up costing more than it would have if [the dispute] had been settled,” the minister told members of the Commons’ [...]
Cazoo no you can’t: Motor retailer halves ambitions despite third quarter sales fillip January 18, 2023 Cazoo has halved its sales ambitions for the year, saying it was now looking to sell between 40,000 and 50,000 cars, rather than the predicted 80,000 to 100,000. The online car retailer told analysts and investors it was shrinking its ambitions to a “more modest” top line, as it sought to return to profitability without [...]
TfL fare increases: How much a bus, tube or train ride will rise in 2023 January 18, 2023 Mayor Sadiq Khan has confirmed that Transport for London fares will rise in March of this year – meaning Londoners and visitors will be paying more to get around the capital. Fares on the tube, buses, and rail will go up by just shy of 6 per cent, whilst a temporary move to make over-60s [...]
WH Smith revenues boosted by return of rail and air travellers January 18, 2023 WH Smith said revenues had surged in the first few months of its financial year today as its airport and train station-based shops reaped the rewards of a rebound in travel. In a trading update today on the 20 weeks to the 14th January, the book and stationery stalwart said that revenues ramped up 40 [...]
Wealthy nations should pay more for low-emission air travel, Heathrow boss tells Davos elites January 17, 2023 Wealthy nations should pay more for low-emission air travel, Heathrow’s boss John Holland-Kaye told business and political leaders gathered in Davos today. “The wealthy people in this room and the wealthy nations should be funding the energy transition in aviation,” Holland-Kaye said, speaking at an event on the future of travel at the World Economic [...]
Raising fares better than cutting services, says TfL exec as Mayor’s decision on price hike looms January 17, 2023 Increasing bus and tube fares is always better than cutting services, Transport for London’s chief technology officer Shashi Verma said today. Verma told members of London Assembly’s transport committee that “a service cut is much worse than a fare increase” as cuts usually lead to a bigger decrease in passenger demand. “A 1 per cent [...]
More strikes: RMT follows in Aslef’s footsteps with rail walkouts in February January 17, 2023 Rail union the RMT has followed in Aslef’s footsteps from Tuesday morning and announced two days of strikes in early February. Train drivers working at 14 companies – including Govia Thameslink and C2C – said they will down tools on 1 and 3 February after rejecting an eight per cent pay increase over two years. [...]
Plane not train: Cornwall set for further tourist spike as Ryanair launches London-Newquay route January 17, 2023 Newquay residents are set to complain even further about the hordes of Londoners descending into Cornwall after Ryanair announced new services from London Stansted to Newquay. The low-cost carrier said today it will operate three weekly flights to Cornwall as part of its ramped up summer schedule, which also includes additional services to Spain and [...]
TUI open to new majority shareholder following resignation of sanctioned Russian billionaire January 17, 2023 TUI admitted it was looking for a new majority shareholder, 10 months after EU sanctions forced the resignation of Alexei Mordashov. Vladimir Putin ally and Russian billionaire Alexei Mordashov became a target of Europe’s sanctions against Moscow following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in March 2022. The sanctions meant TUI was left scrambling for a new [...]