“Serious questions” over mayor Sadiq Khan’s ability to balance the books as TfL fares income is down £90m February 8, 2017 The mayor has come in for criticism after Transport for London (TfL) revealed a £90m shortfall in income for the year to date against budget, pointing to fewer passenger journeys. Figures released at the February TfL meeting revealed income shortfalls across all forms of transport, with overall fares income down £90m against budget, "driven by [...]
Emirates is riding out turbulence in the airline sector and its brand is even jumping ahead of British Airways February 8, 2017 Ryanair's recent profit drop underlines how tough the airline sector is currently. It’s a good time to have a closer look at one airline whose consumer perception is standing up well in a highly competitive industry – Emirates. Our recent YouGov BrandIndex brand rankings point towards the success the high-end airline has enjoyed over the [...]
Gospel Oak to Barking line reopens on 27 February but more disruption is on the cards after work wasn’t completed on time February 7, 2017 Good news: the London Overground line between Gospel Oak and Barking will reopen to passengers on Monday 27 February. Bad news: despite a phased eight-month closure, the work hasn't been finished on time and more needs to be done. Work began on the £130m upgrade in June 2016. Along the 14-mile route, a number of [...]
Aslef says there are “serious misunderstandings” about its deal with Southern rail February 7, 2017 Aslef has said there are "serious misunderstandings" around the deal it has agreed with Southern rail to resolve the long-running row over changes to guards' roles. Details of the deal were given to drivers over the weekend and the agreement has been described as a "shocking betrayal" by the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union. The deal [...]
Forget contactless, train tickets could soon use fingerprints and facial recognition February 7, 2017 Ambitious plans to bring train travel into the 21st Century could replace paper tickets and even forward-thinking contactless payments with fingerprints and iris scanning. “Britain’s railway exists to drive our economic prosperity. A 21st century railway offers opportunities for businesses to grow by bringing more technology to the railway more quickly. Everyone in the railway [...]
FirstGroup gets Brexit boost from sterling despite flat performance in UK February 7, 2017 FirstGroup enjoyed a Brexit boost as the devaluation of sterling delivered a strong revenue increase despite its continued struggles in its UK buses business. The figures Group revenue increased by 12.8 per cent because of the devaluation of sterling since the EU referendum, as foreign earnings became more valuable. Without the sterling boost the group’s [...]
London’s classic red phone boxes are getting a makeover – complete with Wi-Fi and touchscreens February 7, 2017 You may have noticed some rather different phone boxes to what you're used to popping up on the streets of the capital. Well that's because the iconic red phone box is getting a revamp and New World Payphones has been wheeling out swanky new versions complete with high-speed Wi-Fi, touchscreen functions for local services and digital [...]
A gig economy inquiry by MPs hears a tale of two Uber drivers February 6, 2017 Uber drivers have given evidence to MPs scrutinising the rise of the gig economy and its implications for workers, painting two very different pictures of their experience with the company. "There is no flexibility," said Uber driver David Dunn, giving evidence to the work and pensions committee chaired by Frank Field, who last year accused Uber of treating its drivers [...]
The world’s longest non-stop commercial flight landed today after covering 14,535km February 6, 2017 Get a bit antsy on long flights? Well spare a thought for those on board flight QR920 from Doha to New Zealand, which travelled 9,032 miles (or 14,535km) on a route which takes 17 hours and 30 minutes – though this flight landed after 16 hours and 23 minutes. Quicker than expected. Qatar Airways has just [...]
It’s lift off for Uber’s flying cars with a major hire from Nasa February 6, 2017 Think flying cars are just a pie in the sky idea? Think again. Uber is working on creating driverless cars and has already hinted at more sci-fi ambitions for airborne vehicles, but now its made a serious new hire to lead such technological development. And where else would you find someone to do such futuristic work? Nasa, [...]