FirstGroup keeps chugging on and is set to meet expectations despite challenging UK conditions November 15, 2016 FirstGroup revealed interim results in line with expectations this morning, and said it's on track to significantly increase free cash generation for 2016/17 financial year. The figures Revenue was up 5.1 per cent to £2.6bn, while FirstGroup recorded a flat adjusted operating profit margin (in constant currency). Two thirds of business was based in dollars, so the [...]
Mapped: This is the route HS2 will take north of Birmingham November 15, 2016 Transport secretary Chris Grayling has confirmed the majority of the preferred HS2 route from Crewe to Manchester and the West Midlands to Leeds. It is expected that Phase Two will begin operating trains around 2033 as part of the HS2 network, with part of the route (between West Midlands and Crewe) to open in 2027 [...]
Easyjet cuts dividend as profits nosedive following Brexit vote November 15, 2016 Profits tumbled at Easyjet during the 2016 financial year, with the budget airline blaming a combination of the EU referendum result and a number of terror attacks across Europe over the last 18 months. The figures Profit before tax dropped 27.9 per cent to £495m from £686m in 2015. Basic earnings per share declined by [...]
Jaguar Land Rover just wheeled out its first electric car: The I-PACE Concept November 15, 2016 Here it is, in all its glory: Jaguar's closely guarded secret. A new electric vehicle. The Jaguar I-PACE Concept car was previewed at the LA show, with the production version to be revealed in late 2017, ahead of it hitting the road in 2018. It's an electric SUV which Jaguar says combines a "supercar silhouette" [...]
Southeastern is rolling out smart cards for commuters from 5 December November 14, 2016 Apparently Monday morning queues for Southeastern passengers are soon to become a thing of the past. You can but hope… That's because they'll be able to swap a paper season ticket for a new smart card called "The Key", which is meant to deliver more convenient, paperless commuting. I t's being rolled out from 5 [...]
A third of car accidents are blamed on people using their mobile phone while driving November 14, 2016 New research from Direct Line has found that a third of car accidents are blamed on mobile phone usage. Of those who have been in an accident, more than half (53 per cent) said it was caused by the driver of the car being distracted – mainly by their phone or a passenger on their phone [...]
Government to prioritise market access as it moves to dispel cloud of uncertainty hanging over airlines post-Brexit vote November 14, 2016 The government has moved to reassure the airline industry over market access after the Brexit vote, saying it remained a priority. It wants to make sure the UK has "liberal access to European aviation markets". Brexit secretary David Davis, transport secretary Chris Grayling and Tim Alderslade, the chief executive of Airlines UK, released a joint [...]
Watch out Uber? Addison Lee’s investing £17m in 550 new Ford Galaxys November 14, 2016 Addison Lee is striking while the iron's hot. It has just announced some hefty investment, plugging £17m into new cars, purchasing 550 Ford Galaxy people carriers, as it renews 12 per cent of its 5,000 strong fleet. Earlier this year profits were down as it battled the rise of mobile challengers, like Uber. But with the [...]
Volkswagen’s Audi is in talks with China’s biggest car manufacturer SAIC Motor November 14, 2016 Volkswagen's Audi AG has confirmed it's in talks with China's biggest car manufacturer by sales, SAIC Motor Corp Ltd, for a long-term collaboration. The two firms signed a cooperation agreement on 11 November to explore the collaboration, SAIC said in a statement. Reuters first reported discussions were in the works on Saturday, to pave the way for [...]
BMW wants to ramp up sales of electric cars to 100,000 in 2017 November 14, 2016 Things are really heating up in the electric car race. First Toyota decided it would explore long-range electric vehicles (EVs) after previously saying it would reserve EVs for short-distance commuting. Then Jaguar Land Rover got in on the action, with the launch of its first electric car imminent. Now BMW is ramping up its EV [...]