The Mayor of London has opted to protect privilege not competition September 14, 2016 Sadiq Khan’s crackdown on London’s private hire industry is a sop to a privileged monopoly that distorts competitive markets and fails to defend consumer interests. As private hire services make inroads into London’s black cab monopoly, the case to protect them from decline and enforce consumer safety may sound reasonable. But Khan’s reforms go beyond safety and are [...]
Sharing economy stalwart Zipcar zooms into Belgium with its first free-floating car share service September 14, 2016 US car-sharing network Zipcar zoomed into its seventh European market today and launched its first free-floating service. The free-floating system allows Zipcar members to pick up and drop off one of the company's hired vehicles at any location within a set geographical area, rather than in a specified spot. Its new service is being launched in [...]
Delays at King’s Cross and Moorgates stations due to derailed train at Welwyn Garden City September 13, 2016 Commuters are facing delays at King's Cross station after a train derailed at Welwyn Garden City. According to Great Northern rail, the low speed derailment of an empty train at Welwyn Garden City late last night is causing disruption to journeys between Stevenage and London Kings Cross and Moorgate. As a result of the incident, the company [...]
Uber accuses Sadiq Khan of favouring London’s black cabs September 13, 2016 Uber has accused the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan of discriminating against its drivers and favouring black cabs in the capital with new measures to regulate the industry. In an email sent to customers, Uber claims that thousands of minicab drivers could lose their livelihoods with a knock on effect on waiting times and availability of cars. [...]
London mayor pledges new support for black cab industry in Uber fight September 13, 2016 The Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has put his backing behind the capital's famous black cabs as they face competition from Uber with new measures to support the industry. City Hall has promised to increase the number of taxi ranks around the city and increase access to bus lanes, while cab information will be added to Transport for London's journey [...]
Gatwick boss slams commission conclusions as out of date and hails long haul growth September 12, 2016 The conclusions drawn by the Airports Commission are "fundamentally flawed" and 14 years out of date, according to Gatwick Airport. Boss Stewart Wingate said that the fact that Gatwick had flown 42m passengers in the last 12 months completely undermined the commission's credibility and findings. “Our performance proves beyond any doubt that the Airports Commission’s report is fundamentally flawed. [...]
Non-EU trade at Heathrow dwarfs the amount passing through Gatwick September 12, 2016 Heathrow Airport turned up the heat on expansion-rival Gatwick by saying it is Britain's non-EU trading hub. The airport implied that it is Britain's post-Brexit vote airport by highlighting nearly a third of exports to non-EU countries took off from its runways in the last year, as compared to 0.2 per cent from Gatwick. Read more: Flybe boss wants national focus on regional [...]
Here’s how much of your pay goes on commuting September 12, 2016 Thought you were angry about your commute already? Brace yourself… Cancellations and delays, leaves on the track or too much heat, the increasing cost of tickets and jam-packed sardine tin-like trains – there's already such an array of choice when it comes to commuting complaints. Here's another one to add to the list. A tenth of your [...]
London commuters face transport delays due to 24-hour bus strike September 12, 2016 Commuters in London are facing delays today due to a 24-hour bus strike. Workers from Tower Transit, which operates around five per cent of London bus routes, began their strike at 00:01, and the industrial action is set to continue until 23:59. The staff are members of the Unite union, and previously led industrial action [...]
Flybe boss: Forget Heathrow v Gatwick – government should look at issues outside of south east September 11, 2016 For the British aviation industry, the debate of the day (and decade) is south-east airport expansion: Heathrow versus Gatwick. Everyone in the industry has an opinion, and Saad Hammad, the chief executive of regional airline Flybe, is no exception. “From my analysis of the Davies report [into airport expansion], it looks like Heathrow is the [...]