Now you can book an Uber in advance as Scheduled Rides comes to London August 25, 2016 Uber is shaking up the way users can order a car, expanding upon the on-demand model which first made it a hit with a new feature for scheduling journeys ahead of time. People will now be able to book a car up to a month in advance of their journey, or just 15 minutes ahead. [...]
Don’t fall for the Uber hype – London needs a common sense approach to taxis August 25, 2016 The lavishly resourced Uber PR machine has cranked into gear once again – with a blizzard of activity attempting to obstruct Transport for London's eminently sensible new rules for regulating the taxi industry in London. Quite why Uber are huffing and puffing as much as they are is anyone’s guess: TFL – the industry's regulator – [...]
The world’s first driverless taxis have hit the road (beating Uber) August 25, 2016 The first-ever driverless taxis have hit the road in Singapore, and despite the ambitious plans of Uber announced just last week that it's about to put autonomous cabs into service, the billion dollar startup has been pipped to the post. Residents of Singapore will spot the robo-taxis driving around the business district and they will even be able [...]
Airlander (AKA the flying bum) has crashed August 24, 2016 Airlander, the British aircraft which is the longest in the world and also happens to be nicknamed the "flying bum" plane because of its appearance, has had a minor crash. The Airlander 10 was damaged during the landing of only its second ever test flight. No one was injured but there was damage to the cockpit underneath the craft. Watch: Airlander [...]
The commuter life of train delays, warm journeys and overcrowding are worse for your health and happiness than you already thought August 24, 2016 If you're one of the UK's 24m commuters and had the sneaking suspicion your journey-heavy lifestyle was making you less healthy… unfortunately, you were right. The average commuter in the UK travels for 56 minutes a day, with the majority of these types of journeys usually being undertaken on "non-active" modes of transport such as [...]
Now Bus workers are going on strike including during Notting Hill Carnival August 24, 2016 After a slew of strikes across train networks, bus workers have now voted to go on strike in London – including on Bank Holiday Monday when Notting Hill Carnival is held. Unite the union said 1,000 drivers, engineers and other workers are involved in a dispute affecting some 28 bus routes across London. The stoppages [...]
Come fly with me? City Airport will start playing songs during security screenings to entertain passengers August 23, 2016 London City Airport has decided to play music for passengers as they go through the airport's security search area because it will apparently provide a positive distraction. The airport says that music psychologist from the University of Sheffield has argued the background music may provide a positive distraction whilst proceeding through security, enhance the experience and [...]
No man is an island: Air Mauritius benefits from a move out of its comfort zone August 23, 2016 Air Mauritius posted its best first quarter results in ten years as lower oil prices piloted a return to profitability. Although modest, the €2m net profit for the three months to June 2016 was a huge turnaround from a €9.8m loss during the same period in 2015. "This positive performance is due to the company’s efforts to improve [...]
High Speed 2 shortlists firms for phase two packages worth £520m August 23, 2016 A number of firms have been shortlisted for contracts on the second phase of High Speed 2 (HS2) worth a total of £520m. The £350m professional services contract will be fought out between four firms, while three will compete for the £170m programme development partner role. The winners for both packages will be announced before the [...]
More trouble for Southern: Card payment failure hits rush hour August 22, 2016 Customers of Southern Rail, already fuming over ongoing service delays and then strike action, were dealt another blow on the morning rush hour commute. The rail network was unable to accept card payments for tickets at some of its stations due to an unspecified technical problem early on Monday, leaving many customers in long queues or failing to [...]