July traffic numbers set a world record for Ryanair August 3, 2016 Ryanair said it had broken the world record for the most passengers carried by an airline during one month. “July was a record month for Ryanair as our traffic grew by 12% to 11.3m customers and we became the first airline in the world to carry over 11m international passengers in one month, with a [...]
Jeremy Corbyn ramps up calls for railway renationalisation and for government to take over Southern Rail franchise August 3, 2016 Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn will today ramp up his pledge to renationalise the UK’s railways. At a public rally in Brighton, one of the cities worst hit by the Southern Rail crisis, Corbyn will call on the government to end the franchise and reiterate the Labour Party’s commitment to a nationalised “People’s Railway”. “If there’s [...]
Fenchurch Street Station evacuated following reports of man with knife on c2c Rail train August 2, 2016 Fenchurch Street Station was evacuated during rush hour this evening, disrupting hundreds of commuters' journeys from the central London terminus. British Transport Police officers were called to the station at 6.37pm "following reports of a robbery on board a train". Armed police then evacuated the station and carried out a full search of the train, which had [...]
TfL are cracking down on illegal taxis and minicabs, but unions says it’s failing to look at “e-hailing” services like Uber August 2, 2016 Sadiq Khan has unveiled plans to crack down on illegal taxis and minicabs – but transport union RMT has complained the drive will fail to look at smartphone services like Uber. Transport for London (TfL) will hire an additional 250 hi-vis wearing compliance officers by September 2017, quadrupling the number available to tackle illegal cabs at sites across London including Kings Cross, [...]
Travel sickness: Tube staff took over 163,000 sick days last year, the highest level in five years August 2, 2016 Tube staff took over 163,000 sick days last year, the highest level in five years and more than twice the national average. Figures obtained by City A.M. show that staff working for London Underground took 163,152 days off sick in 2015, a year plagued by the threat of strike action as the Night Tube battled opposition [...]
Five things you need to know about the Uber Didi Chuxing deal August 1, 2016 Uber and Didi have thrown in the towel on their costly rivalry with a deal to merge in China, worth a reported $35bn. Here's what you need to know. 1. Profits matter Uber was burning more than $1bn a year on its Chinese operations, becoming its largest market, but not making any profit from it. That's what boss Travis Kalanick [...]
Uber is merging its China business with arch rival Didi Chuxing August 1, 2016 Ride-hailing app Uber is merging its Chinese operations with its biggest rival in the region, Didi Chuxing, signalling an end to a long-standing and expensive rivalry. Didi has confirmed earlier reports of a deal between the two, saying it will acquire Uber's China assets. In return, Uber will take a 17.7 per cent stake in Didi, while Uber China's shareholders [...]
Qatar Airways just bumped up its stake in British Airways and Aer Lingus owner IAG August 1, 2016 Qatar Airways said this morning it had bumped its stake in the owner of British Airways up to 20 per cent. The company, which announced last month it had bought a 15.67 per cent stake in the airline, said it now owns 20.01 per cent of International Airlines Group (IAG), which also owns Aer Lingus [...]
Addison Lee profits under pressure from rise of mobile app challengers July 31, 2016 Addison Lee’s profits are being driven down by rising competition from mobile-based apps. The UK private car hire company owned by private equity giant Carlyle has reported post-tax earnings for the year to August dipped to £11.6m, down almost two-thirds from £32.9m in the previous year. New players in the market, led by US upstart [...]
Aviation minister Lord Ahmad considering cracking down on airport alcohol sales July 29, 2016 The UK's new aviation minister has shaken many a business traveller with the news that he will examine how alcohol is sold in airports, after several recent incidents involving drunk passengers. Lord Ahmad has said he will "look at" the times alcohol is on sale at British airports and consider passenger screening measures before boarding [...]