Railway passenger numbers fall to lowest levels since mid-1800s October 8, 2020 The number of people using the UK’s railways fell to the lowest levels in almost 200 years between April and June as the coronavirus lockdown decimated passenger demand. Just 35m journeys were made in the three month period, down more than 400m on the same quarter in 2019. According to the Office of Road and [...]
London minister hits out at Sadiq Khan for ‘mixed messages’ during Covid October 8, 2020 Boris Johnson’s London minister has hit out at Sadiq Khan for sending “mixed messages” and for being two-faced in his dealings with the government. Paul Scully said today that Khan had “worked collaboratively” with the government behind closed doors during the Covid pandemic, but that he too often then goes on to attack the Prime [...]
Uh-oh, spaghettio: Could Italy be next in line on UK quarantine list? October 8, 2020 Italy could be the next country to be added to the quarantine list after the number of coronavirus cases surged past the UK’s threshold for reimposing restrictions. Over the last seven days, the number of cases per 100,000 has ticked up to 31.0, according to travel consultancy the PC Agency. Transport secretary Grant Shapps has [...]
Majority of UK businesses to scrap working from home post-pandemic October 8, 2020 More than two-thirds of UK businesses plan to scrap working from home beyond the pandemic, the latest official figures showed, as the number of commuters continues to escalate despite government orders. Figures released today by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed that 67 per cent of more than 24,500 British businesses surveyed said they [...]
Get e-scooter trials rolling in London, ministers urged October 8, 2020 A group of e-scooter firms have joined forces to call for the government to roll out a capital-wide trial of the new transport option. In an open letter to ministers co-ordinated by think tank the Centre for London, firms such as Lime, Spin, and Voi said e-e scooters could “help create a low carbon, inclusive, [...]
UK examining how to reduce travel quarantine period using tests October 7, 2020 The UK is urgently looking into ways to reduce the 14-day travel quarantine period which applies to some passengers arriving in the country, transport secretary Grant Shapps said. Shapps said that a mixture of Covid-19 testing and self-isolation was promising, and announced the formation of a Global Travel Taskforce to open up international travel, which [...]
City workers committed to the commute despite PM’s working from home u-turn, TfL data shows October 7, 2020 City workers committed to the commute despite Boris Johnson's working from home u-turn, according to new Transport for London
Heathrow boss: PM told me airport testing will be in place ‘in October’ October 7, 2020 Boris Johnson has told the chief executive of Heathrow Airport that the UK will begin airport testing for coronavirus in two weeks time. Speaking to Travel Weekly, John Holland-Kaye confirmed that the Prime Minister said that ministers were planning to begin trials in the second half of this month. “It would take a couple of [...]
Sicilian Kiss: Escaping to the pearl of the Ionian Sea October 6, 2020 The weekend The criteria for a weekend away have changed in recent months. On top of the usual considerations — weather, journey time, food, culture — travellers must now think about a host of Covid factors. How successfully is a country suppressing infections? Are there any entry requirements that might catch out visitors at the [...]
In full: PM Boris Johnson’s Tory conference speech in full October 6, 2020 Boris Johnson took the stage Tuesday for the Tories’ virtual party conference, announcing policies on 1:1 teaching and low-deposit mortgages, but also promising to unleash the private sector. Here’s the text in full. Good morning conference, I want to begin by thanking you for everything you did at the election, pounding the streets in the [...]