City of London brings out new rules to tackle wind-inducing skyscrapers August 20, 2019 The Square Mile may be famed for its financial clout and history, but in recent years it has also been known for other elements: extreme wind. The City of London Corporation has become so concerned about pedestrians and cyclists being toppled over in the street by the skyscrapers that adorn its skyline that it is [...]
Uber poaches new UK boss from Twitter founder Dorsey’s Square August 19, 2019 Uber has nabbed one of Twitter chief Jack Dorsey’s right-hand staff as its new general manager for its operations in the UK and Ireland. Melinda Roylett, who was most recently head of Europe at Dorsey’s fintech firm Square, will start her role at Uber today, City A.M. can reveal. Before joining Wall Street-listed Square last [...]
Shaun Bailey pledges to make every red bus electric if he becomes London mayor August 15, 2019 Tory mayoral hopeful Shaun Bailey has pledged to make “every red bus electric” by the end of his first term if he wins next year’s mayoral election. Bailey, who hopes to replace Sadiq Khan as London’s mayor, claims that under Khan, London’s diesel and hybrid bus fleet won’t be replaced with electric models until 2037. [...]
Brexit protester who caused £1m worth of rail disruption jailed August 15, 2019 A Brexit protester who caused £1m worth of disruption to train services between London, Kent and France has been jailed for one year. Terry Maher, 44, climbed on top of a tunnel overlooking railway lines near St Pancras station, blocking trains between the UK and France and causing disruption that affected about 22,000 people. Read [...]
Electric car charging points outnumber petrol stations August 15, 2019 The number of electric car charging points in the UK now exceeds petrol stations, as an increasing number of Brits turn to electric vehicles (EV). Read more: Car sales stagnate again in July but electric vehicle market share surges There are now 9,300 charging locations, compared to 8,400 petrol stations, according to new data released [...]
UK train fares set for another substantial rise as inflation climbs August 14, 2019 UK train fares are set for another substantial rise in January 2020 after the inflation gauge they are based on climbed by a yearly rate of 2.8 per cent in July, according to official figures released today. Read more: UK wage growth hits 11-year high in first quarter despite shrinking economy Each January, train fares [...]
First Group wins bid to replace Virgin on West Coast mainline August 14, 2019 The government announced today that First Trenitalia had been appointed to run the West Coast mainline from December 2019 to 2031. First Group and Italian firm Trenitalia will replace Virgin on the line that runs from London Euston to Glasgow via Birmingham, Liverpool and Manchester. The First-Trenitalia consortium saw off a rival bid from a [...]
Rail fares have risen twice as fast as wages over past decade, says union August 14, 2019 Rail fares have risen twice as fast as wages in the past decade, new analysis by the TUC trade union has found. The figures show that rail fares, which are pegged to the Retail Price Index (RPI) inflation measure, have risen by 46 per cent since 2009, while nominal weekly earnings have only grown by [...]
Rival Silvertown Tunnel bidder launches legal action against TfL August 13, 2019 A rival bidder for the proposed Silvertown Tunnel has launched legal action against Transport for London (TfL), preventing it from signing the £1bn contract. TfL awarded the contract to build and design the tunnel in East London to Riverlinx, a consortium that includes Aberdeen Standard Investments (ASI), Cintra and Macquarie Capital. Read more: TfL awards [...]
Hands-free phones should be banned while driving: MPs August 13, 2019 People could be banned from using hands-free devices on their mobile phones while driving, under new recommendations put forward by a group of MPs. Despite the “misleading impression” that using hands-free devices is safe, it actually carries “the same risk of collision”, the Transport Select Committee said. Read more: Self-driving cars get first London test [...]