Taxis at dawn: Uber and Transport for London taximeter High Court ruling due Friday morning October 16, 2015 The fate of Uber in London will be known this morning, when the courts finally decide if the app is legal or not in a long-running and bitter battle with rival black cab drivers. A High Court judge will hand down a ruling on whether the app is considered a taximeter – a device which is only allowed to [...]
London Mayor Boris Johnson on Uber: “The toothpaste is out of the tube” October 15, 2015 London Mayor Boris Johnson has said disruption from tech companies such as Uber is inevitable, and the best cities can do is "create a level playing field" for established trades such as black cabs. Speaking in Tokyo, at a UK embassy event promoting startups, he said: "Once the toothpaste is out of the tube, that's [...]
Night Tube start date talks: Transport for London to cut out unions and go direct to workers October 15, 2015 Transport for London (TfL) has threatened to side-step organised labour after union leaders walked out of Night Tube talks yesterday, delaying delivery of the 24-hour underground service indefinitely. In a statement last night, TfL said that union leaders from Aslef, RMT, TSSA and Unite have “jeopardised” the Night Tube by leaving the negotiating table – [...]
TfL: Union bosses continue to hold London back when it comes to the Night Tube – that’s why we’re cutting them out of talks October 15, 2015 When we announced our intention to run the Tube all night at weekends, Londoners and visitors rightly started to contemplate how much easier it would make their lives. No missing the last train home after a night out, no wandering around an unfamiliar part of town at night trying to hail a cab, much easier [...]
Business secretary Sajid Javid sides with Uber in Transport for London crackdown October 14, 2015 Business secretary Sajid Javid has stepped into the debate over private hire cars in the capital, refusing to rule out intervening in Transport for London’s proposals to regulate Uber and other services. Testifying before the business select committee today, Javid said TfL’s proposals were “heavy handed” and not in the interest of consumers. “TfL is [...]
London Bridge reopens after closing due to “suspect package” October 14, 2015 London Bridge has reopened after having closed as police look into a suspicious package, creating commuter chaos. Transport for London has said to expect heavy delays due to congestion caused by the bridge having been closed. City of London police said north and southbound have both been shut to pedestrians and vehicles due to "a suspect [...]
London’s Night Tube won’t launch this year as talks between TfL and unions RMT, Aslef, TSSA and Unite stall (again) October 14, 2015 The launch of London's Night Tube will not take place in 2015, after talks between Transport for London and the transport unions broke off today, it has been confirmed. TfL has been in discussions with unions RMT, Aslef, TSSA and Unite over work and pay conditions for London Underground workers for several months. The Night Tube [...]
Signal failure at Kings Cross brings Circle, Hammersmith & City Lines to standstill and delays on District and Metropolitan Lines as chaos descends at Victoria Station October 13, 2015 A signal failure at King's Cross was causing major disruption on the Tube network this morning, while commuters posted pictures of chaotic scenes at Victoria Station. Overcrowding at Victoria meant passengers were unable to get onto the Underground, and were queuing out into the train station. Commuters complained that this was the second day in [...]
TfL’s Tube plans could lead to “millions more” lost in fare evasion, claims Labour’s London Assembly transport spokesperson Val Shawcross October 13, 2015 Transport for London has been accused of "making life easy for fare dodgers" by Labour's London Assembly transport spokesperson Val Shawcross. Using TfL's own data, Shawcross estimates that fare evasion costs the network £61m each year because of ticket barriers being left open. The data compiled from TfL's regular mystery shopper exercises shows that barriers were left open 6.9 [...]
Camden Tube refurbishment: Transport for London proposes “substantial” upgrade of north London station October 12, 2015 Transport for London has set out its plan for a major overhaul of Camden Town Tube station to make it fit for the volume of traffic the north London stop receives each day. TfL said the station, which is used by more than 80,000 people a day, would "completely transformed" under the plans, which have been [...]