London Assembly votes against mayor’s plan to remove congestion charge exemption for private hires September 6, 2018 The London Assembly has voted down Sadiq Khan's plans to remove the congestion charge exemption from private hire vehicles (PHVs) operating in the capital such as Uber. Sixteen assembly members voted for the motion against the mayor's proposals, while three voted against it and two members abstained. Taxis and PHVs are exempt from paying the congestion charge when [...]
Uber’s chief executive Travis Kalanick has stepped down from the ride-hailing company June 21, 2017 Travis Kalanick, the controversial chief executive of Uber, has stepped down from his post, the company has confirmed. Kalanick helped set up the ride-hailing behemoth, but faced a shareholder revolt which forced his hand, according to the New York Times. Yesterday five investors called for his resignation, and wrote a letter to Kalanick outlining their [...]
Taxify boss criticises Transport for London after botched launch of ride-hailing Uber alternative September 9, 2017 The chief executive of ride-hailing app Taxify has criticised “hostile” London transport authorities who forced his firm to stop operating less than a week after it launched in the capital. Markus Villig, Taxify founder and chief executive, said he had been “surprised” by the “most hostile regulatory body we have ever encountered”, accusing Transport for [...]
Investment fund Third Point plans to oust Campbell board September 7, 2018 US investment fund Third Point has revealed plans to oust the entire board at food brand Campbell. Billionaire hedge fund boss Daniel Loeb, who is pursuing a sale of the brand, wrote to the board today to inform them that the fund, which owns a 5.65 per cent stake in Campbell's Soup, would nominate 12 people for [...]
Flying taxis could be heading for London as German aviation firm opens discussions with the City August 21, 2018 Flying taxis transporting people around London could soon become a reality after a German aviation company said it was looking at how its autonomous vehicles could work in the City. Volocopter unveiled its air taxi infrastructure for cities – including landing stations on top of buildings, hotels, at transport hubs and shopping centres – earlier [...]
London and the West Midlands can be an unstoppable force together September 11, 2018 Over a year since taking on the role of West Midlands mayor, we have achieved a lot. The wider region has experienced the largest increase in jobs in the UK, Coventry will be the country’s City of Culture in 2021, and Birmingham has secured the Commonwealth Games in 2022 – to name a few successes. [...]
Volvo dreams up its first driverless electric car September 5, 2018 Volvo has unveiled its first electric self-driving car concept, as it races to meet its own targets of making a third of its car sales autonomous by 2025. Aside from driving around town, Volvo hopes that the 360c could replace short-haul air travel, particularly for routes where the distance travelled is around 300km (186 miles) such as [...]
China’s Didi scores $500m and a $1.5bn spinoff deal ahead of an early 2019 exit | City A.M. July 17, 2018 Chinese ride-hailing service Didi Chuxing today announced $500m (£380.1m) in investment from the US parent of Booking.com, alongside rumours of a potential deal to sell off its car services unit for $1.5bn. Though the company has yet to comment on any plans for an initial public offering, it is thought that Didi will need to [...]
Revolut’s Valentine’s Day advert caused a social media storm – and shows the pitfalls of using comedy in marketing February 11, 2019 Roses are red, violets are blue, there’s a company in hot water and it’s called Revolut. The fintech challenger bank, which offers a mobile-based banking service, recently launched a new ad campaign of Tube posters that joked about the spending habits of its customers. One of the four adverts read: “To the 11,867 people who [...]
Jingle sells: Ice rinks and golden baubles on the wishlist as Christmas decorators report best year yet November 25, 2018 Live reindeer, ice rinks and 22 carat-gold Christmas tree baubles – these are the extravagances on offer as wealthy homeowners increasingly turn to interior designers to decorate their houses this festive season. For a growing number of the rich and famous, gone are the days of struggling to put up the tree with the children. [...]