Now you can carpool a black cab for the price of a Tube journey December 5, 2016 Londoners will soon be able to share one of London’s iconic black cabs with a someone else heading in the same direction, with promises of making travelling by taxi as competitively priced as public transport. Uber rival Gett will launch a carpooling service, Gett Together, in the capital and plans to roll it out to [...]
The pension pitfalls of the gig economy July 19, 2017 Our work lives are becoming increasingly malleable as millions of us turn our backs on steady nine-to-five jobs and choose to go freelance instead. Yes, we can now mould our job into a shape that fits neatly into our personal or financial lives, but this workplace revolution is by no means perfect, and has [...]
Editor’s notes: Hammond falls down the cracks between politics and policy, the bigger threats to the media than Rupert Murdoch and why the UK needs a new army of trade negotiators March 10, 2017 There are plenty of people willing to defend the chancellor’s controversial raid on the self-employed, not least the chancellor himself who was out and about yesterday claiming that the government faced “some new challenges” and that it has “to pay for these things somehow”. As opposition to the move grows on his own backbenches, he [...]
The gig economy won’t be killed off so easily November 22, 2016 The gig economy in the US has reached its peak – at least that's according to JP Morgan's latest research. Some are suggesting recent legal action could sound the death knell of the UK gig economy – but in my view, these concerns are misplaced and underestimate the demand for innovative, tech-enabled services. Moves by [...]
Now Deliveroo drivers are launching a bid for greater workers rights November 8, 2016 Drivers delivering food for restaurants through Deliveroo are seeking greater workers rights following a high-profile court case which handed Uber drivers worker status. A group of drivers has asked the startup to recognise the union and give it collective bargaining rights over issues such as pay and hours, the BBC reports. Read more: The government wants "flexibility [...]
Waymo: Full speed ahead as Google spins off self-driving car business December 13, 2016 Google is stepping up a gear with its self-driving car project, spinning it out into a separate business it will call Waymo. It will now come out of the shadows at what is known as Google X's "moonshiots" and under the umbrella of parent company Alphabet. "It's an indication of the maturity of our technology. We can [...]
Former Labour home secretary brands proposed new solicitors’ exam a potential matter of “national concern” March 6, 2017 A former Labour home secretary said today proposed changes to qualifying exams for solicitors should be treated as a matter of national concern. Both Lord Blunkett and Lord Low of Dalston, the latter of whom brought the question forward for debate in the House of Lords, argued the Solicitors Qualifying Exam put forward by the Solicitors [...]
Uber to pay millions to settle US dispute over background checks for drivers April 8, 2016 Uber's in the thick of it again, this time having to pay $25m in a settlement to end a lawsuit in America over claims it made on background checks for drivers. The ride-hailing app had been accused of misleading customers over the strength of its background checks on drivers, prosecutors in Los Angeles and San [...]
The Office Group is expanding to Hammersmith March 16, 2017 Co-working office provider The Office Group is expanding its footprint in the capital, taking out a 20-year lease on a building in Hammersmith. The company is opening up 61,000 square feet (sq ft) of flexible office space across the lower eight floors of 1 Lyric Square, a block located just minutes from Hammersmith tube station. [...]
Tube strike 2016: Ride hailing app Uber says it will expand car sharing option UberPool during Piccadilly Line strike tonight and tomorrow March 23, 2016 Uber said it will expand its car sharing option UberPool to cover the entire length of the Piccadilly Line if the strike planned for this evening and tomorrow goes ahead. The coverage area will be expanded from Cockfosters to both Heathrow and Uxbridge from 9pm tonight until 7am on Friday. UberPool is currently only available for trips beginning in [...]