Hermes must stamp out its negative brand image July 27, 2016 As the online shopping boom has evolved, companies providing ad hoc deliveries have expanded quickly. However, this growth may have come at a price. A probe by the Guardian into parcel company Hermes underlines the impact of the ‘gig economy’ on workers across several industries. The paper’s investigation suggests that workers were, on occasion, effectively [...]
Toyota has set its sights on long-range electric vehicles November 7, 2016 Is Toyota doing a U-turn over electric vehicles (EV)? The company is aiming to begin selling its first long-range EV in 2020 in Japan, according to Japan's Nikkei newspaper. It said Toyota would set up a team in early 2017 dedicated to developing electric cars that can travel more than 300km or 186 miles on a [...]
From Google’s tax row and the Black Cabs vs Uber to Storm Imogen and the bank bloodbath: Here’s what got us talking this week February 12, 2016 We saw what London would look like if all the skyscrapers being considered got built. A Shoreditch development is bringing history to centre Stage. And we learned how much the Night Tube delay has hurt house prices in central London. Here's what got us talking this week The banking sector is facing its toughest period since [...]
Airbnb wants to sort out your entire travel itinerary way beyond home rental November 17, 2016 Airbnb wants to arrange your entire trip for you, not just find you a place to stay. The startup has set out ambitious plans to expand beyond simply being a holiday home rental platform, to turn itself into the go-to app for people's entire holidays with the addition of local trips, meetups, restaurant bookings and more. [...]
Cars will go the way of DVDs in a decade and more predictions for the future of transport according to Lyft founder John Zimmer September 19, 2016 A transport revolution is coming thanks to technology – that's according to the founder of ride sharing startup Lyft, a rival to Uber, John Zimmer. In an ambitious manifesto, the entrepreneur has predicted the third transport revolution will arrive with the development of driverless cars, one of the hottest, most talked about and potentially disruptive developments in [...]
Leave the beach behind and trek Europe’s prettiest mountain range, the Dolomites November 30, 2016 Sun seekers might disagree, but in my opinion there are few better places to spend the summer than the Alps, where you can find dozens of activities to suit everyone from uber athletes to Uber passengers. My family needed a little convincing too, before they’d agree to spend their holidays in the mountains rather than [...]
Forget Uber, take a flying water taxi home on Friday nights instead – as French inventor Alain Thebault shows off his SeaBubble February 16, 2016 Forget the ongoing battles between London’s traditional black cabs and Uber – if a French inventor has his way, flying water taxis could soon be hovering over the Thames. Boris Johnson is apparently among a group which has contacted the inventor, Alain Thebault, to ask about his new lightweight “SeaBubble” vehicle. The SeaBubble, described as “a bubble with [...]
These 15 UK smart city startups are heading on a trade mission to Barcelona November 14, 2016 City Hall will seek to reassure business and investors abroad that London is open for business after the Brexit vote when top startups head on a trade mission to Barcelona. Some 15 of the top startups creating technology that seeks to make cities smarter and more connected, as well as solving problems such as pollution, population and [...]
As Addison Lee announces price cuts, the taxi battle between Uber and London’s black cabs shows perfect market competition is a long way off February 12, 2016 The idea of perfect market competition has exercised the minds of economists for centuries. In theory it would feature the presence of multiple small sellers; a homogenous product; an inability for any one firm to influence the price and; complete information. On this set of criteria, how does the London taxi and private hire market [...]
London cab drivers will protest against Uber and its regulation by Transport for London today December 17, 2015 Cabbies are staging a fresh protest against Uber and Transport for London (TfL) in the capital today over the way the taxi industry is regulated. This time, it's minicab drivers, who want TfL to suspend the recently launched UberPool ride-sharing service, claiming that by giving it the go ahead, TfL is "riding rough shod over the regulatory review process by pre-empting [...]