Uber wars: We must fight for the transport service London deserves October 2, 2015 We are at a critical juncture of London’s transport future. Debate has raged over TfL’s recent consultation to consider a set of rules to improve the private hire industry. This debate will continue in the coming weeks and months. It is important though that a debate has many voices and, currently, we are [...]
Pity the City’s introverts now the Night Tube is here, how will they get out of dreaded work drinks now? August 19, 2016 Hurrah for the almost mythical Night Tube. We’ve known of its existence for nigh on two years, had to wait a year for delays and now, as you’ll already be aware, it will finally come into action tonight. The City is likely to be awash with its usual revellers and more asides, bolstered by the knowledge [...]
Instagram’s rebrand has made the app lose its charm: Why brands need to avoid the trap of over-design May 18, 2016 The unveiling of Instagram's new logo has handed us another example of a successful digital brand that has unwittingly sacrificed its ownable assets in pursuit of "modernity". Like Uber, which had a redesign in February, Instagram has removed what made it distinctive to fit into the environment it sits, in a bid to appeal to its [...]
China’s Ant Financial is testing out blockchain technology July 31, 2016 Ant Financial, the Chinese fintech giant spun off from Alibaba, is testing out blockchain technology for the first time to build a more transparent process for donating money. The group's charity platform, Ant Love, will use blockchain technology to track donations to one project being funded via the site. “We are trying to bring small and [...]
Apple just ploughed $1bn into this Chinese taxi startup May 13, 2016 So now we've found out exactly what Apple was planning to do with (some of) the vast amount of cash it has sloshing around its bank account. Overnight Didi Chuxing, a Chinese rival to Uber, which describes itself as "the world's leading one-stop mobile transportation platform", issued a rather gleeful statement overnight saying it had made [...]
How much is Uber worth? As much as $70bn with another investment round- here’s how it compares October 25, 2015 Uber may already be the most valuable startup in the world, but that doesn't mean it's any less interested in keeping the pedal to the metal when it comes to landing investment. The ambitious taxi-hailing app is facing some serious threats from regulatory crackdowns in London and elsewhere as well as rivals, especially in huge [...]
London taxi cab drivers protest in the City over Uber regulation September 25, 2015 Black cab drivers brought traffic to a standstill outside Bank Tube station yesterday evening, in a protest against the way ride-hailing app Uber is regulated by Transport for London. Cabbies want to draw attention to what they perceive as a lack of regulation of the private hire vehicle (PHV) licences used by Uber drivers. Writing [...]
Nick Hewer on Uber, Jack Whitehall, true entrepreneurship and the dream of a Labour Party coup October 11, 2015 I’m very wobbly. I feel homeless – it’s a huge hole,” says Nick Hewer who, after nine years and 10 series as Alan Sugar’s right-hand man, has left The Apprentice. But the 71 year-old businessman isn’t talking about leaving the show; he’s describing what it feels like to have voted Labour since 1964 and now [...]
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 [...]
Before the bell: What you need to know before the US market open October 20, 2016 Markets are further backing a Clinton victory in the US presidential election next month after last night's final debate, while the European Central Bank is expected to keep policy on hold when it meets this afternoon. Here's what you need to know before the US market open at 2:30pm London time. US futures are pointing higher [...]