Crossrail: TfL to run Paddington to Reading trains from December September 26, 2019 Transport for London (TfL) will start running services between Paddington and Reading from this December, which will become part of Crossrail when it opens from 2021. TfL Rail will replace GWR as the operator of the services, with four trains per hour at peak time and two at off-peak. Read more: Crossrail shares progress pictures [...]
Voting and Blockchain July 14, 2020 In the days of COVID-19, there are new challenges in participating in democracy. There are unique challenges in how people vote. Traditional polling centres must be equipped to support social distancing. In the US, some cities and states are working to consolidate polling locations. And although there are no imminent elections here in the UK, [...]
TfL suspends online Oyster system following breach August 8, 2019 Transport for London (TfL) has temporarily suspended access to customers’ Oyster and contactless online accounts after over 1,000 customers had their details accessed maliciously. Approximately 1,200 accounts have been accessed maliciously, forcing TfL to shut online accounts to protect customers’ data. Read more: TfL revises junk food ad ban after rules spark confusion No customer [...]
TfL adds extra peak time services to London Overground December 4, 2019 The London Overground will add early morning capacity on services from Gospel Oak to Barking from next month. The line will benefit from two extra services before 6am to meet “growing customer numbers”. Read more: Crossrail delay until 2021 may cost London £2bn Rory O’Neill, TfL’s general manager for London Overground, said: “These additional early morning [...]
Businesses must avoid becoming the avoided June 24, 2020 On top of a tragic human toll, the COVID-19 pandemic has battered businesses – especially small ones. This is evidenced by the United Kingdom’s April 2020 gross domestic product, which experienced its largest drop in a single month in history, falling 20.4%. As restrictions stemming from the pandemic lift and people emerge from their homes [...]
High tech the solution for the returning High Street May 29, 2020 With Number 10 announcing that retailers can begin to re-open from June 15th, all eyes turn to the fortunes of the businesses which make up Britain’s high streets and bring colour to our communities. After three months of closure for most of these retailers, the news will provoke a mixture of reactions. Most are desperate [...]
Budget 2021: As it happened March 3, 2021 Live updates and links to all our coverage, reactions and analyses as the Chancellor of the Exchequer delivers the government’s Budget later today – at 12.30pm. Please also visit our dedicated Budget 2021 Hub. Wrap-up of the main Budget announcements Here’s a wrap-up of the main announcements made by the chancellor in his spring Budget: [...]
How can online-only banks win over cautious consumers? September 27, 2019 The direction of travel for banking is clear – we’re moving away from highstreets and onto smartphones. But tech should not outpace consumer confidence, and lessons on how to do that can be drawn from the payments industry. This week Which? reported that a third of UK bank branches have closed in the last five [...]
RBS launches digital bank Bo in bid to rival fintechs November 27, 2019 Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) has officially launched its digital bank as it looks to rival a group of fast-growing fintechs and hoover up more online customers. The state-backed lender has created Bó, its new digital, cloud-based bank featuring a bright yellow Visa card and a mobile app. Read more: LSE hires fintech to widen [...]
Labour to cut rail fares and create ‘London-style’ ticketing for the UK December 1, 2019 Labour will reform the country’s rail ticketing system to create a one-stop shop for tickets if elected, while also promising to cut fares by 33 per cent. The party wants to create a uniform “London-style” ticketing system that allows contactless payments and sets out fares on a zonal basis. Read more: Train companies to hike [...]