TfL issues advice for how to get home safely in London on New Year’s Eve 2014 December 30, 2014 Planning to hit central London for New Year’s Eve? Now that you’ve no doubt sorted out your plans for the party, you also need to work out how you’ll get there and back. Transport for London has once again said it will provide free travel between 23:45 on the big night and 4:30am on January [...]
Snapchat hires Credit Suisse banker Imran Khan to lead strategy after billion dollar valuation December 9, 2014 Snapchat has made its money-making intentions clear with the hire of a major investment banker from Credit Suisse. Evan Spiegel, the 24-year-old founder of the hugely popular messaging app, has brought in heavy hitter Imran Khan, formerly the head of investment at Credit Suisse who led the bank’s work on the Alibaba IPO earlier this [...]
BMW to launch pay-as-you-go car share scheme to rival Boris Bikes in London on Thursday November 30, 2014 BMW will bring its pay-as-you-go car sharing scheme to London this week, pitting it against the capital's famous Boris Bikes. The German manufacturer will announce the launch of its DriveNow scheme in London on Thursday, according to the Financial Times. It's a car sharing service that requires users to register online for a small fee, before [...]
Our awards are here – dig out those gladrags November 12, 2014 FROM top hats to Louboutins, the City is dusting off its finest this morning for tonight’s hugely anticipated City A.M. awards at Grange St Paul’s Hotel. With 14 awards to hand over, we’re looking forward to loading up the mantelpieces of the City’s most hard-working and successful names. In the running we’ve got well-known City [...]
Time to give thanks for Black Friday – Editor’s Letter November 27, 2014 This week, one American seasonal tradition is on everyone’s lips: Black Friday. Today is the day when US retailers kick off the pre-Christmas rush with a slew of discounts, and their finances are said to move back into the black as a result. This year, Brits are promised our own welter of price cuts. But [...]
Maaxi taxi app gets backing from Ken Livingstone as he hails Nathaniel Rothschild’s new venture October 1, 2014 Former London mayor Ken Livingstone has thrown his backing behind financier Nathaniel Rothschild’s new taxi sharing app Maaxi, believed to be likely to launch in the next few weeks. In an open letter to taxi trade organisations, Livingstone said: “I have been using my experience and knowledge of London and its transport system to help [...]
Why the smart data revolution creates opportunities for firms of every size January 25, 2015 We are witnessing a transformation of our economy, with data becoming one of the key drivers of every business. Increasingly, everything we do is digital, leaving a data trail that can be analysed to gain new insights and power innovative business ideas. This offers opportunities for entrepreneurs and startups that we have not seen since [...]
The Marvel of success without a plan – Editor’s Letter November 20, 2014 WHAM! Pow! There’s been a comic book intensity to the battle of business this week, with transport app Uber drawn as the villain after unscripted swings at journalists it felt had the disruptive tech firm in their sights. But right now I’m seeing everything in four-colour terms, having just finished Sean Howe’s terrific history of [...]
Sorry Guv, i’m blockading the capital September 24, 2014 MORE than one thousand cabbies brought congestion to roads around Trafalgar Square yesterday in a demonstration against what they termed Transport for London’s “incompetence” in taking on taxi-booking app Uber, illegal minicab touting and electric rickshaws. The Licensed Taxi Drivers Association said it was also protesting at Mayor Boris Johnson’s planned 15-mile segregated bike route through [...]
Why a failure to update archaic laws will hinder the rise of the smart city February 3, 2015 With Uber and Google now going head to head in the battle to develop driverless car technology, the spotlight has fallen once again on the concept of the Smart City. There is no absolute definition of what a smart city is. But the broad idea is to use digital technologies to create more efficient, responsive, [...]