Taxi app wars: Uber vs Hailo vs Maaxi vs Lyft – Emil Michael gaff is latest hurdle in startup battle November 19, 2014 Fast-growing “ridesharing” app firm Uber hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons again this week as senior executive Emil Michael was reported suggesting the company hire researchers to dig up dirt on its media critics. The blunder is the latest in a long line of controversies that have plagued the startup over [...]
Commuters set for rough ride as TSSA votes to join RMT strike January 27, 2014 The Transport Salaried Staffs Association (TSSA) will be joining two 48-hour Tube strikes in an announcement that will sink the hearts of commuters. Manuel Cortes, TSSA general secretary, said: It is now time for Boris to sit down with his staff representatives and negotiate a sensible deal which will protect the safety and security of [...]
London buses: Now you can pay fares by tapping in with a mobile August 4, 2014 In the march towards a future where you can do everything through your mobile phone, London buses are the latest to get on board. Contactless payment system Cash on Tap is being accepted by TFL on all London bus routes and works in the same way as an Oyster card or contactless card. Handy if [...]
London Bridge Station closure: Southern and First Capital Connect commuters forced to find alternative routes for nine day partial shut down August 23, 2014 London Bridge has partially closed as work takes place on its multi-billion pound makeover as part of the Thameslink upgrade. First Capital Connect and Southern trains will stop calling at the station for the next nine days, which is likely to affect the 50,000 commuters every hour passing through the station- one of the busiest [...]
TfL is asking for views on upping the congestion charge January 6, 2014 Transport for London (TfL) has hatched a new plan to raise funds, announcing today that it'd like Londoners' views on some changes to the congestion charge – which it's intending to increase. The daily charge, which has been £10 since 2011, will be upped to £11.50 with the new proposals. The increase will raise around [...]
Serco awarded extension to run Boris Bikes January 9, 2014 SERCO, the beleaguered outsourcing firm under investigation by the Serious Fraud Office (SFO), yesterday said it has won a £38m two-year contract extension with Transport for London (TfL) to manage and operate the Barclays Cycle Hire Scheme. The original contract to design, build and operate the service – commonly known as Boris Bikes, named after [...]
Crossrail to be run by Hong Kong Metro operator MTR beating British rail firms to £1.4bn contract July 18, 2014 Hong Kong transport company MTR has been awarded the lucrative contract to run London’s new Crossrail train service by Transport for London. MTR already runs London Overground in a partnership with British firm Arriva, which it triumphed over in the bidding. Keolis with partner Go Ahead and National Express were also in the running. The [...]
Serco fails to win rebid for Docklands Light Railway July 4, 2014 Troubled outsourcing firm Serco has received yet more bad news today as Transport for London informed the company it had failed in its rebid to operate and maintain the Docklands Light Railway (DLR). After 17 years of running the DLR Serco will hand it over to a venture between Keolis and Amey. However, Serco was [...]
14 plans for London transport by 2050: From 24/7 Tube to Crossrail 3 July 31, 2014 London Mayor Boris Johnson has said £1.3tn of investment is needed in the capital over the next 35 years in order for London to retain its world class status. Transport is the biggest focus of the "London Infrastructure Plan 2050", and £973tn of spending is needed on transport alone to keep up with the rising population [...]
Boris Johnson dismisses Uber as “excessively bumptious” August 5, 2014 London Mayor Boris Johnson has criticised the attitude of San-Fransico based firm Uber as "excessively bumptious." Johnson, speaking on LBC, added that he didn't like the way Uber were "moving into London and claiming they could take all this business away from black cabs." The company's rapid growth and penchant for innovation have clearly not conformed [...]