TfL to use its own Olympic volunteers to staff stations during strikes January 23, 2014 Transport for London has found a new benefit to the Olympic legacy – it is drafting in trained volunteers from its back offices to man the stations as “ambassadors” during next month’s strikes. Around 1,000 TfL staff, from accountants to former drivers, have offered to lend a hand to passengers during the RMT walkouts on [...]
Londoners face chaos on the Tube as unions mull coordinated strike January 27, 2014 A SECOND union has voted to strike on the Tube next week, leaving commuters facing 48 hours of chaos unless a compromise can be reached over Transport for London’s reforms. The TSSA said its members voted in favour of a walkout on 4-6 February followed by another strike on 11-13 February, joining the RMT union, [...]
Last-ditch talks as commuters face Tube strike February 3, 2014 UNION officials and Tube bosses will meet today for last-ditch talks to avoid a crippling two-day strike on the Underground this week. Transport for London has warned that all Tube lines will face disruption starting at around 9.30pm tomorrow if the two sides fail to agree a truce. Talks will resume today at the dispute [...]
The super-duper Uber app April 30, 2014 Alex Dymoke on the minicab app that helped Londoners through the strikes THIS is my second day on Uber. I went for my test day and they said I was ready to start right away,” Omar my minicab driver tells me excitedly. He is polite and chatty, reminiscing about the days before sat-nav and waxing [...]
Down the Tubes: Boris mucks in amid transport meltdown February 5, 2014 (Laura Lean/City A.M.) Boris Johnson has had an interesting commute in on the Northern Line this morning as the Tube strike over ticket office closures causes huge disruption across the network. The Mayor spoke to commuters and Tube staff working at London Bridge – as well as some of the TfL staff volunteering at stations in [...]
Corporate Tube sponsorship could take the pressure off overburdened commuters August 15, 2013 THIS week’s inflation figures all but confirm that Londoners will face a rise in Tube and bus fares of over 4 per cent in January. This may look small compared to projected increases of up to 9 per cent on some of the busiest rail routes into London, but it is still regrettable. It doesn’t [...]
London needs Crossrail Two but the Treasury doesn’t have to fund it February 9, 2014 IT MIGHT seem absurd to be talking about Crossrail 2 when Crossrail 1 has only just hit the halfway mark. But the uncomfortable truth – and I mean this literally for London’s rail users – is that, as soon as it opens, Crossrail 1 will be full to bursting. We are playing a desperate game [...]
Business anger at plans to hike congestion levy January 6, 2014 LONDON’S congestion charge could rise from £10 a day to £11.50, under plans revealed yesterday by Transport for London that were criticised by hauliers and some business groups. The levy on motorists in central London has already doubled from £5 a day when it was launched in 2003, though TfL said the charges have been [...]
London faces second day of strike misery February 5, 2014 A SECOND day of strike action on the Tube is set to bring further travel woe to commuters today, as part of a union dispute with Transport for London that business groups have slammed. Around a third of all Tube services ran yesterday, with eight of the 11 lines operating for most of the day. [...]
Introducing: the designs of the year March 18, 2014 The ingenious creations that are set to define tomorrow’s world MOST museum shows look back to the past. With flying cars, floating schools and wheelchairs that grow with the owner, this one is all about the future. Next week the seventh Designs of the Year exhibition opens at the Design Museum, and the broad selection [...]