British Airways vows to challenge near £1m fine by US govt over refunds for cancelled pandemic flights June 2, 2023 British Airways has been fined almost £1 million by the US government over claims it failed to pay refunds for cancelled flights. The US Transportation Department said in a legal document the airline did not “provide timely refunds to passengers” for abandoned or rescheduled flights to and from the country during the coronavirus pandemic. British [...]
Car industry: Throwing money at the issue won’t solve UK’s post Brexit problems, think tank warns June 2, 2023 The UK must not enter a subsidy race with the US and EU to save its auto industry from problems such as a flagging electric vehicle (EV) segment and a post-Brexit drop in investment, an influential Tory think tank has warned. A new report from the centre-right Policy Exchange argues that targeted government subsidies will [...]
ULEZ: Khan expands vehicle scrappage grants to help London businesses cope June 1, 2023 Sadiq Khan will extend grants to small businesses so they can replace vehicles which don’t meet emissions standards, ahead of August’s expansion of the controversial ULEZ scheme. The London mayor intends to expand the £110m ‘scrappage scheme’ from the end of July, with “tens of thousands more Londoners” to benefit as the Ultra Low Emissions [...]
Auto Trader still motoring despite ‘fly in the ointment’ Autorama losses June 1, 2023 Auto Trader saw group operating profits dip 9 per cent this morning, down from £303.6m to £277.6m in its full year results, but saw a spike in sales of 16 per cent on the back of strong demand. The car trader saw revenues up 9 per cent, and said it had resisted a tough economic [...]
Supermarkets scramble to cut diesel pump prices amid watchdog probe June 1, 2023 Supermarkets are rushing to cut the cost of diesel after the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) announced a probe into whether a “failure in competition” between supermarkets is leaving Brits paying more than they should be at the pumps. According to RAC analysis, major retailers have “quickened the pace” of diesel cuts, with the average [...]
Government must ‘urgently reform’ road taxes to avoid £10bn shortfall created by EV transition, says think tank June 1, 2023 The government must “urgently reform” its road taxes in order to avoid a multi-billion pound revenue shortfall created by the EV transition, says a new think tank report. According to research from the Resolution Foundation, lower taxation of EVs, particularly the absence of a fuel duty, will create a growing £10bn “fiscal hole,” within the [...]
Over a third of Londoners now travelling into the office more frequently as strikes fail to deter commuters May 31, 2023 Rail strikes have failed to stop Londoners heading into the office this year, new data shows. Almost two in five Londoners (38 per cent) are commuting more frequently than they were at the start of the year, according to new data from Virgin Media’s O2 Business Mover Index, covering January to March. Wednesday was the [...]
Rail strike pain is National Express’ gain: Bumper coach bookings as Brits find ways to reach Wembley, Epsom and Beyonce May 31, 2023 National Express has seen a 30 per cent jump in travel bookings over the week of rail strikes, figures shared with Morning Wire show, as passengers flocked from rail to coach to get around the country. The long distance bus and coach group, who operate around 1,500 journeys per day in the UK, warned “we [...]
Rail union boss ‘not seen anyone from government’ since January as fresh strikes bring UK to a halt May 31, 2023 Rail union Aslef’s general secretary has said he “hasn’t seen anyone from government” since 6 January, as workers start a wave of strikes, bringing trains to a halt across the country. “They are not interested, they don’t care, they are not interested in a resolution to this dispute,” he told Kay Burley’s Sky News Breakfast [...]
Paddington bare: Rail strikes clear London hub as passengers frustrated before derby day chaos May 31, 2023 Rail passengers are suffering fresh travel disruption because of more strikes in long-running disputes over pay, jobs and conditions. Members of the drivers’ union Aslef walked out on Wednesday, meaning several operators such as Avanti West Coast, CrossCountry, Northern and Thameslink are running no trains. The union’s general secretary Mick Whelan said no negotiations aimed [...]