Elizabeth line is tangibly close to completion, TfL says February 2, 2022 The completion of Crossrail’s Elizabeth line is ‘tangibly close’, according to Transport for London’s commissioner Andy Byford. “It really is that close,” Byford said this morning during a TfL board meeting. “We have really put huge effort into getting the trials off [to a start]. The commissioner added that the quick turnaround of stations was [...]
RAC backs campaign to end ‘unfair’ VAT on public EV charging February 2, 2022 Automotive services firm RAC has backed a national campaign to end the ‘unfair’ VAT on public electric vehicle (EV) charging, which sees EV drivers pay four times more for electricity. According to the FairCharge campaign, VAT on domestic electricity is charged at 5 per cent while motorists using public charges pay 20 per cent of [...]
Not so easy yet: Budget airlines far from recovered as number of passengers keeps on dropping February 2, 2022 Two of London’s main budget airlines showed that they have far from recovered from the Covid-19 pandemic, as the number of passengers they carried dropped in January. Even when compared to Omicron-hit December, the airlines said that they had lost 2.7m passengers between them. Ryanair was the worst hit in January when compared to the [...]
Wizz Air’s passenger demand soar following restrictions easing February 2, 2022 Passenger demand of low-cost airline Wizz Air has soared following the easing of travel restrictions. In January, the Budapest-based airline carried 2.3 million passengers, a 220 per cent jump on January 2021 levels. Its load factor – which measures the percentage available seating capacity filled with passengers – has also gone up 18.6 per cent, [...]
Ethiopian Airlines fly A737 MAX for first time since 2019 crash February 1, 2022 Ethiopian Airlines flew today a Boeing A737 MAX for the first time since the March 2019 crash, when 157 people died a few minutes after taking off from Addis Ababa. The demonstration flight took off from the Ethiopian capital and travelled around Mount Kilimanjaro, carrying journalists, diplomats and officials aboard, Reuters reported. While the victims’ [...]
Motorists to pay the price of TfL’s £1.5bn funding crisis February 1, 2022 Motorists could pay the ultimate price of Transport for London’s (TfL) funding crisis, which is expected to reach £1.4bn by 2024-2025. According to documents shared today, TfL expects to receive up to £300m per year from a series of policies London mayor Sadiq Khan is deciding upon, including the extension of the ultra low emission [...]
British Airways extends Loganair partnership in domestic offer ramp-up February 1, 2022 British Airways’ (BA) passengers from today will have access to 38 of Loganair’s routes, following the companies’ decision to expand their codeshare agreement. Under the extended partnership, customers will be able to book onward connections from destinations across the Loganair’s network, including Derry to London and Liverpool or Exeter to Edinburgh, Glasgow and Newcastle. To [...]
Londoners crazy about e-scooters as TfL trial exceeds half a million trips February 1, 2022 The e-scooter trial launched by Transport for London alongside micromobility operators Lime, TIER and Dott has exceeded more than half a million trips. According to data, since the trial began in early June 180,000 people have made 585,000 trips, for a total of 300 trips per person. October was crowned the busiest month as people [...]
E-scooter firm Dott raises $70m in series B funding extension February 1, 2022 Micromobility firm Dott has raised $70m in an extension to its series B funding, after it was backed by Edinburgh-based investment firm Abrdn and Belgian holding Sofina. Following today’s cash injection, Dott’s total series B funding now stands at over $150m, in a mix of equity and asset-backed debt, including $85m that was announced last [...]
Electric vehicle market ‘still in its infancy’ despite outstanding growth February 1, 2022 The electric vehicle (EV) market, despite a tremendous growth registered in 2021, is ‘still in its infancy’, offering diverse opportunities to investors. According to investment banking firm UBS, suppliers of electric components as well as battery makers should benefit the most from the 115 per cent increase in EV sales that was registered las year. [...]