Mayor of London Sadiq Khan announces new bus ‘Hopper’ ticket will launch next Monday 12 September September 5, 2016 London commuters will get more bang for their bus tickets from next Monday onwards, when the new 'hopper' bus fare system is launched. From Monday 12 September, passengers will be able to change onto another bus or tram for free within one hour of touching in at the start of their journey. It will be automatically given [...]
Power to the people: commuters club together to raise funds for judicial review into Southern Rail network September 5, 2016 Frustrated commuters have clubbed together to fund a judicial review into the Department for Transport’s (DfT) handling of the chaotic Southern Rail franchise. The Association of British Commuters announced this morning that it would be teaming up with lawyers to launch the process and urged angry commuters to contribute by submitting their tales of woe. Read more: [...]
Four improvements which need to happen before Oxford Street can be pedestrianised September 5, 2016 Sadiq Khan is under pressure to remove buses from Oxford Street to clear the way for happy shoppers – but before Oxford Street is pedestrianised there are a lot more changes the London Assembly have in mind. The London Assembly's Transport Committee wrote to Sadiq Khan today, suggesting ways to help the pedestrianisation of the street happen. Here are [...]
Hole-y moley: Gatwick flights are back to normal after a hole was found in its runway September 5, 2016 Flights are back to normal at Gatwick Airport after its main runway was closed last night following the discovery of a "hole". A spokesperson for the airport said flights had been switched to the airport's substitute runway after a routine maintenance check found the hole, although the spokesperson was unable to go into detail about what kind of [...]
Gatwick says bumper passenger numbers make case for second runway September 5, 2016 Gatwick Airport said that breaking records for passenger numbers underpinned the case for expansion at Britain’s second largest airport. Both the month of and year to August smashed previous highs – 4.8m passengers filed through the airport taking the annual number of passengers up to 42m, up 6.4 per cent on the previous year. “We’re expansion [...]
Southern Rail strikes are going ahead despite both sides wanting to talk September 4, 2016 A 48-hour strike by the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union on the Southern Rail network will go ahead on 7 September despite both sides saying that they are available to hold talks to avert industrial action. The walk-out, the latest in the long-running dispute over the role of guards on the troubled network will [...]
“Shameful” Southern rail owner set for best one-day stock market performance since 2009 September 2, 2016 Southern Rail owner Go-Ahead Group is set for its best one-day performance on the stock market since 2009. Go-Ahead was slammed as "shameful" as it reported a 27 per cent growth in statutory pre-tax profits this morning. But investors are flocking to the company, with shares currently up more than nine per cent to 2,184p. If the nine [...]
Southern rail owner apologises to commuters as it reports 27 per cent profit growth September 2, 2016 Southern Rail stakeholder Go-Ahead Group has apologised to customers for a disrupted service as it reported a 27 per cent growth in pre-tax profits. The results came at the end of a summer filled with disruptions for users of Southern rail. Go-Ahead shares rocketed more than seven per cent on Friday morning. The figures Go-Ahead has reported [...]
Scooters in the City: A quick way to kill your credibility September 2, 2016 In this sprawling metropolis, it’s not often you notice the same person twice outside of your normal routine. But nearly every morning I see this same chap: well groomed, early 30s, nicely cut suit – you know the type. In fact you might even be him, or umpteen others like him. He wouldn’t stand out among the [...]
An embarrassment, a bailout and a failing franchise: Politicians blast Southern’s £20m funding deal September 1, 2016 Politicians from City Hall, the House of Commons and the House of Lords have blasted £20m of new funding for Southern Rail, announced earlier today. The Department for Transport (DfT) revealed the cash as part of a package of measures to improve performance on the lines. It will also see the appointment of a new project [...]