Transportinfo.org.uk - today's transport news in the uk, hand picked for you each morning

Saturday, 17 February 2018

BBC News

• Under-threat bus service loss would impact local livesPeople on an under-threat bus service in Bridgend county have spoken about what could happen if it is lost.
• Child with Down's syndrome left on Penarth school busMother of boy, 13, who has Down's syndrome, tells of her anger and relief over incident.
• Britain's bus coverage hits 28-year lowSome rural areas have even gone as far as setting up their own replacement bus services.
• Call for women-only Uber Pools for LondonCustomers should be allowed to
• Why we drive our own busesWhen their local bus services were cut, one group of people decided to set up their own bus company.
• Renault asks Carlos Ghosn to stay on as chief executiveThere had been some speculation the carmaker boss would relinquish his role as head of the French firm.
• Uber to report crimes direct to police to boost safetyThe taxi-hailing app will also set up a round-the-clock telephone line to help improve public safety.

The Herald

• New security crackdown to boost safety for passengers, insists UberTAXI firm Uber has announced a series of new safety measures in the UK, including more proactively working with police when incidents are reported and introducing a 24-hour support phone line.
• ScotRail apologises after cutting half of the carriages on Glasgow to Edinburgh serviceSCOTRAIL have made an apology after being forced to cut the number of carriages on some Glasgow to Edinburgh trains by half - leading to fears of passenger overcrowding.

The Telegraph

• Couple fined £100 for overstaying at car park because they got stuck in a queue trying to leave
• UK loses 124 million bus routes in four years 

Times Online

• Edinburgh-Glasgow trains cut half of seats as upgrade goes off track [Subscription]Rail workers and commuters are preparing for major disruption on Scotland’s busiest line as some trains will lose up to half their seats.
• Balfour Beatty lands US airport rail contract [Subscription]A British construction group has won part of a £1.4 billion contract to build a train network at Los Angeles international airport.

City AM

• Germany is offering free transport in five major cities in a bid to cut pollutionGermany's government is considering making public transport free in five major cities, to help cut pollution and reduce the number of cars on busy roads.
• Petrol price war: Sainsbury's joins Asda and Morrison by slashing a further 2p from prices at the pumpsSainsbury's has joined its rivals with a fresh round of petrol price cuts, meaning three of the big supermarket giants have cut prices at the pumps for the second time in little over a week.

Mail Online

• More than 2,000 NHS staff await parking permits The Scottish Government has been urged to carry out a national review of NHS parking and transport after it emerged more than 2,000 NHS workers are waiting on parking permits.
• Utility firms are set to be billed for digging up streets  Under new plans following successful trials in England,.utility firms will be charged by local authorities for the time spent digging up roads - the hope is that this in turn will reduce traffic jams.
• Thefts of blue badge disabled parking permits spiral Nearly 3,000 blue badges - which enable disabled holders to get car parking benefits - were reported stolen in England last year, compared with about 650 in 2013, Department of Transport figures show.
• Theresa May comes under pressure to block takeover of GKN GKN, which supplies key parts for fighter jets, commercial aircraft and cars, is fighting off an unwanted £7.4billion bid from predator Melrose.
• Drivers hit by £6million-a-day petrol rip-off The average price of petrol and diesel in the UK has barely budged, even though the wholesale cost retailers pay has fallen by 4p per litre in recent weeks, an AA report found.
• Millions of passengers hit by airline seat booking racket The CAA is investigating a £400million airline seat booking racket involving about 38 million passengers in which some were forced to pay £20 extra to sit with their travelling companions.
• Princess Diana's old bike could sell for £9,000 auction Lady Diana Spencer bought the blue Raleigh traveller (pictured) before she married into the British royal family, keeping it until 1981 when staff told her it wasn't appropriate.

The Mirror

• Pilot reveals what mystery airline terms actually mean - and which you should worry about Patrick Smith has shared the meaning of some of the phrases you hear at airports and on planes that otherwise seem baffling

This is Money

• Balfour Beatty secures work on £1.4bn US airport deal Balfour is part of a consortium picked to build a train network at Los Angeles International Airport. The project includes six stations, a maintenance garage and moving walkways.

Birmingham Mail

• How mum's death led to £7m cycling safety improvements Kim Briggs was killed by courier with no brakes on his bike

Bolton News

• Bus network shrinks by 7.8 million miles — that's 312 trips around the equator!GREATER Manchester’s bus network has shrunk by almost eight million miles since 2014, it has been revealed.
• Moses Gate rail talks on track after residents' fury over felled treesRAIL bosses have agreed to consider planting a line of conifers to replace trees that were chopped down along a rail line.

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• West Yorkshire's bus network shrinks by more than nine per cent in four years WEST Yorkshire’s bus network has shrunk by almost a tenth in four years, new figures have revealed.
• Number of underage drivers being banned increases in districtALARMING figures have shown that the number of underage and young drivers being disqualified from driving, even before they have passed their test, is growing each year in the district.

London Evening Standard

• Uber to open 24-hour hotline for reporting 'bad experiences'Uber is setting up an "open all hours" telephone hotline for passengers who want to make a complaint after a journey booked through the cab hailing app.
• TfL calls for women-only Ubers in London under new safety improvement proposals Uber is being urged to offer women-only cars in the capital as part of a new policy plan from Transport for London.

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• Hand luggage rules for Ryanair, easyJet, Jet2, British Airways, Emirates and other major airlinesHere's what you can and can't take with you on major carriers after Ryanair brought in a host of changes to its hand luggage restrictions
• Felling Bypass set for full closure and it could impact your Monday morning commute After weeks of work, the road will be completely closed from Sunday, February 18 until Monday morning

Northern Echo

• Scale of bus service decline in region revealedCALLS for more investment in the region’s bus services have been made, as the impact and scale of cuts in the region have emerged.
• Grounded: Loganair scraps Aberdeen services at Durham Tees Valley Airport just months after launch AN airline is pulling out of a North-East airport less than six months after starting flights from the region.

Bucks Free Press

• Spending on Bucks roads set to increase to £15m despite no financial help from government Spending on resurfacing Bucks’ roads looks set to increase to £15 million, according to this year’s county council budget – the first with no financial help from a Government grant. 
• New bollards installed near railway station in bid to prevent vehicles from crashing into bridge New bollards have been installed near a railway bridge in High Wycombe in a bid to protect drivers and train passengers from possible crashes. 
• New railway ticket machines planned in £2m project A train company is investing £2 million in a project to replace tickets machines in all its stations. 

Other Regional Press

• More than a million miles down thanks to route cuts, new figures show SWINDON and Wiltshire have lost more than a million bus miles over a four-year period due to routes being cut, new analysis shows.
• Could delays due to roadworks soon be a thing of the past? RUSH-hour traffic jams caused by roadworks could soon become a thing of the past as a new scheme is rolled out nationwide.
• Bus journeys in Wales fall by 20 per cent in a decadeTHE number of miles travelled by bus services in Wales has fallen by nearly 20 per cent in 10 years, new statistics show.
• £550,000 cuts to buses could leave Northamptonshire's villages stranded and 'isolated'Northamptonshire's subsidised bus network has shrunk by nearly 500,000 miles in the past four years - and is set to get worse under county council cuts.
• Is driving with your interior light on illegal? You might be surprisedMotoring experts have clarified the rules on having light on inside your car
• Residents comment on Gravesend bike route from station to CycloparkPeople have been commenting on a bike route from the station to the Cyclopark.
• Home owners who live near motorways could get free double glazing Idea is to make homes as quiet as libraries!
• Fresh wave of industrial action launched by rail workers A fresh wave of industrial action will be launched by rail workers on Friday amid bitter disputes over the role of guards.
• Poor road surface is key concern shared at Portland roadworks meeting A community has been given the chance to express their concerns and find out more information about a current roadworks project which has caused delays.
• Off the buses: Passenger numbers drop to decade lowFEWER people than ever are using buses to get around the county, according to new figures showing the decade's steepest drop in passenger journeys.
• How much are you paying for petrol or diesel? Prices rise for THIRD month in a row Fuel prices have risen again for the third month in a row with the cost of a litre of diesel nudging £1.30 on some Dorset forecourts.
• Enjoy a family trip to London on the train from just £32.50 - here's how London Northwestern Railway is celebrating half term with a fantastic deal on family train tickets to the capital - and they include free travel on the underground, train and buses once you arrive

Buying Business Travel

• Uber adds new safety featuresApp will report incidents directly to police in London

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• New timetable launched to improve services on the tram network Customers will experience a more regular service with reduced waiting times from Sunday 25 February, as Transport for London (TfL) introduces a revised timetable designed to improve services across the whole London Trams network. South London is changing, with more people living, working and socialising in the area and demand for tram services continues to rise. The roads they share with cars, pedestrians and cyclists are also getting busier. These timetable changes are essential to ensure the tram network continues to provide a fast and reliable service to the communities it serves. The n...
• £3.6 million invested in rail improvements £3.6 million funding has been offered to 10 projects that will transform rail passenger travel. The projects will develop and demonstrate technologies that will improve the passenger experience on UK railways. These include: • a design for train carriages that will increase peak hours seat numbers • a carriage design that can quickly switch from carrying passengers to carrying goods • beacons that guide visually-impaired passengers through the station and to their seat • technology enabling disabled passengers to seek real-time assistance with their journey • ...

Rail Technology Magazine

• RMT announces further 24-hour strike on Northern and MerseyrailFurther strike action on Merseyrail and Northern has been confirmed by RMT, whose members will strike for 24 hours on 3 March as part of a long-running dispute over driver-only operation (DOO). RMT general secretary, Mick Cash, claimed that every effort made by the union to reach a settlement in...

Railway Gazette

• Bombardier Transportation delivered 'superior financial performance' in 2017BOMBARDIER: 'Bombardier closed out the second full year of its five-year turnaround plan with very...

Aviation Industry

• Air Transport World announces 2018 Airline Industry Award winnersATW has announced the full list of winners for its 2018 Annual Airline Industry Achievement Awards. read more