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

Saturday, 23 April 2016

BBC News

• Probe into pupil school bus crash deathThe death of a schoolboy who was hit by a minibus being driven by a teacher will be investigated by the Health and Safety Executive.
• Uber glitch charges �34 for three milesTaxi-hailing app Uber officially launches in Cardiff - but a BBC Wales reporter is mistakenly charged �34.61 for a three-mile journey.
• Mitsubishi Motors scandal widensThe emissions scandal surrounding Mitsubishi Motors widens as the company says further models may be involved and US regulators reportedly ask for information.
• VW increases emissions bill to €16.2bnVolkswagen sets aside billions more to cover emissions scandal costs as German carmakers agree to recall 630,000 diesels.
• Emissions mean bumpy ride for carmakersEuropean carmakers have a rocky week as Volkswagen sets aside billions more for the diesel emissions scandal and German firms agree to recall 630,000 cars.

Financial Times

• Global carmakers face emissions questionsThree groups to recall 630,000 diesel vehicles across Europe
• Uber settles drivers’ class-action suitRide-hailing company agrees deal that will keep drivers as independent contractors, not employees

The Guardian

• Diesel crisis deepens as German brands recall 630,000 carsPorsche, Volkswagen, Audi, Opel and Mercedes diesel cars will be recalled as part of a clampdown on nitrogen oxide emissionsGermany’s top carmakers will recall 630,000 vehicles to fix diesel engine software technology that has been blamed for causing high pollution, while the emissions scandal engulfing Japan’s Mitsubishi Motors deepened.Porsche, Volkswagen, Audi, Opel and Mercedes diesel cars will be recalled as part of a clampdown on nitrogen oxide emissions, according to a German government official. BMW, which invested in fuel-saving technologies earlier than most rivals, is not part of th...
• The Uber scammers who take users for a (very expensive) rideA year on from reporting accounts being hacked, Londoners receive shock bills for ‘phantom rides’ in Mexico and New YorkEarlier this month Angie Bird woke up at her home in London to discover she had been billed for a series of minicab journeys she had allegedly made the previous evening … in the Mexican cities of Guadalajara and Aguascalientes, more than 5,500 miles away.While she was having dinner with friends, someone – or more than one person – in Mexico had apparently hacked into her Uber account and “went a bit crazy” ordering cabs at her expense. They made five journeys that were all ch...

The Telegraph

• Diesel recall: which cars are affected, will my MPG decrease, and should I still buy a diesel? There are black clouds gathering above diesel cars – both figuratively and literally. Should you be worried if you own a diesel car, and should you think again if you're planning to buy one?

Times Online

• Action urged as Germany recalls 630,000 diesels [Subscription]Ministers came under pressure to impose a mass recall of diesel cars in Britain yesterday after the German authorities pulled 630,000 polluting vehicles off the road.

The Mirror

• Fiat Chrysler recalling 1.1 MILLION cars and SUVs worldwide over fears they ROLL AWAY when drivers get out The automaker said the recall is linked to as many as 41 injuries because drivers mistakenly believed they had placed the vehicles in park before exiting

This is Money

• Volkswagen slumps to first annual loss since 1993 as it reveals emissions scandal cost The German car-maker reported an operating loss of €4.1billion (£3.2billion) for 2015 after it was confirmed last night that VW will make 'substantial' payouts to US owners.

Birmingham Post

• Revealed: More than 25% of motorists would take a nap behind the wheel The survey led by WhatCar? also found that more than 50% of drivers would not feel safe in an autonomous car.
• Watch: Shell unveil energy efficient concept carThe concept car could deliver a 34% reduction in primary energy use compared to a typical UK city car.

Blackpool Gazette

• New ‘Taxi’ reality TV show wants people from North WestA brand new TV show described as a cross between Gogglebox and Carpool Karaoke is offering a free taxi service and is looking for passengers and participants from across the North West.

Other Regional Press

• Bikers take on charity ride to emphasise "huge importance" of road safety IT'S safety first for a group of Dorset bikers as they prepare for a special charity ride.
• Commuters travelling into Yeovil could be hit by lengthy delays due to roadworks on a key road COMMUTERS into and out of Yeovil could face lengthy traffic delays as the council conducts emergency roadworks.
• Banner adverts at the roadside in Taunton could 'distract drivers' says the AA PEOPLE advertising their businesses and events through banners at the side of the road could be distracting drivers, the AA has warned.
• Taunton road dug up days after it was resurfaced - but there's a perfectly good reason IT looked like a case of the right hand not knowing what the left hand was doing when workmen dug up a road repaired by the council just days earlier.
• Pedestrian crossings planned for new Westgate Centre PLANS to ensure pedestrians can reach Oxford's new �440m Westgate Centre safely have now been put forward.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Government publishes research into diesel emissions levelsThe government has published the findings of its research into the potential manipulation of emission controls, as a response to consumer demand. Results have shown that there has been no detection of test cycle manipulation strategies, like those that were employed by the Volkswagen Group, reports the Department for Transport. Tests have further shown that nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions are higher in real-life situations when compared with test track and laboratory conditions. Although results varied significantly between all makes and models, all of those that the UK government tested showed...

Other News Sources

• Patient transport union ballots members over strike as morale hits "all time low" A UNION is balloting members over strike action against the new provider of patient transport in Sussex amid the ongoing crisis.