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

Saturday, 05 July 2008

BBC News

• Call for review of motoring taxesA root and branch review of motoring taxation in the UK should be carried out by the Treasury, says motorists' organisation the RAC Foundation.
• Bus bosses jailed for fake papersTwo bus firm directors who lied about the hours their drivers worked following a crash in which a man died are jailed.
• Contest to design RoutemasterA contest to design a new version of the iconic Routemaster bus is launched by the mayor.
• Air France eyes move to railwaysAir France confirms it is in talks with French group Veolia about launching a high-speed rail service.
• Rising living costs hit car salesRising fuel bills and living expenses have put the brakes on demand for new cars, a motor trade body says.

Financial Times

• BA narrows service gap with rivalsThe UK carrier, overcoming the chaotic opening of its base at Heathrow's Terminal 5, has significantly improved its punctuality and reduced its check-in queues
• Laxey snaps up TDG for £203mTDG, the logistics group that runs supermarket group J. Sainsbury's supply chain, has been acquired by Laxey Partners, the Isle of Man investment firm

The Guardian

• UK's CO2 emissions higher than official figures, government admitsBritain's greenhouse gas emissions are higher than official figures suggest, the government has admitted.

The Scotsman

• Freight on the water 'viable'HE Union Canal has been identified as a waterway suitable for carrying freight in a new study by the Department for Transport.

The Telegraph

• Top Gear's James May and Richard Hammond 'may leave' BBC motoring show The future of Top Gear, the BBC's popular motoring programme, has been thrown into doubt after reports that James May and Richard Hammond may leave the show.
• Labour stalling on new railway carriages, Conservatives claim Rail passengers are facing a long wait for the 1,300 extra carriages promised to ease overcrowding, the Conservatives have claimed.

Times Online

• EasyJet faces flying visit from bailiffs A court has asked bailiffs to reclaim £400 from easyJet to compensate a passenger who missed his flight home when his train was delayed by flooding.
• Road cash streets ahead of rail Investment in roads has soared in the past six years while resources for rail have scarcely changed, undermining ministers’ claims to be helping people to switch from cars to trains.
• Bentley feels the slowdown as sales of new cars falter Sales of new cars in Britain fell last month at their sharpest rate this year as the drop in consumer confidence reached the showrooms.
• Moody's says business models of many airlines 'are unsustainable' In a deeply pessimistic assessment of the American airline industry, Moody's, the credit ratings agency, said yesterday that the business models of many carriers were “unsustainable”. The agency's analysts said that US airlines were particularly vulnerable to high oil prices and even large carriers could be forced into bankruptcy.
• Trouble on the buses as many pensioners go free Bus operators and local authorities are at loggerheads over a government scheme that gives pensioners free bus travel amid fears that ministers have seriously underestimated the costs of the £1 billion scheme.
• Overcharged British Airways and Virgin Atlantic passengers to claim compensation Millions of Britons who flew across the Atlantic between two and four years ago are being invited to claim a share of more than £70 million that has been ordered to be handed over to them.

Daily Record

• SNP drops plans to axe free bus passes for pensionersTHE SNP caved into pressure yesterday and spared OAPs' free bus travel from the chop.

Belfast Telegraph

• Dept of Transport to crackdown on unlicensed hauliersThe Department of Transport has indicated it will crackdown on unlicensed drivers who hauliers have warned are undermining the industry.
• DAA to challenge restrictions on use of new runwayDublin Airport Authority is to challenge conditions set by an Bord Pleanala restricting the use of its new runway.

Aviation Industry

• American workers brace for thousands of job cutsMany more job cuts, likely totaling more than 6,000, are likely at American Airlines as the nation's largest airline hunkers down and tries to survive record high fuel costs.American notified its flight attendants union on Wednesday that it will cut up to 900 jobs starting Aug. 31, but that appears to be the tip of the iceberg.Although American has not given a total figure, the airline says it expects to shed 8 percent of its work force. With about 85,500 workers, including those at sister airline American Eagle, that would represent more than 6,800 jobs.

Other News Sources

• Shortsea switch is 'exaggerated'The growth of shortsea traffic has been over-stated, according to one analyst, although there is further opportunity for the sector to win extra traffic from road if cargo from different areas is combined.