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

Friday, 27 September 2019

BBC News

• Pokemon Go-style road safety app developed by Welsh unisPrimary school pupils can learn how to cross the road through the virtual reality game.
• Space: Astronaut Tim Peake backs science education schemePeake is at the UK Space Agency's conference in Newport promoting potential careers in the sector.
• Wrightbus: Family deny blocking factory dealThe Wrightbus factory is owned by Jeff Wright, separately from the manufacturing company.
• Wrightbus: Boris Johnson pledges government supportPrime minister says government will do
• Metrolink to fix vandalised Heaton Park heritage tram lineMetrolink says it will replace cable stolen from the historic Heaton Park Tramway.
• WeWork: The rise and fall of co-founder Adam NeumannMr Neumann built WeWork into a global firm, but investors raised questions about his leadership.
• British Airways owner IAG says strikes cost £121mIAG says the action in a dispute over pay and conditions has cost it at least €137m.
• Thomas Cook: Shapps not aware he recycled Grayling speechGrant Shapps' Thomas Cook speech resembles predecessor's statement after Monarch Airlines' collapse.
• Boeing 'misjudged 737 Max pilot reactions'Crews in two fatal crashes did not react as Boeing assumed they would, say US transport chiefs.
• Japan Airlines seat map helps avoid screaming babiesJapan Airlines' new online booking feature shows where very young children will be sitting.

Financial Times

• BA owner is cutting off its nose to spite its faceAirline is taking a €137m hit from strikes that union says could be resolved for €5m

The Guardian

• Bus regulation proves just the ticket for a musical in ManchesterArtist tries to ‘jazz up’ issue as local region plans to regain public control of services
• Uber to merge ride-hailing and food-delivery apps in major overhaulCompany to offer information on public transport and other travel options in quest to build ‘operating system for everyday life’Uber has announced a slew of updates to its app – including consolidating its food delivery and ride-hailing services, and a new feature highlighting local public transportation options – in a bid to create “an operating system for everyday lifeâ€�. Uber announced the more than 25 changes to its platform at a launch event in San Francisco on Thursday. Among the tech company’s most significant moves will be merging its ride-hailing app and food-delivery app Uber Eats, a...
• Cardiff council backs plan to give new streets Welsh namesCouncil leaders say move will increase status and use of language in cityLanguage campaigners have welcomed a decision by council leaders in Cardiff to support a plan to give Welsh-only names to new streets in the capital.Cardiff council’s cabinet is hoping the move will eventually mean there are as many Welsh street names as English ones in the city and bolster the language. Continue reading...
• Babies on a plane: Japan Airlines unveils tool to tackle horror of screaming infantsA child icon will automatically pop up to alert passengers to where a child between eight days and two years old is seatedBeing stuck on a long-haul flight within earshot of a crying baby could be a thing of the past for passengers on Japan Airlines (JAL), after the carrier unveiled an online booking tool that indicates where toddlers will be seated.When passengers with children aged between eight days and two years old reserve their seat, a child icon automatically appears on the seat plan, alerting other passengers who have yet to select their seats. Continue reading...
• People behind drone chaos had 'detailed knowledge' of GatwickPolice report says disruption at airport not terror related and unlikely to be state sponsoredPeople with “detailed knowledgeâ€� of Gatwick used two drones to shut down the airport for 30 hours, according to a police report.A total of 1,000 flights were disrupted, affecting more than 140,000 passengers, during the three-day incident that began shortly after 9pm on 19 December last year. Continue reading...

The Scotsman

• Scottish pupils in first school bike share schemeThe UK’s first school bike share scheme will be officially launched in Stirling today in an attempt to stem the significant drop-off in pupils cycling when they move to secondary.

The Telegraph

• Gatwick Airport drone investigation closed by police without anyone being charged

Times Online

• 900 killed as hard shoulders vanish from motorways [subscription]The number of people killed or seriously injured on motorways is at its highest level this decade, prompting further concern over the programme to remove hard shoulders. Across Britain, 910 people died on motorways last year, Department for Transport figures show.

City AM

• City airport boasted lower fares than Heathrow and Gatwick last summerLondon City Airport has said its fares last summer were lower than both Heathrow and Gatwick on a route-by-route basis, as it sets itself up as a competitor to the two hub airports.
• Crossrail: TfL to run Paddington to Reading trains from DecemberTransport for London (TfL) will start running services between Paddington and Reading from this December, which will become part of Crossrail when it opens from 2021.

Belfast Telegraph

• Boris Johnson vows his government will 'do it all it can to help' after Wrightbus collapsePrime Minister Boris Johnson has vowed to do all he can to help Ballymena bus manufacturers Wrightbus after the firm entered administration earlier this week.

Birmingham Post

• Jaguar Land Rover opens huge new Midland facilityThe new Advanced Product Creation Centre has been built in Warwickshire

Daily Post (North Wales)

• On-call taxis could replace buses in rural areasCouncil looking at ways to make public transport more cost effective and better for the environment

London Evening Standard

• Climate change means flooding of London stations could become regular occurrence, says London Assembly Member Caroline RussellClimate change means chaotic flooding in London's rail and Tube stations could become a regular occurrence.
• Two drones illegally flown by suspects with 'detailed knowledge' causing 30-hour Gatwick shutdown, police sayTwo drones were illegally flown by people with

Manchester Evening News

• Most Greater Manchester trains don't arrive on time - here's the Mayor's plan to make our transport system fit for purposeAndy Burnham wants to see an integrated ticket system, capped, cheaper fares across all modes of transport in the city and more efficient services; all within 10 years

Yorkshire Post

• This firm in York is keeping trains on the right track with its technologyHowever, one technology business nestled in the shadows of York’s city walls is already gaining traction in helping rail companies understand the true nature of delays and even prevent certain issues leading to a clogging up of the network. 
Measurements to fit 
Incremental Solutions was founded in 2014 by Lewis Gill and Daniel Lee-Bursnall.

East Anglian Daily Times

• Are some cyclists just yobs in tight shorts?Why aren’t more people willing to ditch their cars and cycle around East Anglia? Perhaps the disgusting behaviour of some cyclists is the real reason.

Get Surrey

• Gatwick Airport drone attack: £790,000 spent on investigation but police still don't know who's responsible Sussex Police has concluded that "at least two drones" were responsible for the festive period shutdown

Other Regional Press

• London Tube drivers could go on strike due to noise on the tracksDrivers on parts of London Underground are to launch a campaign of industrial action after complaining about the level of noise on the tracks.
• Siemens Digital Academy offers students £3,000 a yearSTUDENTS at Bournemouth University could receive £3,000 a year and a paid placement with multinational engineering company Siemens.
• Jaguar Land Rover unveils huge new investment in the MidlandsThe new facility is located on the Coventry car maker's Gaydon site
• TfL Rail to begin operate services to ReadingTfL will soon start running the stopping services between Paddington mainline and Reading ahead of the service becoming part of the Elizabeth line.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Ports across England given £10 million to prepare for BrexitSixteen ports across England will receive a share of a multimillion-pound funding pot to help their preparations for Brexit on 31 October, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps announced. The Department for Transport (DfT) is revealing the successful bidders of the £10 million Port Infrastructure Resilience and Connectivity (PIRC) competition, which offers ports up to £1 million each to deliver important infrastructure upgrades. This could include creating more space for HGV parking and container storage as well as improving access for vehicles to help keep traffic and trade flowing s...
• TfL Rail to operate services to Reading from 15 DecemberFrom Sunday 15 December Transport for London (TfL) will start running the stopping services between Paddington mainline and Reading ahead of the service becoming part of the Elizabeth line. These services (currently operated by GWR) will be operated as TfL Rail, which will become the Elizabeth line when the line opens through central London, transforming travel with quicker, easier and more accessible journeys for customers. Under TfL Rail, the current service frequency of four stopping trains an hour in the peak between Paddington mainline and Reading will be maintained using the new Elizab...

Coach and Bus Week

• Thirty new buses for B&H in UK geofencing firstGo-Ahead Group company Brighton and Hove (B&H) has announced that it has the first buses in the UK that can be set to run in zero-emissions mode whenever they enter the city centre
• Stagecoach West increases presence in Bristol with SGBC acquisitionBristol-based South Gloucestershire Bus and Coach has been acquired by Stagecoach West, the deal being completed on 20 September
• Expanding compliance horizonsThe Fleet Operator Recognition Scheme is seeking to enrol more coach, bus and minibus operators as the accreditation expands with additional provision for all commercial vehicle fleet operators. John Hix from the organisation speaks to James Day about what it can offer to passenger transport
• New CPT president announcedThe CPT has announced that senior industry figure Steve Whiteway will be its President for 2020. Steve, who was unanimously voted in by fellow members of the CPT Council, will officially take over the presidency – a position he held back in 2010/11 – from Martin Dean on Thursday 30 January.
• Edwards shortlisted for inaugural Welsh transport awardsSouth Wales-based Edwards Coaches has been named as a finalist in the inaugural Wales Transport Awards. The family firm, which has been in operation since 1925 and is now in the hands of the fifth generation, has been nominated in the ‘Livery of the Year’ and ‘Transport Operator of the Year’ categories.
• Flixbus to trial hydrogen coachesEuropean inter-city coach operator Flixbus is to trial hydrogen-fuelled coaches, in collaboration with Freudenberg Sealing Technologies. The firms are currently working out the parameters of the trial, and expect to join forces with a vehicle manufacturer soon.

Railway Gazette

• Amsterdam – London through train agreement to be signed shortlyEUROPE: The international agreement which would permit the operation of through passenger services between the Netherlands and the UK is expected to be signed in October, State Secretary for Justice & Security Ankie Broekers-Knol told the Dutch parliament’s lower house on September 25.

Route One (Bus and Coach)

• Rates in the coach industry: A balancing actRates are a tricky thing to balance. Fuel, drivers’ wages and compliance are mounting costs – how do operators harmonise them with the rates they charge?
• Lothian Buses partners Guide Dogs Scotland and Whizz-KidzLothian Buses has announced partnerships with Guide Dogs Scotland and Whizz-Kidz as part of its annual compulsory Certificate of Professional Competence training for bus drivers.
• Tap on and off contactless for MetrobusGo-Ahead subsidiary Metrobus has upgraded its contactless payment acceptance by taking advantage of tap on and off functionality for most adult tickets.
• South Gloucestershire Bus and Coach is soldStagecoach has purchased South Gloucestershire Bus and Coach (SGBC) for an undisclosed su,. The deal will be pivotal to its plans for growth in and around Bristol, the group says.
• Free bus rides for Luton’s poorer children with ArrivaArriva Buses joined forces with local charity Level Trust this summer to help nearly 300 children living in poverty across Luton gain access a host of fun-filled activities and adventures designed to help them make the most of the break from school.
• Arrivaclick delivers high levels of user satisfaction: SurveyMerseyside seeing 7,500 journey requests per week; Leicestershire above predictions Customer uptake of the ArrivaClick demand responsive transport (DRT) concept has been strong, research has shown.

Aviation Industry

• Nordic airlines, operators partner to accelerate electric aviationNordic airlines and airport operators have come together to accelerate the introduction of electric aviation in the region. read more
• London Stansted eyes significant long-haul growthLondon Stansted Airport aims to provide up to half of the London area’s total long-haul aviation growth over the next decade as Heathrow and Gatwick continue to contend with runway capacity constraints. read more

Other News Sources

• Brighton council reduces spending by £269k on transportMORE than £250,000 of spending on school transport for disabled children will be reduced while many pupils have been left stranded without a way of getting to school.
• What happens when you forget to tap off on new bus pay system A TRANSPORT company has revealed what happens if you forget to “Tap Offâ€� the bus using the new pay system.
• Two drones behind Gatwick Christmas chaos, say policeAT LEAST two drones were the cause of Christmas chaos at Gatwick airport last year, a police investigation has found.
• Bedwyn Station to get extra trains direct to PaddingtonTRAIN campaigners are celebrating after winning major improvements to the timetable for Bedwyn Station, near Marlborough.