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

Tuesday, 01 October 2019

Government

• Government takes the first steps in a bus revolution Major package of measures announced to boost bus services including 'Superbus' networks, Britain's first all-electric bus town and better passenger information.

BBC News

• Wrightbus: 'Delicate talks' ongoing, says Jeff WrightThe Ballymena company was placed into administration last week with the loss of 1,200 jobs.
• VW rejects judge's plea to settle German diesel caseGermany's first mass legal action begins as 450,000 owners of diesel cars take on the company.

The Guardian

• Bloodhound car aiming for land speed record has final UK testsVehicle is to be shipped to South Africa – where goal is to reach speed of 1,000mphA sleek machine that looks like a mash-up between a grandprix car, a fighter plane and a spaceship has undergone a final, ear-splitting test in the UK before being shipped to a desert in South Africa where it may eventually reach a speed of 1,000mph.Over the past six months the Bloodhound LSR has taken shape in a workshop on a college campus in Gloucestershire and on Monday a “dry crank testâ€� was carried out in which the car was powered up to confirm that the engine and systems had been correctly installed. Cont...

The Scotsman

• Tailgating drives 85 per cent of motorists to distraction, new research findsTailgating by other drivers is the behaviour that annoys motorists most on the roads, according to new research.

The Telegraph

• Conservative Party conference: Eight key pledges by Boris Johnson's government [subscription]... Buses Mr Javid will announce today plans for new “superbus” network. The bus driver’s son is promising a £220 million boost for buses, £50 million of which will be used to develop an “all-electric bus town” while £30 million will go towards improving existing routes and restoring lost services.

Times Online

• Uber passengers warned to check for cyclists as ‘car dooring’ accidents rise [subscription]Uber minicab passengers will be instructed on safely leaving the vehicle amid concerns over a spike in the number of cyclists injured in “car dooring” incidents.
• Ban on petrol and diesel cars could be accelerated [subscription]A ban on the sale of petrol and diesel cars could be brought forward by five years to accelerate the take-up of electric vehicles, according to the transport secretary.
• Waymo self-driving cars moving too slowly, analysts say [subscription]Self-driving cars may be the future of transport but their progress is taking so long that analysts at Morgan Stanley have just slashed the valuation of Waymo, the autonomous unit owned by Google.
• Biofuels pledge is ‘wrong way to tackle climate change’ [subscription]The government’s pledge to increase the amount of biofuels that petrol stations must sell is not a sound environmental policy, a member of the Green Party has claimed.

Birmingham Mail

• Couple's Thomas Cook holiday nightmare after arriving back at wrong airport - three days lateHundreds of holiday-makers are being left stranded for days - because there was not enough room for them on the planes sent to bring them home

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Bus investment 'could help reverse declining passenger numbers' A NEW investment in the country's bus infrastructure has been welcomed by local transport bosses.

Bristol Live

• New cheaper bus fares trialled in Thornbury and YateTickets are now 25 per cent cheaper

London Evening Standard

• Thomas Cook holidaymakers could have to wait up to two months for refund, aviation regulator saysThomas Cook holidaymakers seeking refunds after the firm's collapse could have to wait up to two months.
• Passenger who 'stormed cockpit of Jet2 flight causing it to return to Stansted' charged with assaultA passenger who allegedly tried to storm the cockpit of a Jet2 plane, forcing it to return to Stansted, has been charged by police.

Cambridge News

• Why Cambridge's taxi drivers think they're being discriminated againstA new policy change has been given the green light

East Anglian Daily Times

• Multi-million pound centres for the internet shopping boomMore massive warehouse are on the way for Ipswich to serve onlne shoppers with imported goods arriving through the Port of Felixstowe.
• Funding pledged to help improve A12Long promised upgrades to the A12 could become a reality after fresh funding was pledged by the Department for Transport.
• Freight train ‘fire’ in Ipswich causes havoc on railsA report of a fire in a freight train container caused major disruption and cancellations to Greater Anglia’s service this evening.

Other Regional Press

• It will soon be easier to catch a bus to Heathrow as services in Slough get a new name and colourCourtney Buses parent company Reading Buses has announced service increase to Heathrow and Windsor as the buses undergo a rebrand
• Ideas for mass transport system coming in from around the worldWest Yorkshire Combined Authority has asked global experts to suggest ideas

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Government takes the first steps in a bus revolutionNew low-fare, high-frequency ‘Superbus’ networks, Britain’s first all-electric bus town, better information for passengers, and contactless payment on every city bus have been announced by the Transport Secretary, Grant Shapps, in a major package of new measures to boost buses. The package, worth £220 million in the first year, will see many cuts to services reversed. It will create ‘express lanes’ for buses in the West Midlands and elsewhere. It will invest in new ways of providing more frequent public transport in the countryside and other places where con...

Rail Technology Magazine

• Network Rail to provide station WiFi for millions of passengers Netwok Rail have announced a ‘significant digital investment’ today to provide fast, free and reliable WiFi to Britain’s biggest and busiest railways. In a bid to keep passengers at the heart of all rail improvements, Network Rail will offer seamless connectivity and single...
• Leader of Rotherham Council and Mayor of Doncaster ask Government to re-think HS2Leader of Rotherham Council, Chris Read and Mayor of Doncaster, Ros Jones, have shared concerns with Douglas Oakervee, the man behind the HS2 review. They have restated their position to go back to the original Meadowhall option or fundamentally reconsider the eastern leg. They have presented an...

Aviation Industry

• ATAG: More sustainable aviation fuel plants neededThe number of sustainable aviation fuel production projects will need to quadruple if the industry hopes to make a “noticeable impactâ€� on carbon emissions, the Air Transport Action Group (ATAG) said. read more
• Boeing creates new safety unit after board-level review Boeing is implementing several recommendations made by its board of directors aimed at elevating the company’s safety focus, led by the creation of a new Product and Services Safety (PSS) unit, CEO Dennis Muilenburg announced Sept. 30. read more

Other News Sources

• Government sets out £220m plan for all-electric bus town and ‘Superbus’ networksThe all-electric bus town, the location of which is still being discussed, will see an entire city’s buses switched to wireless electric vehicles