Tube usage bounces back to October levels as Londoners dash for shops December 10, 2020 Tube and bus usage jumped back to pre-second lockdown levels last week as Londoners rushed back to shops, pubs, and restaurants after a month of restrictions. On 4 December, there were 1.56m journeys made on the London Underground, and 3.6m trips made by bus, data from TfL shows. That’s roughly a third higher than the [...]
McLaren considering listing in bid to raise £500m – report December 10, 2020 British supercar firm McLaren is mulling a public listing in a bid to raise cash in order to shore up its finances after taking a battering from the coronavirus pandemic. The carmaker is looking to raise up to £500m over the next 12 months, and is considering going public via a deal with a special [...]
First Group reports half-year loss as travel restrictions continue December 10, 2020 Bus operator First Group has reported a half-year loss after lockdown restrictions placed pressure on its rail and bus divisions. First Group said adjusted pretax loss was £73.3m for the six months ending 30 Deptember, down from a profit of £19.9m a year ago. Revenue fell 23.8 per cnet to £3.1bn in the period after [...]
Anything from the trolley? Easyjet launches doorstep cabin crew service December 10, 2020 Although you might have missed out on going abroad this year, you can still relive the in-flight experience from your doorstep next week, with Easyjet launching its first ever home trolley service. To celebrate the budget flier’s 25th birthday, cabin crew will be making the rounds of homes across London with a fully-stocked trolley on [...]
GardaWorld not ready to back down on G4S pursuit December 9, 2020 GardaWorld is not ready to stop its pursuit of security firm G4S, despite G4S agreeing to sell its business to Allied Universal last night. GardaWorld has given itself the option of increasing its bid for G4S following the £3.8bn deal with Allied Universal struck yesterday. GardaWorld had previously said its latest offer for G4S was [...]
Brits raring to travel despite lockdown uncertainty, survey finds December 9, 2020 The UK has a greater appetite for travel during the Covid pandemic than other EU countries, a study by ADARA, data specialist, found.
UK set to halt US tariffs in bid for post-Brexit trade deal December 9, 2020 The UK has broken ranks with the EU and is set to suspend tariffs against the US over subsidies, in an attempt to broker a post-Brexit trade deal. There has been a long battle between the US and the EU relating to state subsidies for aircraft manufacturers Airbus and Boeing. The World Trade Organisation last [...]
Uber sells off flying taxi division in drive for profit December 9, 2020 Uber has sold off its loss-making flying taxi division to California-based firm Joby Aviation, the second such disposal the ride-hailing firm has made in two days. In a statement released late last night, Joby said that Uber would invest an extra $75m into the company as part of the acquisition of Elevate. That takes Uber’s [...]
Balfour Beatty order book boosted by HS2 contract December 9, 2020 Balfour Beatty has forecast its year-end order book will grow after construction activity on the HS2 line was given the green light. In a trading update the construction firm forecast a year-end order book of around £17bn, a 20 per cent increase on the previous year. Despite delays caused by the pandemic, Balfour Beatty has [...]
Stagecoach profits plunge 91 per cent on lockdown restrictions December 9, 2020 Bus operator Stagecoach has taken a significant hit to its first-half profits as the pandemic continues to restrict its regional bus services. The company’s profits fell to £5.4m in the six months to 31 October compared to £65.9m in the same period last year. This came after revenue from £800.2m to £454.6m in the first [...]