Electric avenue: E-scooters to get green light for road use January 28, 2020 Eco-conscious commuters are set for a welcome boost to their journey under plans to legalise the use of electric scooters on roads and cycle lanes. The government is expected to launch a consultation next month on how to regulate the speedy scooters and ensure safety, the Times reported. This will be followed with trials in [...]
Near-miss: Iran plane skids onto major road after pilot misses runway January 27, 2020 Iran narrowly avoided its second major aviation tragedy in less than a month this morning, after a passenger jet ended up belly-down in the middle of a major highway after a botched landing. Nearly all of the 136 passengers on board escaped unscathed – with two on board suffering leg injuries. The incident happened in [...]
Flybe: Ministers draft in restructuring advisers on rescue loan talks amid ‘state aid’ row January 27, 2020 Ministers have brought in advisers to help negotiate a government loan to struggling regional airline Flybe, despite insisting the rescue deal will not constitute state aid. Alvarez & Marsal (A&M) has been tasked with advising the Department for Transport (DfT) in assessing the basis for a commercial loan, according to Sky News. The company, a [...]
Powering up Britain: How the UK will become carbon neutral by 2050 January 27, 2020 Net zero by 2050. At first blush, it sounds like a code phrase one would hear in the halls of MI6 or in the Ministry of Defence. But as British citizens or residents, we should remember it. In simple terms, it is a declaration by Britain to become carbon neutral in 30 years. This may [...]
Levelling up is possible — but the government has to listen to what people want January 27, 2020 Levelling up. This slightly odd turn of phrase is set to become one of the defining tests of the new Johnson government. Inequalities between the regions and nations of the United Kingdom are not a new problem, and nor are central government policy initiatives designed to tackle them. Business communities — particularly those outside the [...]
Police to get more anti-drone powers in fresh crackdown January 27, 2020 The government is planning a fresh crackdown on drones, after a number of near misses in the sky. Ministers hope to give police new powers to land, inspect and seize drones under a bill which has its second reading in Parliament today. Drone pilots could also face on-the-spot fines for failing to prove they have [...]
Flybe looks for another tax delay, weeks after government saves airline January 26, 2020 Flybe is said to have implored airports to give it more time to find millions of pounds it owes them in unpaid landing fees. Europe’s biggest regional airline held crisis talks with airports including Birmingham, Glasgow, Aberdeen and Southampton, according to reports. It is said to be in a race against time to plug a [...]
Crunch time: Boris Johnson to meet ministers over HS2 decision ‘this week’ January 26, 2020 Boris Johnson is thought to be preparing for a crunch meeting with chancellor Sajid Javid and transport secretary Grant Shapps over the future of the HS2 rail line this week. The meeting could well be a combative one, after a torrid week for supporters of the beleaguered project. On Monday, it emerged the price tag [...]
Northern Rail set to be nationalised ‘this week’ amid franchising chaos January 26, 2020 Northern Rail could be renationalised as early as this week, as the government tries to contain a period of chaos on Britain’s railways. The franchise operator, Arriva, is thought to be gearing up to hand the franchise back to the government’s Operator of Last Resort (OLR). Earlier this month, transport secretary Grant Shapps said the [...]
Go-Ahead to deploy air filtering buses across the UK January 25, 2020 Go-Ahead is set to deploy its so-called air filtering buses in six more regions around the UK this year after a successful trial in Southampton. The transport operator is accelerating its shift toward greener technology with its pollutant-tackling buses that remove dirty particles from the air. The single-decker buses are fitted with air filtering systems [...]
