Chinese ride-hailing app Didi Chuxing expands into fintech as driver regulation rears its head January 2, 2019 Chinese ride-hailing app Didi Chuxing has expanded into financial services, as fresh domestic regulation threatened to put a dampener on its driver numbers. The firm has today launched a suite of financial products, including crowdfunded health insurance, wealth management and lending, all aimed at short-term workers on temporary contracts. The move comes after Didi announced a [...]
Tesla shares fall as it cuts car prices and misses production estimates January 2, 2019 Shares in Tesla have fallen more than 10 per cent as markets opened this afternoon, after the electric vehicle manufacturer said it would be cutting the prices of its cars by $2,000 (£1,586). The carmaker was forced to partially absorb the cost of changes to a US green tax credit for electric vehicles, which almost halved yesterday to [...]
Millennials face a long wait online as next batch of 26-30 railcards go on sale nationwide January 2, 2019 Millennials are facing long waits to get their hands on the next batch of 26-30 railcards, which were launched this afternoon. The 26-30 railcard, which costs £30 for a year, went on sale at midday. It offers one third off most rail fares for more than 4m people across the UK, meaning railcard holders will save [...]
Cathay Pacific to honour bargain business class tickets following website mix-up January 2, 2019 Asian airline Cathay Pacific has said it will honour cut-price first class and business class fares offered on its website by mistake. Lucky travellers that scooped a bargain in the accidental January sale will get to keep their tickets, which included business class seats from Vietnam to New York for $675 (£533) return. Seats on the same [...]
Chris Grayling defends decision to award £13.8m Brexit ferries contract to firm with no ships January 2, 2019 Transport secretary Chris Grayling has defended the controversial decision to award a £13m contract to a firm that has never run ships in the event of a no-deal Brexit. Grayling has come under fire for awarding Seaborne Freight the £13.8m contract after it emerged it has never run ferries before. Speaking to the BBC, Grayling said: [...]
Rail fares rise by 3.1 per cent as commuters stage protests at train stations across the UK January 2, 2019 Rail fares increased by an average of 3.1 per cent today despite commuters suffering a year of travel chaos in 2018. Passengers are set to stage a national protest at the hike today, which will see many rail season tickets increase by more than £100. Commuters, rail union leaders and politicians are expected to protest [...]
Households urged to shop around for best deals as energy price cap kicks in January 1, 2019 Customers wanting to save should not place too much faith in new regulation and must continue to shop around to get better deals, experts warned as the energy price cap came into force this morning. The cap, which limits the price paid for each unit of energy, will mean a fairer deal for consumers, but does not [...]
Ousted Nissan chairman Ghosn paid company funds to Saudi businessman December 27, 2018 New charges against Carlos Ghosn claim the ousted Nissan chairman used company funds to pay a Saudi businessman for a personal favour, it has been revealed. Ghosn, who was arrested for a third time last week, is alleged to have paid $14.7m (£11.6m) in four instalments to Khaled Al-Juffali, the vice chairman of the EA Juffali and Brothers [...]
Musk: Tesla superchargers to extend across Europe next year December 27, 2018 Tesla’s supercharger network will extend across Europe next year, the company’s chief executive Elon Musk has said. The charger system, which allows Tesla owners to plug in for 30 minutes for a power boost during their trip, has previously had some black spots in Europe. However, they will now be extended to the rest of [...]
French airport group takes over Gatwick a week after travel chaos December 27, 2018 French group Vinci is set to buy Gatwick in a deal which values the business at around £5.8bn, just a week after drones caused travel chaos at the UK’s second biggest airport. Vinci, which operates 46 airports in 12 countries, takes a controlling 50.01 per cent stake in Gatwick for around £2.9bn. Gatwick’s chairman Sir [...]