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TfL is making it easier to beat traffic and find parking
With the majority of Brits now owning a smartphone or tablet, developers have jumped at the chance to deliver up-to-the-minute information on traffic and travel. Transport for London (TfL) has helped facilitate a number of these features by opening its data feeds, which let app makers display train departure times, ticket costs and even list which stations have toilet facilities.
Uber's safe after TfL softens new private hire regulations
In a bid to clear up controversy surrounding Uber's operations in London, the city's transport authority, Transport for London (TfL), opened a public consultation to drastically overhaul private hire regulations. A cap on the number of unregistered vehicles in the capital was mooted, as was a Knowledge-like test that would ensure private hire drivers have a better understanding of London's backstreets. Those proposals, and many others, were soon shot down by the government's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) and more than 200,000 Uber supporters signed a petition rallying against the changes. It appears those voices were recognised, because Transport for London has finally published its review and concluded that Uber can largely operate as it always has done.
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Cabbies look to raise £600,000 to contest Uber's London licence
Under pressure from black cabbies and traditional private hire operators, Transport for London (TfL) is currently entertaining new regulations that could cause serious problems for Uber and its business model. But Action for Cabbies, a company brought to you by the Save Taxi campaign group, thinks it's too little too late. Today, it has announced its intention to seek a judicial review of the licence TfL granted Uber way back in 2012, and it hopes to fund the legal action by raising £600,000 in crowdfunded cash.
London's black cabs become moving traffic billboards
Driving around London can be nightmarish at the best of times, but no more so than when you end up sandwiched in an inescapable gridlock. Transport for London's latest tech trial is hoping to make journeys though the capital that bit more pleasant, by using taxi-top signage that tells nearby vehicles where to avoid. Kicking off today, the six-month experiment sees 200 of London's finest black cabs fitted with digital advertising boards that also broadcast live traffic warnings. For now they're able to give you a heads-up on delays in up to London 50 areas, but should the signage be more widely deployed, the idea is to provide richer, real-time updates on congestion as traffic jams are taking shape. Whether we can get our Uber drivers to take the cautionary advice on board? Probably not.
UK watchdog singlehandedly dismantles TfL's Uber sanctions
Uber's impact on the London taxi trade has been huge. The exponential growth of the ride-hailing service has caused anger and criticism among more traditional operators, particularly black cabbies, who argue lax regulations have allowed Uber to flourish unchecked. After a long-fought legal challenge, London's High Court recently ruled that the way Uber calculates fares is legal, and is not equivalent to taximeters reserved for black cabs exclusively. No sooner had that bullet been dodged than Transport for London (TfL) let another fly in the form of proposals to significantly overhaul private hire regulations, under the guise of improving passenger safety.
Londoners will soon be able to share an Uber with strangers
If you're willing to share an Uber with a stranger, travelling across London could soon be a little bit cheaper. The company is launching UberPool this Friday (December 4th) at 4pm, starting with a small patch in the centre of the city -- it stretches between Highbury in the North, Wapping in the East, Brixton in the South and Shepherd's Bush in the West. Sharing a ride will, the company claims, make your fare 25 percent cheaper than if you had travelled with UberX, the company's next best option. You simply open the app, choose the UberPool icon and your destination; it'll then ask how many seats you need (for now, two is the limit) and give a final fare. If you're the driver's second stop, Uber will tell you the name of your fellow traveller immediately, otherwise you'll get a notification mid-journey.
Mastercard gifts Apple Pay users with free London travel
Everyone likes getting something for free, especially when you get to save money doing things you normally do on a daily basis. For the next four Mondays (including today), Mastercard is offering free travel across London's Tube, trains, buses and the DLR for all riders using Apple Pay. That right, as long as you own a iPhone capable of supporting Apple's NFC payment service or an Apple Watch with a Mastercard attached, you can commute to work or roam across the capital for nothing.
Uber improves its service for disabled passengers in London
After recently seeing off a challenge from the Licensed Taxi Drivers Association (LTDA) at London's High Court, Uber is wasting no time in its attempt to broaden its appeal across the capital. The company today announced the launch of uberASSIST, a new service that will offer additional assistance to disabled users. It works like this: when a rider requests a car using the ASSISTUK code, a "top rated" Uber driver, who has passed an equality course developed by Transport for All and Inclusion London, will be told that their passenger may require additional assistance and be invited to contact them ahead of their pick-up.
London's High Court rules Uber is legal, but its troubles aren't over
Uber and other ride-hailing services like it have completely changed the way we interact with on-demand transport. But being a new, popular force in a traditional industry has its downsides. When Uber isn't taking flak from local taxi firms, it's sitting in a courtroom trying to justify the legality of its business model. This is true the world over, and it's no different in London, where the capital's High Court has just ruled that the way Uber calculates fares is legal. It's a huge win for the company, because if the decision had gone the other way, it would've effectively outlawed Uber's entire London fleet, and possibly set a precedent for other UK cities to follow suit.
London plans to regulate Uber with driver tests and pick-up delays
Over the past year, London's Mayor and transport authority have held discussions over how best to regulate private hire taxi services like Uber, much to the delight of the city's black cab drivers. Boris Johnson suggested capping the number of unregistered vehicles allowed to operate, and also raised the idea of a Knowledge-like test to ensure Uber drivers had a better understanding of the capital's backstreets. Now, it appears, some of those suggestions could be implemented by Transport for London (TfL).
London Tube's 'regenerative braking' tech can power an entire station
To make the London Underground greener and more cost effective, Transport for London (TfL) has been trialling a new system that collects and recycles waste energy from train brakes. Over the course of a week, the company says it's been able to capture electricity at a rate of 1 Megawatt hour per day -- enough to slash 5 per cent off its energy bill. The salvaged energy could also be used to run a station as large as Holborn for at least two days every week, TfL claims. The "state-of-the-art regenerative breaking system" is dependent on a new "inverter" set up at a substation near Cloudesely Road, where TfL manages the power sent to the Victoria Line. The "world-first" setup also reduces the amount of heat that's normally produced by the train's brakes. Recovering power could, therefore, keep London's Tube cooler and reduce TfL's operating costs, leading to cheaper fares. The "inverter" is now in operation full-time, but only on the Victoria line -- all the same, it's good to see TfL exploring new ways to modernise its iconic transport network.
London's Boris bikes kitted out with lasers in the name of safety
If there's one universal truth, it's that everything is better with lasers: sharks, dinosaurs, Facebook, and now... Boris bikes. Under a new safety trial, Transport for London has fitted 250 of the capital's pushbikes-for-hire with a laser-projection system that beams the familiar stickman bicycle logo onto the ground ahead of the cyclist. With a six metre lead on the rider, the projection is intended to alert motorists to the close presence of the cyclist, who could be cruising in the driver's blind spot at the time. In early tests, the laser projection was said to improve the nighttime visibility of bikers when compared with the regular LED headlamps currently in use. The tech itself is being provided by UK upstart Blaze, which already sells the Laserlight as a handlebar add-on for any bicycle. Should the 10-or-so week trial be deemed successful, the plan is to retrofit all 11,500 Boris bikes with the dynamo-driven projection system.
Live Rugby World Cup scores are coming to London's Tube
With the Rugby World Cup kicking off this week, Transport for London (TfL) is gearing up to play a big role in helping sports fans navigate to and from the city's three host stadia. However, that's not all it will do come Friday. The transport authority today announced it has teamed up with ITV to deliver live news, scores and results from the tournament across 180 Tube and DLR stations right through until the final on October 31st. It'll be the second time the London Underground has hosted a World Cup, after it delivered goals and updates via information boards during the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil. The deal will generate revenue for TfL, helping it to invest more in its modernisation of the Tube network, which will include the development and rollout of new driverless trains with built-in WiFi in 2022.
High Court to decide Uber's London fate in October
A long-running legal dispute between Uber and the UK's Licensed Taxi Drivers Association (LTDA) may soon come to an end. Starting on October 5th, the High Court will hold a hearing with both parties and Transport for London (TfL) to determine whether the smartphones used by Uber drivers are technically the same as taximeters.
London's getting another 51 all-electric buses
London's public transport is already going green, but there's still a lot of work to do before all of the city's buses are switched over to alternative energy sources. Just two weeks after mayor Boris Johnson announced the capital will host the world's first purpose-built all-electric double decker, Transport for London (TfL) today confirmed a further 51 green vehicles will hit the streets by autumn in a bid to lower carbon emissions and improve London's air quality.
Bluetooth beacons are helping the blind navigate London's Tube
London's Underground network can feel like a maze for even the most seasoned traveller, especially at rush hour when you're packed in with hordes of disgruntled commuters. The problem is only amplified for blind and partially sighted people, but a combination of Bluetooth beacons and smartphone app could make the experience less stressful. Wayfindr has been developed by Ustwo (yep, the folks behind the video game Monument Valley) and the Royal London Society for Blind People's (RLSB) Youth Forum to offer travellers audio-based directions and advice. A month-long trial at Pimlico station is now underway with 16 beacons tracking users' smartphones and activating descriptive notes. The information is basic, but could offer valuable guidance and, hopefully, confidence to blind and partially sighted people navigating the Underground independently.
These stunning driverless trains are the future of London's Tube network
Want to see what the Tube could look like in the next ten years? Thanks to Transport for London and design studio PriestmanGoode, we now can, after they unveiled designs for a new fleet of driverless Tube trains due to be rolled out in 2022. The "New Tube for London" features a futuristic design that abandons the traditional multi-carriage layout for a walk-through car, which will provide passengers with air-cooling and onboard WiFi for the first time.
London to start trialling wirelessly charged buses
While London's public transport network is getting more hi-tech by the minute, the city's buses and trains aren't as green as they could be -- at least not yet. Transport for London (TfL) has already deployed 800 hybrid and a handful of all-electric buses on the capital's streets, but keeping them charged isn't easy when they're miles from a depot. In a bid to keep them running as efficiently as possible, TfL has kicked off a new trial that will see inductive charging stations built into four east London bus stops, allowing its Enviro400H E400 hybrid buses to charge wirelessly while they pick up passengers.
London kicks off free bus WiFi trial on two routes
It's safe to say Transport for London (TfL) is pushing hard to equip London's bus and train networks with their fair share of tech. Not long after it announced the launch date for contactless payments on the Tube, it's just confirmed that two of the city's Routemasters are now offering free WiFi to passengers. As of today, if you find yourself travelling on a specific route 12 bus, which operates between Dulwich and Oxford Circus, or a route RV1 bus journeying between Covent Garden and Tower Hill, you'll be able to get online without eating into your data allowance.
London's Tube to accept contactless payments from September 16th
The contactless payment feature on your bank card is ideal for speeding up minor purchases, and soon it'll be able to replace your Oyster, too. London buses have supported contactless payments for some time, and Transport for London (TfL) has today announced that come September 16th, they'll get you through the barriers at Tube, Overground and DLR stations as well. The benefit of using your bank card is you never have to top it up, and in addition to the daily cap on travel charges already in place, any method of contactless payment will also be subject to a new weekly cap (Monday to Sunday), whereby TfL figures out the cheapest possible fare for that period. You'll be able to keep track of your journey and payment history via an online account, much like you can with a registered Oyster card now. Implementing contactless payments across the wider London transport network comes after a pilot that's been running since April, but TfL are still looking for new lab rats to test the system before its formal launch.
