Chinese robotaxis are due to be on the streets of London next year after the US ride-hailing companies Lyft and Uber announced tie-ups with Beijing-based Baidu to deploy its self-driving technology. Lyft is the third firm to announce plans to introduce self-driving taxis to the UK capital next year, after Uber and Waymo, the main operator of robotaxis in the US. Its ride-hailing services are the major rival to Uber’s in the US and Canada, and this year Lyft expanded into Europe after acquiring the Freenow app in the summer.…
Tag: Transport
UK transport and cyber-security chiefs investigate Chinese-made buses
The UK is to investigate whether hundreds of Chinese-made buses can be controlled remotely by their manufacturer, amid increasing concerns over Beijing’s involvement in British infrastructure. The Department for Transport and the National Cyber Security Centre are examining whether buses made by Yutong could be vulnerable to interference. A spokesperson for the Department for Transport said: “We are looking into the case and working closely with the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre to understand the technical basis for the actions taken by the Norwegian and Danish authorities. “The department takes…
News live: Marles will ‘make right decision in Australia’s interest’ over deploying navy vessels to Red Sea, Farrell says
From 5h ago Sarah Basford Canales Marles will ‘make right decision in Australia’s interest’ over deploying navy vessels to Red Sea Earlier this morning, trade minister Don Farrell left open the possibility Australia could deploy navy vessels to the Red Sea amid ongoing attacks against commercial shipping from Iran-backed militia. This week the US asked Australia to send a warship to the region as part of its duties as a member of the international naval security taskforce, the combined maritime forces. It comes as the Yemen-based and Iran-backed Houthis warned…
UK government delays post-Brexit border checks for fifth time – business live
From 2h ago UK government confirms another delay to post-Brexit food checks The UK government has confirmed that it will delay the introduction of post-Brexit checks on food by another three months, after warnings the long-promised new regime would not be ready in time. The UK’s Cabinet Office said that “remaining sanitary and phytosanitary controls, as well as full customs controls for non-qualifying Northern Ireland goods, […] will now be introduced from January 2024. The government had said in April that new checks would come into force on Halloween, 31…
Heathrow has busiest start to year since before Covid lockdowns
Heathrow airport had its busiest start to the year since before the coronavirus pandemic lockdowns in 2020 as travel restrictions continued to ease, according to data published on Monday. More than 5.4 million passengers travelled through the UK’s and Europe’s busiest airport in January, double the 2.6 million from 2022, Heathrow said in a statement to the London Stock Exchange. In January 2020 the airport had recorded its best ever start to the year, with 6.1 million passengers, despite early signs that the virus was spreading rapidly from China, where…
China takes great leap forward in Australia’s car market with EVs leading the charge
China is rapidly becoming one of the largest sources of new cars for Australian buyers with Chinese carmakers’ increasing dominance of electric vehicle sales in their home market potentially accelerating the transition off fossil-fuel powered transport. In 2022, sales of Chinese-made vehicles in Australia totalled 122,845 units, a 61.1% increase on the previous year, according to Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries data. In December, imports from China were more than double a year earlier. The increase made China the fourth-largest import source, narrowing the gap with larger rivals. Cars sourced…
Rishi Sunak to impose Covid tests on travellers from China in U-turn
Rishi Sunak has performed a major U-turn by imposing Covid checks on travellers from China from 5 January, after criticism from a growing number of Conservative MPs over his “dithering”. After a series of seemingly mixed messages about whether the UK would follow the lead of Spain, Italy, Israel, the US and India in screening arrivals, the prime minister backed the move to bring the UK into line with its allies in a change of policy on Friday. The UK Health Security Agency will also initiate surveillance from 8 January,…