Latest news with #buscompanies
The Sun
23-07-2025
- Business
- The Sun
Ancient English town ranked among ‘worst places to live' unveils £33m revamp as it demolishes ‘dilapidated' station
A £33 MILLION revamp of an historic town is set to be unveiled next month. The revamp has transformed the town's transport networks. 3 3 3 It comes after the town was previously named among the worst places to live after it was branded a "gang capital". Development reveal The investment has transformed Fleming Way in Swindon as it is turned into a new bus boulevard. After three years of work, the fencing is set to come down from August 15. Once the new transport hub is up and running, the existing bus station is set to be demolished. Local bus companies will begin their services from Fleming Way from August 31. As well as the new transport hub, the revamp brings a number of improvements to the area. This includes new benches, bike racks and waste bins, in addition to more than 185 trees and 23,000 plants and bushes. Planning proposals A Swindon Borough Council spokesperson said that there would also be new bus shelters to improve wheelchair accessibility. The new shelters will also include wireless charging, digital screens that display up-to-date departure times, and solar panels. A total of 27 new bus stops were planned in the proposal. Our pretty town has become a ghetto plagued by machete-wielding yobs They said: "The new road will also create a better space for bus services around Swindon and the surrounding areas, as well as allow for national and inner-city routes. "New cycle lanes have also been added, connecting the town's two main cycle routes so cyclists can travel through Swindon or to the town centre." In previous planning proposals for the development, the council said it hoped to "help the town centre transition from a past dominated by retail, to a future destination where people live, work, socialise and study." It would make Fleming Way the "main gateway" for the town centre. The development focused primarily on transport in the area, improving connectivity to the train station and creating a safer route throughout the town centre. Improvements to the wider area In addition to the improvements to transportation, the council estimated that it would increase surrounding land value by £34 million. This in turn would bring more investors into the area, bringing new homes, offices, shops and leisure facilities for locals. Funding for the project came in part from the Government, who supplied £25 million. It was based on a proposal that demonstrated that the improvements would increase Swindon's economic productivity by £28.7 million over the first 20 yearws. The space freed up by the demolition of the bus station from the 1960s will be incorporated into the regeneration of a 20-acre site next to Zurich's office building. Proposals also included the removal of the Fleming Way subway to make the road the same level as the town centre shopping area and the parade.
Telegraph
17-07-2025
- Automotive
- Telegraph
Bus drivers must stop working if it gets too hot, union demands
Bus drivers should be allowed to stop working when it gets too hot, a trade union has demanded. Unite said that drivers have reported temperatures exceeding 40C in some cabs during this summer's heatwaves. The union said some cabs 'resemble greenhouses' and many are not air conditioned or have cooling systems that do not work. It has now issued its bus driver members with a letter to show to management when conditions become too hot in their vehicles. The letter says a driver has stopped work or will not work under section 44 of the Employment Rights Act 1996, which allows workers to stop work to remove themselves from a position of 'serious and imminent danger'. Three heatwaves have engulfed the UK this summer, with temperatures reaching as high as 34.7C in central London on July 1. Drought has been declared in the West and East Midlands and four water companies have announced hosepipe bans. Temperatures have reached such highs that some schools have banned children from playing outside when their playgrounds are deemed to be 'too hot to use safely'. Unite has warned that drivers could become 'fatigued, drowsy and more likely to make driving errors' in such high temperatures 'putting them, their passengers and other road users at risk'. It claimed that bus companies are 'reluctant to take action' because of additional costs. Sharon Graham, Unite's general secretary, said: 'Bus companies must stop passing the buck and take immediate action to ensure the safety of their drivers and passengers in extreme heat. 'For too long employers have played fast and loose with driver safety, putting profits before people.' Wayne King, the union's national officer for passenger transport, added: 'Drivers stopping work when they feel unsafe will inevitably cause serious disruption for passengers. 'But this is a direct result of the failure of employers to take action. They have had years to resolve this problem and have failed to act. 'We believe the steps we have taken on this serious health and safety problem creates a safer environment for all concerned; drivers, passengers and members of the public.' London's transport chief said last week that bus drivers should refuse to drive a bus during the summer heatwave if the vehicle's air conditioning is faulty, Andy Lord, the Transport for London commissioner, said: 'We have been explicit: If any of the air cooling or air conditioning, depending on the model of the bus, is not serviceable, the bus should not be taken into service. 'The driver has a responsibility as well – to refuse to take the bus into service.'
Free Malaysia Today
25-06-2025
- Automotive
- Free Malaysia Today
S'gor govt-owned firm racks up over 22,000 unpaid traffic summonses
The outstanding summonses owed by KDEB Waste Management Sdn Bhd involves various serious road safety offences, including overloading, exceeding the speed limit and failing to possess a valid driver's licence and vehicle road tax. (Bernama pic) PUTRAJAYA : KDEB Waste Management Sdn Bhd, a company wholly-owned by the Selangor government, has racked up 22,017 unpaid traffic summonses, says transport minister Loke Siew Fook. Loke said KDEB was among 11 companies listed as having more than 1,000 outstanding traffic summonses, while 17 express bus firms have more than 200. Among bus companies, Cepat Ekspres Sdn Bhd has the most traffic summonses with 540. The minister said these summonses involved various serious road safety offences, including overloading, exceeding the speed limit, and failing to possess a valid driver's licence and vehicle road tax. The companies have been given two weeks from today to pay off the summonses. 'Failure to do so will be followed by stern enforcement action, including immediately blacklisting the vehicles involved. 'The ministry and road transport department (JPJ) will not tolerate those who fail to obey the law,' he said at a press conference here. FMT has reached out to KDEB for comment. Loke maintained that companies operating heavy vehicles must not take road safety lightly, citing the fatal Gerik bus crash that killed 15 Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris students earlier this month. He also warned that the ministry would publicly name companies found negligent when it comes to road safety. He also urged members of the public to continue sharing videos of traffic offences involving heavy vehicles so that the necessary action can be taken.
