A popular community bus service throughout rural west and mid Wales is being put off the road this month by Welsh Government. Commenting on the news that thousands of people in West Wales could struggle to attend doctors’ appointments, go shopping or get to work when a rural bus service ends this month, Welsh Conservative Shadow Transport Minister, Natasha Asghar MS said, “Labour continues to cut … [Read more...]
Finance News
Five new stations proposed for SE Wales
Transport for Wales’ ambitious plans to improve public transport move one step closer, with public consultation on designs for five new railway stations in South East Wales and new train services launched today. Members of the public are being invited to share their views as part of a 13-week consultation which runs from 16 October to 14 January. The consultation is available on: … [Read more...]
Car complaints are rising
The Motor Ombudsman has seen the highest volume of service and repair cases brought by consumers in a single quarter so far this year. Between 01st July and 30 September, the Ombudsman for the automotive sector accepted a total of 1,348 new submissions from motorists, up 10% from 1,226 in the second quarter, and equating to a 13% increase versus the volume seen during the opening three months of … [Read more...]
Motorists expect higher costs in 2024
Motorists expect the cost of running their car to continue to rise across all major areas of spending in 2024, new research shows. October’s new Startline Used Car Tracker shows that 70% think congestion zone charges will rise and the same percentage expect service and maintenance to increase. Other costs expected to go up include motor insurance (67%), tyres (65%) and petrol (55%). Paul … [Read more...]
Newslines 13 October
The West Midlands Gigafactory joint venture has confirmed that it is in advanced discussions with several leading Asian battery manufacturers about future investment at the Coventry site. The West Midlands Gigafactory’s Coventry location is the only available site in the UK with planning permission in place for a large-scale battery production facility with capacity for up to 60GWh per annum – … [Read more...]
Race Across Britain for BEN
Following the huge success of BBC TV series 'Race Across the World', Ben is recruiting teams to take on a new UK-based fundraising challenge for the automotive industry, called Race Across Britain. This event will raise vital funds to support people who are struggling or in crisis and is proudly supported by LKQ Euro Car Parts. Ben is challenging automotive industry people to pair up with … [Read more...]
KIA is king but Stellantis is hopeless, say traders
Kia is the best and Stellantis the worst brands to be selling, say car dealers. The NFDA Dealer Attitude Survey was conducted last month and asked franchised dealers questions about the on-going business relationship with their respective manufacturers. It brought 2,531 responses from 32 franchised networks, equating to a joint record response rate of 68%. The 2023 Summer Survey showed a general … [Read more...]
17,086 motorists still paying tax on stolen vehicles
About 17,086 UK motorists are still paying tax on vehicles listed as stolen. The figures were revealed under a A Freedom of Information request to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency by the UK’s oldest specialist motor insurance loss adjuster, Claims Management & Adjusting. According to DVLA data for September 2023, of 54,804 vehicles recorded as stolen, almost a third (31.18%) are … [Read more...]
Families turn backs on electric cars
The UK new car market grew 21.0% in September with 272,610 registrations in the month, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders. The 14th consecutive month of growth was also the second busiest of the year after March, with the new number plate delivering its traditional market surge despite a challenging economic backdrop. Growth continued to be driven by large fleets, which … [Read more...]
Newslines 9 October
The 20mph speed limits introduced on roads in Bath have caused an increase in the number of deaths or serious injures since the change, according to a council report and local media. Bath and North East Somerset Council has reviewed the lower speed limits and found there has been an increase in incidents in most areas where the change was imposed as people are “less diligent” when walking and … [Read more...]