With the news on 10 March 2026 that Tube staff (specifically drivers and station workers represented by the RMT union) are set to stage a series of 24-hour strikes across March, April, and May, the debate over automation has returned. While proponents often suggest that "driverless" trains are a definitive solution to travel disruption, the reality involves a complex mix of safety laws, high capital costs, and infrastructure limitations.
What is GoA? Which TfL services use them?
Tuesday, 10 March 2026
Monday, 9 March 2026
Public transport is now more essential in this current geopolitical situation
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| From LT News |
I do not usually wish to get involved with politics or geopolitics. My purpose is not to scaremonger; this is a suggestion to help avoid catastrophic situations by proposing a "Plan B" involving public transport. I genuinely hope we do not reach that situation. Overall, it remains essential to tackle climate change by encouraging more public transport usage and increasing the electric vehicle (EV) rollout.
Bear in mind that I am not an expert in this field. However, an old article by London Transport News from 1974 may be of interest, as they tackled the oil crisis at that time. I have included the full text of that article at the end of this post for those who are unable to read the text within the images.
Sunday, 8 March 2026
Does London need a new ‘bespoke bus’ to replace the hybrid New Routemaster?
This piece is written in response to a recent article by Ross Lydall in The Standard, in which the Mayor of London, Sir Sadiq Khan, stated: "If that means getting rid of the legacy of the mess made by the previous mayor, so be it."
In relation to the Mayor's statement, I hosted a poll on X asking whether London should have a bespoke bus to replace the New Routemaster. The result shows a majority "No" vote at 48.1%. However, if you combine the "Yes" votes and "All makers should", it makes the result similar to a tie. This indicates that while there is support for moving on, there is still significant interest in a bespoke bus for London.