Motability withdraws compulsory black boxes after criticism from drivers

Motability drivers will no longer need to have a black box fitted to their vehicles following criticism from users affected by the rule changes.

The Motability scheme - where certain disability benefits can be exchanged for a lease on a vehicle - had made the black boxes compulsory for new leaseholders, and all drivers aged under 30, in April.

Motability boss Andrew Miller said the "Drive Smart" programme was introduced to help reduce accidents and manage insurance costs, but had been paused amid concerns and "anxiety" from users. He said drivers reported the app was inconsistent, did not understand their driving adaptations and that the rules and guidelines were confusing and restrictive.

The black boxes were designed to track and regularly rate a user's driving habits, such as speed and braking, where repeated poor ratings could have seen drivers removed from the Motability scheme altogether.

Now those who were enrolled with the Drive Smart programme will be taken off it from 22 May, Motability said.

The changes had been criticised by actor and disability rights campaigner Keron Day, who thanked Motability bosses for "recognising the seriousness of the issues for disabled people's lives."

Day, who appeared in the hit Netflix show Sex Education, has cerebral palsy and uses a specially adapted wheelchair accessible vehicle (WAV). The car has a steering aid and indicators on the floor, as well as buttons for lights, wipers, gears and the handbrake.

He campaigned alongside West Cornwall MP Andrew George to reverse the decision for compulsory black boxes. The pair met Motability bosses to discuss the issue last week.

Motability CEO Andrew Miller said: "Drive Smart was introduced to help reduce accidents, improve driving and, in turn, manage insurance costs, while keeping all the scheme's insurance features in place. But we have listened carefully to customer feedback and recognise that the experience was not where it needed to be. That is why we have decided to pause Drive Smart while we work with customers to understand how it can be improved."

Black boxes monitor driving habits and can provide a weekly rating graded using a traffic light colour scheme. A green rating could mean cheaper insurance, but more than four red ratings over a period of 12 months could see drivers removed from the Motability scheme.

George and Day had criticised Motability for imposing an "invasive telematics tracking technology" without proper consultation or adequate safeguards in place. George said: "I must congratulate Motability CEOs for listening and being prepared to change policy when confronted with the impact this scheme has had on thousands of disabled people. Keron and I are keen that they make some major changes before deciding how they will better manage the difficult insurance challenges faced by the scheme."

Motability said it would continue to review the programme and was also creating a new customer panel to allow users to help shape how Drive Smart develops.

Is it me or does this conflate two separate issues?

Surely it is not beyond the wit of man to produce a conversion lead to convert the electrical supply wiring from an HST power car to that at the other end to match the electrical supply wiring from a class 57.

I am old enough to remember when "square" pin plugs were introduced. My dad produced conversion leads with a round pin plug at one end and a "square" plug at the other when we moved from a council prefab to a new house.

Rail firms brought under single leadership team


c2c, Greater Anglia and Network Rail Anglia will have a single leadership team - Image © c2c, Greater Anglia and Network Rail Anglia

Railway firms in the East of England have been aligned under one leadership team as part of the government's nationalisation project.

Greater Anglia, c2c and Network Rail Anglia said the new structure would help deliver more reliable rail journeys for passengers.

The two operators serve passengers in London, Essex, Suffolk, Norfolk, Hertfordshire and Cambridgeshire, while Network Rail Anglia looks after the infrastructure.

"This is all part of our mission to build a passenger-focused railway that supports jobs, growth and homes," said Rail Minister Lord Hendy.

Greater Anglia managing director Jamie Burles said the leadership team meant his firm could "plan better, respond faster".

"Over time, that means better co-ordination during disruption, more effective planning of engineering work and a more consistent experience for customers and communities across the region," said Burles.

The government said the move mirrored the approach taken by publicly-owned South Eastern Railway and South Western Railway. There would be no immediate changes to services, branding or the way customers travelled, a spokesperson said.

The government has promised to take ownership of all rail operators by October 2027, under the umbrella of Great British Railways. Greater Anglia and c2c were among the first to be brought under its control.

Chris from Cornwall (well, nearly: I was born in Devonport).

Direct trains to run from Swindon to Oxford if line is made safer


The GWR service would mean passengers would no longer need to change at Didcot Parkway - Image © Aled Thomas

A direct daily rail service between Swindon and Oxford has been given the green light as long as some level crossings on the line are made safer.

The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) has approved an application from Great Western Railway (GWR) to run a two-hourly service between Bristol, Swindon and Oxford on weekdays and Saturdays from 17 May. An ORR spokesman said the service has been approved provided Network Rail brings in "reasonably practicable level crossing safety measures" on the route.

A GWR spokesman, said it understands customers will be "disappointed" the service has not been "fully" reinstated but it will continue to work with Network Rail to "understand what more can be done".

Currently there are no direct services between Swindon and Oxford, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service. Passengers have to change at Didcot Parkway or Reading to travel between the two stations. A direct service would shave more than 10 minutes off the current fastest weekday journey time to under 30 minutes.

The ORR said after analysing the "impact on punctuality and reliability" as well as level crossing safety, it had approved the service "subject" to certain conditions. "Network Rail will undertake a performance review of the two-hourly service before deciding on a long-term view on GWR's proposal to run hourly services," it said.

A GWR spokesman said customers will be disappointed the ORR "has not been able to approve proposals to fully reinstate services - at this stage as hoped. We will continue working closely with Network Rail and industry partners to understand what more can be done to introduce additional services as quickly and safely as possible," he said.

The proposals came after a trial saw limited weekend services run between Swindon and Oxford in 2024.

Jim Robbins, leader of Swindon Borough Council, said it was "outstanding news for Swindon".

"Shortening the time needed to get to Oxford will be massive for people who regularly travel and take pressure off the A420," he said. "This will help us attract even more jobs and growth to the town."

Conservative leader Gary Sumner, said it was "positive news" for the town. "I will be very interested to see the take-up of the service," he said. "Anything that adds to connectivity is to be welcomed, but as usual, it's having reasonably priced fares which are the key to the service being sustainable."

Construction of flagship University of Bristol campus complete


The building will open to students in September - Image © TQEC

The final phase of construction of a £500m new university campus has been completed ahead of it being opened to students in September.

The University of Bristol's Temple Quarter Enterprise Campus has been built next to Temple Meads station and will house 4,600 students, 650 members of staff and a hub for start-ups.

The university bought the site from Bristol City Council in 2017 and the derelict Royal Mail sorting office on the site was demolished in 2019 to make way for the new building.

Furniture and equipment are due to be moved into the building in the next four months. The campus is part of the 135-hectare transformation of Bristol Temple Quarter, the UK's largest regeneration project.

The campus will be connected by an eastern entrance to Temple Meads via a new public space called University Square.

There will also be a new harbour walkway, funded by the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority, connecting University Square to Temple Quay with new walking and cycling routes.

More than half of the workforce that constructed the building came from the local region.

Drone footage of the new building shows a six-storey atrium, a ground floor Exchange Hall that will be open to the public and internal gardens for students and staff. There is also a 300-seat lecture theatre in the round to to increase participation.


The university's deputy vice chancellor said the building was a "major milestone" - Image © TQEC

Professor Judith Squires, Bristol University's deputy vice chancellor, said:  "Today marks a major milestone in our drive to create a vibrant new connected campus in the heart of the city. It's inspiring to see our new building come to life and I'm hugely grateful to everyone who has worked so hard to get us to this point. I look forward to welcoming students, innovation and community partners and staff to join us in our new campus in September."


The atrium has a view of the city - Image © TQEC

Mayor of the West of England Helen Godwin, said: "Today's completion is a big step towards unlocking the wider potential of Bristol Temple Quarter and thousands more new jobs and new homes for our region. The old Royal Mail building that stood on this site was once called the chipped tooth in the city's smile. In this new chapter, I'm happy to say that derelict site is now a distant memory as we look forward to opening Bristol Temple Meads' new eastern entrance, walkways along the harbour and the new campus in September."

Double decker's roof torn off by low bridge in Coventry


Network Rail were called after the collision on Wednesday morning

A double decker's roof was completely torn off when it was driven under low bridge.

The roof was left lying in the street following the collision in Woodshires Road, Coventry, on Wednesday morning. The road had to be closed for it to be cleared.

British Transport Police said it received a report the bus struck the bridge, which carries a railway line. The bus had been returning to a depot at the time and had no passengers on board.

The train line above had been checked and, as a safety precaution, trains were travelling slowly over the bridge, police said. One witness said he was having coffee when he heard the crash, adding had he spotted the bus approaching he would have tried to stop it.

A National Express Coventry spokesperson said one of their vehicles was involved. They said the bus was not in service, adding: "We are supporting the emergency services in their immediate response and will work closely with them to understand the exact circumstances that led to this incident."


Witnesses described hearing the roof of the bus make contact with the bridge

Those were the days [referring to the mid-1980s]when a new railway station could be built for just £375,000

North Somerset Council step closer to joining combined authority

Councillors have voted to become part of a joint authority, which will manage decisions on issues such as transport and housing.

North Somerset Council hopes to become part of the West of England Combined Authority (Weca) by the end of the year, after voting through proposals on Tuesday. It will join the councils of Bath and North East Somerset, Bristol city and South Gloucestershire and will work with the directly elected mayor.

The leader of North Somerset Council, Mike Bell, said the decision was about "ensuring North Somerset's voice is heard clearly in regional discussions".

Councillors hope the membership will unlock more investment for the region and help it work on things like economic development and climate change.

Bell said it was an "important and carefully considered decision for councillors".

"By agreeing to progress with joining the West of England Combined Authority, we are taking a step towards gaining a stronger say over decisions that already affect our residents and businesses every day - particularly around transport, jobs, skills and economic growth," he added.

Labour's Helen Godwin, the mayor of Weca, said she was "pleased" with the outcome and they had "listened carefully" to the views expressed during a recent consultation. "It's clear that there is broad support for moving forward together as a complete region," she said. "With an even bigger voice on the national stage, we can continue making a difference that people can see and feel across the whole of the West of England," she added.

Godwin also highlighted work already taking place in Portishead to reopen the railway line there.

Weca, which manages regional planning, transport, housing and adult skills training, was formed by Bristol, South Gloucestershire, and Bath and North East Somerset councils in 2017. They, along with North Somerset, used to make up a single authority - the County of Avon, a controversial merger created in 1974. It was dissolved in 1996, creating four unitary authorities, three of which later decided to join together to create Weca.

North Somerset opted out, but a formal application to join was submitted last year. A public consultation on the plans was later opened, with more than half of those taking part saying they supported the idea.

Subject to approval by the secretary of state and legislation being passed, North Somerset could become a full member of Weca from late 2026 or early 2027.

“Europeans will be able with the click of a button to plan, compare and purchase multimodal journeys across borders while benefiting from stronger rail passenger rights, greater transparency and better protection every step of the way,” the EU transport commissioner Apostolos Tzitzikostas, told reporters on Wednesday

Under the plans, major railway companies, such as Deutsche Bahn, SNCF and Trenitalia, would be forced to sell competitors’ tickets on their website, and share data with booking platforms enabling an offer of single tickets for long cross-border journeys.

[The plans] already face stiff opposition from train operators. The Community of European Railway and Infrastructure Companies (CER) said: “Underneath the surface of this rosy vision, lies unprecedented and unjustified regulatory interventionism.”

It said the rail tickets market “largely meets” customer expectations...