BRIEFS - Cabbies seek Olympics fare hike
Published:Sunday | November 13, 2011 | 12:00 AM
- Cabbies seek Olympics fare hike
LONDON (AP):
The drivers of London's black cabs are asking city transportation authorities to let them increase fares by about 20 per cent during the Olympics next year.
The drivers reportedly asked for the increase in order to encourage their members to work during the games. No decision has been made on the request.
The move comes amid fears about transportation during July 27-Aug 12 games. London transport is strained at the best of times, and critics worry that adding tens of thousands of tourists will lead to gridlock.
London's black cab drivers also want permission to drive in special lanes of traffic reserved for athletes, officials and Olympic VIPs.
- Electric car batteries examined
WASHINGTON (AP):
Federal officials are examining the safety of electric car batteries after a Chevy Volt's lithium-ion battery caught fire.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said last Friday that the fire occurred in June, several weeks after the car had been crashed-tested at an agency facility.
The agency says officials have concluded the crash damaged the Volt's battery, and the damage later caused the battery to ignite.
Officials don't believe the risk of fire is any greater in electric cars than in cars with gasoline engines. GM spokesman Greg Martin says the Volt is safe.
- Retrial or release
RAPID CITY, South Dakota (AP):
A Federal judge has ruled that a South Dakota man convicted of vehicular homicide and vehicular battery in 2001 deserves a new trial.
Fifty-two year-old Oakley Engesser is serving 25 years in prison for the July 2000 death of 59-year-old Dorothy Finley in a traffic crash. Some witnesses say Finley and not Engesser was behind the wheel of the Corvette that crashed into the back of a van.
Engesser has lost earlier appeals, including one to the state Supreme Court. US District Judge Karen Schreier says Engesser should get a new trial or be released by December 5.
BRIEFS
- 14 killed in St Lucia accident
CASTRIES, St Lucia (AP):
Police in the eastern Caribbean island of St Lucia say a minibus carrying mourners from a funeral plunged off a cliff into the ocean. Fourteen people are dead.
Police said in a statement last Friday that 13 died initially, and a girl died later at a hospital.
Police say they are investigating what caused the accident last Thursday night in the southwest village of Choiseul. About 160,000 people live in St Lucia.
- Electric carmaker opens LA office
LOS ANGELES (AP):
Electric carmaker CODA Automotive Inc opened its global headquarters in Los Angeles last Thursday, strengthening California's bid to become the hub of clean-energy business the state hopes will create thousands of new jobs.
CODA, a start-up company that began in Santa Monica, officially unveiled a 100,000-square-foot engineering, research and sales centre that has more than 200 employees.
CODA is working on a five-passenger sedan with a range of up to 150 miles per charge. It will be manufactured in China and final assembly will take place at a plant in Benicia, California. The car will sell for US$44,900, or US$32,400 after federal and state credits for electric vehicles.
The company plans to begin sales in California this year, and said it expects to sell 10,000 to 14,000 vehicles in its first 12 months.
- Toyota recalls cars for steering trouble
TOKYO (AP):
Toyota Motor Corp said last Wednesday it is recalling about 550,000 vehicles worldwide - mostly in the United States - for problems that could make it harder to steer.
The recall affects 447,000 vehicles in North America, as well as 38,000 in Japan and another 25,000 in Australia and New Zealand, said Toyota spokesman Dion Corbett. In Europe, some 14,000 vehicles are being recalled along with 10,000 in the Middle East and 14,000 in Asia outside Japan.
Toyota's reputation has taken a hit over the last two years because of a string of huge recalls that have ballooned to 14 million vehicles over that time, including millions recalled last year for acceleration problems. It faces damage lawsuits and lingering doubts in the United States about whether it had been transparent enough about the recall woes.