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DESIGN

Italy’s iconic Vespa goes electric

The Vespa, an iconic 70-year-old design classic and Italy's most famous scooter, will be available in an electric version by the end of next year, according to its manufacturer, Piaggio.

Italy's iconic Vespa goes electric
A Vespa Elettrica on show in Milan. Photo: Giuseppe Cacace/AFP

A prototype of the greener two-wheeler will be unveiled this weekend at the Milan bike show.

For now, there's nothing under the engine housing and scooter-maker Piaggio has revealed no details about the motor of the Vespa Elettrica nor about its price.

The new model retains the wasp-like shape that lent the scooter its name, but a blue trim distinguishes it from its gasoline-fuelled versions, which retail in Italy for between 3,500 and 5,500 euros ($3,800 to $6,000).

IN PICTURES: The history of the Vespa

“It will be a real Vespa,” Piaggio said in news release. “The style, agility, ease of use and driving pleasure will be the same.”

Some 18 million Vespas have been sold over the past seven decades, according to Piaggio.

The scooter became an international symbol of the “dolce vita” with the 1953 film “Roman Holiday” in which Gregory Peck pursued Audrey Hepburn on one.

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TRANSPORT

Danish rail company ordered to fix cancellation issues by end of 2024

Transport operator GoCollective, formerly known as Arriva, has been given written orders to improve its record of service cancellations by no later than the end of this year.

Danish rail company ordered to fix cancellation issues by end of 2024

The order was issued during a meeting at the Ministry of Transport on Wednesday, during which the company was asked to explain the current situation, according to Social Democratic transport spokesperson Thomas Jensen.

“For us it’s important that, when we agree on a contract, it must be respected. People have to be able to take the train without all those cancellations,” Jensen told TV Midtvest.

GoCollective has operated transport in Denmark since 2003 when it was awarded a government contract for regional rail services in Central and West Jutland.

In June, the company cancelled 80 services in Jutland with the space of a week – more than 10 each day on average.

At the time, the company said that maintenance works on trains were behind the cancellations.

The company was grilled on a number of questions at the ministerial meeting according to Jensen, including how many times it has cancelled departures and why.

An assessment will be made by the end of the year as to whether the company has fulfilled the terms of its contract.

If this is not found to be the case, GoCollective can be “released from its duties”, Jensen told TV Midtvest.

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