Trafficlink is a British company specialising in providing real-time traffic information. Clients include the BBC

BBC

The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...

, ITN, ITV

ITV

ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...

, Sky News

Sky News

Sky News is a 24-hour British and international satellite television news broadcaster with an emphasis on UK and international news stories.The service places emphasis on rolling news, including the latest breaking news. Sky News also hosts localised versions of the channel in Australia and in New...

 and Transport Direct

Transport Direct

Transport Direct is a division of the UK Department for Transport to develop better information technology systems to support public transport. It developed and operates the Transport Direct Portal which is a public facing multi-modal journey planner...

. In partnership with Global Traffic Network

Global Traffic Network

Global Traffic Network is a helicopter traffic reporting service that provides reports to radio and television stations across the United States and Canada...

 it provides traffic and travel information to the majority of UK commercial radio stations including Bauer Radio, Global Radio

Global Radio

Global Radio UK Ltd. is a British commercial radio company, the largest in the country following acquisitions of Chrysalis Radio and GCap Media.The company's Chief Executive Officer is Stephen Miron, while the Group Chairman is Charles Allen...

, Absolute Radio and GMG Radio

GMG Radio

GMG Radio is the radio division of the Guardian Media Group. The group is based in Laser House, Salford Quays in Greater Manchester. The advertising division is in Old Trafford, Manchester. John Myers was the Chief Executive Officer, his deputy replaced him in April 2009...

.

History

The company was founded in 1994, by Ben Budworth, as Metro Networks Ltd, loosely based on the American company Metro Networks

Metro Networks

http://www.mediabistro.com/fishbowlny/files/2011/04/Metro_Logo_bigger.jpgMetro Networks is a broadcasting outsourcing company based in Houston, Texas. It was a subsidiary of Westwood One until its sale to Clear Channel Communications in 2011...

 US. As a direct competitor to the then market-dominant AA Roadwatch

The Automobile Association

The Automobile Association , a British motoring association founded in 1905 was demutualised in 1999 to become a private limited company which currently provides car insurance, driving lessons, breakdown cover, loans and motoring advice, and other services...

, the company negotiated a number of contracts with local commercial stations in its early days, and benefited heavily from an agreement to supply all BBC local radio stations with travel data in 1998. In 2001, Metro Networks was rebranded as Trafficlink and, a year later, was co-awarded an enlarged BBC contract, which saw the company supplying data to the corporation's national stations, with the Serco group. In September 2011 the company was sold to the American company Inrix

Inrix

INRIX is a software company which provides a variety of mobile applications and Internet services pertaining to traffic and navigation. INRIX provides historical and real-time traffic information to businesses and individuals in over 30 countries including the United States and much of Europe...

.

UK Wide

Trafflclink has offices throughout the UK: London, Altrincham, Birmingham, Bristol, a base within Traffic Wales' Control Centre in Cardiff and a base within Traffic Scotland's Control Centre in Glasgow. It also had an office in Middlesbrough which closed in 2009.

Television

Trafficlink provides innovative television traffic bulletins, which combine an on-screen presenter with from-the-scene camera footage of traffic incidents and delays. Trafficlink’s ITV bulletins are currently broadcast in the London area three times each weekday morning.

Former Trafficlink Presenters

• Joel Ross
  Joel Ross
  Joel Ross is a British radio DJ. Along with Jason King he presented the coveted UK Top 40 show on BBC Radio 1 each Sunday from March 2005 to October 2007...
  
  
• Wes Butters
  Wes Butters
  Wes Butters , is a radio broadcaster, formerly of BBC Radio 1, and writer.-Early life:...
  
  
• Simon Beale
  Simon Beale
  Simon Beale is a radio presenter on the Heart Network which includes London's Heart 106.2.He presents The Late Show Sundays to Thursdays between 10pm and 1am....
  
  
• Vic McGlynn
  Vic McGlynn
  Victoria Claire McGlynn, known as Vic McGlynn, is an English radio presenter and disc jockey ....
  
  
• Katherine Jakeways
  Katherine Jakeways
  Katherine Jakeways is a British comedian, actor and writer. Her television appearances include Extras, all 3 series of BBC1's The Armstrong and Miller Show and Miranda. She is also notable as one of the regular cast in the radio series Deep Trouble and Look Away Now and plays Mrs Pepys in Radio...
  
  
• Nick Duncalf
• Chrissie Reidy
  Chrissie Reidy
  Chrissie Reidy is an English journalist and weather forecaster. She works on BBC's South East Today.-Forecaster:...
  
  
• OJ Borg
  OJ Borg
  OJ Borg is an English radio and television presenter.-Radio:Borg has worked at various radio stations. He started out at Galaxy Manchester as a member of The Ground Crew; he then progressed through Traffic and Travel with Trafficlink to the evening show at Kix 96 Fm in Coventry...
  
  
• Katy O'Regann (Allerton, Kaboom)
• Stuart Reid
  Stuart Reid
  Stuart James Reid is a former rugby union footballer who plays in the back row. He won 8 caps for Scotland between 1999 and 2004 and played for Edinburgh and Narbonne.-Notes:...