Call for Boris to guarantee future of London’s buses
BORIS Johnson is being quizzed on how he will guarantee the future of London’s buses in the face of cuts to the public transport subsidy. The London Assembly is to ask the Mayor how bus services are to be protected
BORIS Johnson is being quizzed on how he will guarantee the future of London’s buses in the face of cuts to the public transport subsidy.
The London Assembly is to ask the Mayor how bus services are to be protected.
It follows a transport seminar by the Assembly’s transport committee which looked into both the benefits of the bus service and what impact any changes would have on Londoners.
Buses cater for nearly two billion journeys a year, compared to half that number on the Underground and 800 million on the National Rail network, a report on the seminar points out.
Transport committee chair Caroline Pidgeon said: “The prospect of cutting subsidy leading to changes to routes and longer waits at bus stops for less frequent buses will be worrying, especially to those who cannot afford the Tube or trains.
“We are asking the Mayor to explain the impact of his decision to cut the subsidy.
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“Buses are integral to the network, the most affordable and accessible form of public transport. Most people simply couldn’t get around without them.”
The bus subsidy is being cut by a third over the next eight years, from �700 million in 2008-09 to �450m by 2017.
