Labour warns of bus fare rises as services slump
BUS fares will soar over the next few years while private companies operating routes are raking in billions of pounds, Labour has warned.
The party’s analysis of Government statistics revealed that, since 2010, fares have risen more than twice as fast as wages while passenger numbers have plummeted.
In the North West passenger numbers are on course to be 18% lower than when the Conservatives came to power.
The report also reveals that nationally, routes are projected to decline by more than 5,000 by 2022.
Liz Savage, Labour’s would-be parliamentary candidate for Southport, said the town had been hit by a number of route closures and she feared for service provision under the Conservatives.
She said: “The Tories said privatisation would improve buses in the North West but private bus companies are running services into the ground, while raking in billions of pounds in profit.
“Passengers in Southport and the surrounding areas face a toxic mix of rising fares, cuts to services and reduced access. To go just a couple of miles into town it can now be cheaper for a couple of adults to get a taxi.
“In the last decade, we have seen the withdrawal of services like the 42, 48 and others, as well as reductions across services.
“The 44 route from Formby, for instance, serves the hospital; Meols Cop retail park area and the college amongst others but is a service whose problems can cause much difficulty for local residents.
“Places like the Kew Estate now are ill-served and have long-abandoned bus stops on Folkestone Rd that are simply memorials to a time when bus routes were more designed to serve the needs of the community, not the financial interests of shareholders.
“It’s similar in places like Shirdley Hill and Haskayne which makes shopping in or commuting to Southport more difficult, while locally there have also been reductions in early morning services and to some schools.
“Travelling on our buses, it also looks like a lot of the local fleet also needs some serious investment and I understand there are definite reliability issues for some operators.”
“Labour’s City Region Mayor and the combined authority-led Bus Alliance are trying to tackle issues and encourage improved services but it would be far easier to address, and far better for those such as the elderly and young who rely on buses to get around, if services were once again in municipal hands.”