LABOUR CONDEMNS LONDON FARE RISES
Labour in London has condemned tomorrow’s (2nd January) fare increases in the capital, ahead of Monday’s return to work when the largest number of commuters will feel the effects of Boris Johnson’s fares hike.
London Labour MP Emily Thornberry said: “Boris Johnson’s new year fare increase is the clearest indication yet of what is wrong with his administration - he looks after the interests of a few whilst making the majority pay.
“Boris Johnson will no doubt try to blame someone else but the reality is that he is raising money by hiking fares - rather than keeping the Western extension of the congestion charge or by charging extra for gas guzzlers. Johnson’s decision to remove the western extension of the congestion charge has lost London £70 million a year from its future transport budgets. He axed the £25 charge for the most polluting cars driving into central London, protecting polluters but costing London a projected £50million a year.”
The Financial Times has reported that the fare increase this year is the largest in real terms since Transport for London was created.
This is Boris Johnson’s second above-inflation fares rise.
Boris Johnson’s own decisions mean Londoners pay higher fares:
* £70 million revenue every year lost through the axing of the western extension of the congestion charge;
* £50 million revenue every year lost through the cancellation of the £25 carbon charge on gas guzzlers driving into the congestion charge zone;
* Millions added to the cost of running the bus service by replacing bendy buses with conventional single and double-deckers.
Boris Johnson’s fare increase:
* A single bus journey by Oyster UP 20% to £1.20
* A weekly oyster bus pass UP 20% to £16.60
* Six-zone peak single Tube fare by Oyster UP 10.5% to £4.20
* A five-zone off-peak single Tube fare (outside zone 1) UP 18.2% to £1.30
* Most Oyster pay-as-you-go Tube fares UP by 20p per trip.
Overall tube fares will rise 3.9% and overall bus fares up by 12.7%.
It comes after Boris Johnson’s 2009 fare increase which saw London transport fares up by six per cent overall, but with some fares rising more steeply – including an 11 per cent increase in a single bus fare on Oyster. The two annual increases under Boris Johnson mean that the price of a single bus journey by Oyster will have risen by one third since Boris Johnson was elected – from 90p to £1.20. Boris Johnson is committed to further annual above-inflation fare increases.
Earlier this week, Ken Livingstone said that if he becomes Mayor of London again in 2012 he will cut fares. In an article for the MayorWatch website Ken Livingstone proposes a fares cut financed through charges on polluters and the restoration of the western half of the congestion charge zone, which Boris Johnson aims to axe at a cost of £70million a year.
Ken Livingstone said:
“It is within any mayor’s power to choose different priorities to reduce cost pressure on Londoners and promote public transport.
“Instead of making the majority pay whilst protecting polluters, as Boris Johnson has done with his transport policies, if I were to be re-elected as Mayor I would take immediate steps to reduce the fares burden on Londoners.
“If elected Mayor in 2012 a fares cut would be financed through the restoration of the western extension of the congestion charge, reducing traffic levels and generating at current figures £70million a year, alongside the introduction of a higher £25 charge for the most polluting gas guzzlers - which if it had not been axed by Boris Johnson would already be generating around £50million a year. With these two measures alone it would be possible to cut fares, not squeeze Londoners hard as Boris Johnson is doing.
“In these tough economic times when Londoners are working hard to hang to their jobs and stretch their incomes Boris Johnson is dipping into Londoners’ pockets every day with aggressive above-inflation fares hikes. The latest twenty per cent increase in bus fares will also hit the poorest hardest as they are the biggest users of buses. Boris Johnson’s increases will also bite hard in outer London where buses are often the most easily-accessed form of public transport, and which is the only part of London served by trams, which will also be hit with a twenty per cent increase.”
Well they would; wouldn’t they.
And they will keep up the pretence that they will “invest” whilst everyone else will “cut” . . . right up to the General Election.
Thankfully, the majority of the electorate can easily see through this crap and realise that there is now a MASSIVE LABOUR DEBT to be paid for.
Labour are going to be hammered in June (or sooner).
Comment by Silent Hunter — 1 January, 2010 @ 3:37 pm
So silent, you want to cut taxes for the rich and put them up for the rest of us,
Comment by Derek Wall — 1 January, 2010 @ 4:11 pm
par time mayor, more intrested in chasing press, women and outflanking Cameron
then doing the job
we need a full time mayor
sack him and his corrupt crew in 2010
Comment by Sean — 1 January, 2010 @ 6:04 pm
recession leads to debt increasing- recession is the problem-not the debt
recession caused by world bankers and fundamental weaknesses in the economy-not due to public spending-read the facts below
easy to reduce the debt-help the economy recover- investment will do that-not cuts–it will make it worse
basic economics-ashame so many people still do not get it
something to read- to help SH above:
http://socialisteconomicbulletin.blogspot.com/2009/12/why-has-huge-hole-appeared-in-uk-public_03.html
Comment by sylvia ebberly — 1 January, 2010 @ 6:10 pm
Livingstone had eight years to be radical as London Mayor.
He did not take the two chances he had. He does not deserve a third.
Comment by Paul Stott — 1 January, 2010 @ 10:23 pm
If you want a good transport system the infrastucture expanded and maintained not to mention good pay and conditions for the workers then it has to be paid for. A taxi from Heathrow to the City is about 30 quid. About a fiver on the tube. OK I admit you have to sit with smelly people on the Tube but still good value. Boris is doing the right thing inspite of being a Tory knobend. Most Tories would have you walking miles to work. You cannot expect Scotland to continually subsidise you with our oil revenues. Time tae get yer hauns in yer pockets and pay up. Fares Fair.
Comment by Jimmy — 1 January, 2010 @ 10:41 pm
whos privatising Ipswich buses
yes the Tories
New Tories just as dogmatic as the last ones
Comment by Sean — 2 January, 2010 @ 12:04 am
Sean. The Tories privatised the buses in Britain during October 1986. They handed the lot to their pals and sponsors. Looooaadsamoney. How did Ipswich escape this? Where is Ipswich!!!
Comment by Jimmy — 2 January, 2010 @ 12:23 am
ken is making right choice-if not in circumstances of his choosing-basic politics-correct-clear red water-well done ken
Comment by titch mitch — 2 January, 2010 @ 12:24 am
Clearly jimmy writing at #6 is not on the left, but he is right that transport needs to be paid for.
Just sad if predictable that Boris has cut the costs the richer people in London would have paid on the gas-guzzlers and those in the Western extension zone who insisted on their private transport over a decent public bus network.
So those who use the buses, the option most accessible to the poorest in London, are those who have to foot the cost of making life easier for rich people who drive big cars.
Boris is showing the way for a Cameron government that makes the working class pay for the recession.
Come back Ken. We want you voted in, in 2010.
Comment by Phil — 2 January, 2010 @ 12:35 am
Phil. I am on the middle or the puddle if the ice would fuckin melt in Glesga. Fell oan ma arse this day. But thanks for saying I am Right about Public Transport. People did not know where their neighbours lived years ago until roads where constructed and then public transport. It was Scottish people that invented Roads and Bridges before the Romans. We wandered aimlessly and discovered England.
Comment by Jimmy — 2 January, 2010 @ 1:41 am
Jimmy - I have always thought the Scots should get the bulk of the blame for the British empire (it was the engineers that ran it!) thanks for reminding us how it all came about!
Comment by Paul Stott — 2 January, 2010 @ 7:41 am
Paul Stott. Absolutely right Paul. You forgot to mention that the Scots were stout lads going forward with the bayonet making money for their masters. Personally I think the congestion zone in London should be extended to obtain more revenue. I think the bendy buses should be retained. The bendies work OK here in Scotland. Whits the problem with them in London? Are they something of a suicide option! I heard a crap debate from the London Assembly about the bendies being dangerous. If you step in front of any moving vehicle you will surely get injured.
Comment by Jimmy — 2 January, 2010 @ 12:19 pm
Bendy buses are the only example of Sir Ian Blair’s best mate, ‘Red’ Ken Livingstone, bringing socialism to London. Put simply no one pays on them - at last we have free public transport!
The problem with them is that rather obviously they take up twice the space of the old Routemaster buses, as they rely on length, not height. This means that in some areas bendy buses have added to the congestion, rather than reduced it. If you take a comparatively narrow area such as Oxford Street, it is virtually impossible to cycle along it in the rush hour, due to bendy buses sitting back to back in traffic. Not surprisingly BJ is committed to getting rid of them………..
Comment by Paul Stott — 2 January, 2010 @ 3:22 pm
Could I seriously ask why the “bendy buses” became such a big issue? I’ve never understood it, having travelled on them in Germany for years - but maybe Londoners can enlighten me. Is it supposed to be symbolic of something?
Comment by christian h. — 2 January, 2010 @ 3:56 pm
Some of the routes weren’t particularly suitable, using some fairly narrow streets / tight bends.
Apart from there, I’m bewildered myself, too.
Comment by KrisS — 2 January, 2010 @ 4:19 pm
Paul Stott. You have to apply some common sense like we Scots do. You put the long Bendies on suitable routes so as not to cause congestion and offend the poor cyclist. Two routemasters tailing each other equal a Bendie. Being an old busman (or is it person) I know those things. Should a train have only one carriage! Anyhow what about nationalising the buses without compensation! Why should shareholders get money from public transport. The buses were stolen from us by the Tories. The taxpayer buys new buses for private operators to make a profit. Fukkin obscene.
Comment by Jimmy — 2 January, 2010 @ 7:07 pm
Well Well sorry to say you were told.
if the Nu Labour party had not been so hellbent on destroying all that was
left of Labour to the poxy Tories they would not be where they are now.
Also the so called Left has a lot to hold there heads in shame for
If they never went on the rampage with the pathetic Left alternative
left list
We would have never have the BNP sitting in City Hall with the moron Boris
We could have got our act together like the Respect party did when they
seen the the Tories were gaining strength and get behind Ken and helped
give Galloway a seat in city hall.
Even at the Fight Racism concert in Galloway’s home turf Victoria Park
a week or so before the election I witnessed Left List pulling
down posters from the Respect party that were up
But what did you ucking lot of spineless twats do
( )
YES a big lot of nothing!
Now we all are paying
but I suppose it all OK for the bunch of SWP members who were
mostly responsible because they only can talk working class because
They read about it in some book
They have never had to endure what it is really like
Happy New Year
Comment by working class leftie — 2 January, 2010 @ 9:41 pm
The thing about bendies is they have three large doors, so stopping time much less than the time it takes to fill up a decker, let alone the old one door routemasters.
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