Unless they change course, five more years of a Tory Government will deliver five more years of failure to fix our broken bus industry.
Stephen Morgan, Member of Parliament for Portsmouth South, has expressed his concern about the threats to local bus services face under the Conservative Government.
At the current rate, five more years of a Tory Government will see fares rise to 59 per cent more than 2010 and a reduction of nearly 5000 bus routes between 2010 and 2022 nationally.
Higher fares and cuts to bus routes are expected to see bus passenger numbers fall by 13 per cent compared to 2010, with the number of elderly and disabled passengers using local bus services in England falling by nearly 20 per cent.
Stephen Morgan MP said:
“I have real fears for the future of public transport in our city and communities across the UK. More must be done to combat soaring fares and vanishing bus links.
In Portsmouth, where so many people, especially the elderly and disabled, depend on buses to do their shopping, or visit family, cuts to services can be really damaging.
Proper transport links are central to older people, providing means for independence a vital tool in avoiding social isolation.”
Labour have already announced plans for a better deal for the bus users. They suggest extending powers to re-regulate local bus services to councils that want them – not just those combined authorities with an elected mayor.
The plans also involve overturning the government ban on municipal bus companies, so that councils have the power to established a community bus company.
Commenting on research demonstrating the impact that 5 more years of Conservative government on local bus services, Stephen added:
“The Tories policy of deregulating bus services has been a total failure.
Labour will give London-style powers to regulate buses to passengers in Portsmouth, so that bus services can be ran in the interests of passengers”.
