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Private bus firms to take more from taxpayers

05/02/2007

Greater Manchester transport chiefs have expressed outrage over plans to subsidise private firms with an extra £3.4 million of taxpayers' money every year.

This is on top of the £82 million already paid out to support non-profit journeys and cheaper or free travel for disabled, older and young people. The ruling comes from the Department for Transport, which has said that private bus firms are entitled to more money.

As a consequence, councillors at the Greater Manchester Public Transport Authority's (GMPTA) latest budget meeting have had to increase the concessionary bus fare from 50p to 70p.

Councillor Roger Jones, chair of the GMPTA, said: "I am extremely disappointed by this decision, which effectively forces us to give more public money to extremely profitable bus companies.

"In return, we have no control over the level or quality of services they provide, or the increasingly high fares they charge."

The increase in fares has occurred despite the clamour of voices saying public transport needs to be drastically improved if congestion charging is implemented in Greater Manchester.


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