New fares thrown out
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CONTROVERSIAL proposals to raise West Midlands PTE's bus fares by 25 per cent have been thrown out by the Traffic Commissioners — and a new Birmingham city centre service is meeting with opposition.
Commissioners' chairman Arthur Crabtree told the PTE that the increase exceeded current inflation levels, and ordered it to submit a fresh application of around 10 per cent.
Fares cannot rise now before September, and WMPTE director—general James Isaac has said that any new fares must be more than 10 per cent above current levels to counter passenger resistance.
At the fares hearing last week, the wisdom of increasing the cost of the successful Travelcard ticket from £7.50 to £9 was questioned.
There has also been more general opposition from local trades council and Labour Party members to the PTE's proposals, but West Midlands County Council Conservative leader John Taylor said; "The council will not be deflected from its aim of cutting the rates subsidy for buses."
Meanwhile, PTE proposals for an anti-clockwise Centrebus service in central Birmingham are being opposed before they reach the traffic court.
It is being suggested that the service, intended to complement the clockwise Centrebus which carries over 35,000 passengers every week, will not attract enough passengers to justify its operation.
But Mr Isaac has said that the proposed route was a response to public demands, and ruled out a suggestion of a route operated solely on the city's inner ring road as it would not satisfy the demand.