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Fare must mean more
Page 6
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FARE increases sought by the Scottish Bus Group must be approved in full for the coming year — or the public will suffer. This warning was given to the Traffic Commissioners by the group's executive director, Arthur Newman, at a public hearing to consider an application for permission to raise fares by an average of 15 per cent on services throughout Scotland.
If fare increases were any smaller, said Mr Newman, any deficit faced by bus companies would have to be made up next year. This would mean seeking far greater increases in fares and severe hardship to bus users. The bus group felt it was better policy to level increases as much as possible.
Mr Newman admitted that each time fares went up, passengers were lost, but felt this trend could be even more extreme if steeper rises were forced in future. Companies were fighting a losing battle, he said Lothian Regional Council are opposing the fares application on the grounds that the increases sought by Eastern Scottish are unnecessarily high and reflect the company's failure to operate reliable services in the region. They say the company's revenue is lower than it would be if they provided adequate services.
The hearing continues until the end of March.