Free travel in London?
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• A rates-subsidized scheme for free travel on London buses and the Underground network is outlined in a Green Paper published by the GLC on Wednesday. It is among several ideas for the future of London Transport suggested before the GLC makes key policy decisions on sharing resources between the buses and the tubes.
The cost might be as high as £130m, adding 4s in the £1 on London's rates. And a free transport system would be cheaper to run because all fare collecting and ticket-issuing would cease. However, says the paper, the introduction of o-m-o buses would limit the savings to £10m-£15m a year.
Total investment in new trains, buses and machinery in the next 10 years is put at £370m. The reportwants all fuel duty removed, saving some £24m a year, and says that buses should be freed from the "vicious circle" of traffic control by introduction of tougher parking controls.
"The Future of London Transport", published by the GLC, price 2s.