Glasgow bus fares rise 'inevitable'
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• Councillor Tom McLaren, convener of Glasgow Corporation transport committee, conceded on Monday that an increase in city bus and Underground fares was now inevitable. But he said that it would be kept to the minimum. The committee decided to defer a decision on a plan by Mr William Murray, transport manager, to put up more fares by lp.
Cllr McLaren said: "We are going into the matter very thoroughly to explore ways of minimizing any rises but a fares increase of some description is inevitable."
It Ow appears that Clir McLaren will not receive the backing of the majority Labour group for a further rates subsidy to cover the £666,000 shortfall in the. cost of concessionary travel for old people. The Corporation at present gives £350,000 from the rates, and old people pay fares totalling £241,000, but the cost of concessionary travel is calculated at £1.257m.
Cllr McLaren had hoped that if the Labour group could be persuaded to agree to the rates subsidy being increased to around £1m. (equal to about 2p in the £ in rates) this would have covered the transport undertaking's estimated deficit of £589,000 in the current financial year and obviate the need for higher fares.
However, some influential members of the Labour group are known to be against a further rates contribution of this kind, and a big rise in rates subsidy can be ruled out.
Bailie Walter -Wober said there should be a further investigation into the possibility of a flat fare in the city. The last time he had proposed this one of the objections was that an undertaking could not qualify for fuel tax subsidy if it did not have a fare below 5p.
That had now been lifted to a limit of 10p so the question could be reconsidered without the fear of losing subsidy. If a flat fare was introduced it would catch fare dodgers and ease the work of drivers of one-man-operated buses, he believed.