London suburban fares
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SOME FARES on London Transport services which operate outside Greater London could go up by 50 per cent this summer. The county councils of Surrey, Herts, Essex, Bucks and Berks are anxious to avoid paying massive transport subsidies, and see a rise in fares as the only answer.
At present the majority of losses incurred on the 57 routes concerned are borne by the London ratepayers. Last year the five counties contributed only £217,000 and the LT's outer London services deficit was £2m; this year the predicted deficit is nearer £4m.
An LT spokesman said : "The GLC is prepared to allocate about £2m from the Governments' Transport Supplementary Grant. But it takes the view that the responsibility for financing these routes rests with the counties concerned."
The proposed increase would be achieved by reducing the distance given for each fare. The off-peak maximum would go up from 12p to 18p.