...Another £500m or cut services
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A REDUCTION in London's bus services to two-thirds their present level and the abandonment of all but absolutely unavoidable road capital works would be the result of limiting transport expenditure to £2,500 million over the next 15 years.
A report from the GLC transport committee and policy and resources committee says that if this amount could be increased to £3,000m advantages would accrue. The extra money would allow modernisation of Underground equipment, a slightly larger bus fleet and more for station modernisation and car parks.
Then fares would go up by 20 per cent, bus mileage be reduced by 15 per cent and off-peak Underground services increased.
As a result, ridership on public transport would be about 5 per cent higher than on the lower expenditure level.
An increase to £4,300m, which would include £920rrc for public transport capital and £1,500m for revenue support and fare concession, would bring real advantage.
Apart from providing finance for road maintenance and traffic schemes, it would enable public transport fares to be maintained at about today's level.
Changes in service patterns would make for overall improvement giving better bus reliability.