Tougher cash cuts
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E GOVERNMENT's war on "wasteful" public transport subsidies s been driven a stage nearer home by Chancellor of the Excheer Nigel Lawson's public expenditure White Paper published last .ek.
he Department of Transrt's programmes mean that lie local authorities' capital penditure programmes for 34/85 have been increased 3r that for 1983/84, current exiditure on bus and rail subsis and road maintenance is ng cut from £1.9bn to £1.6bn. The National Bus Company's ernal financing limit has been at £66m, out of £96m for non
or air operators, and the Atish Office has set a £16m it for the Scottish Transport )up. Transport Secretary Nicholas Ridley said last week: "There is a need to shift the balance between capital and current expenditure by improving efficiency, cutting wasteful subsidies, and making room for worthwhile investment."
More details of the English proposals will emerge next month with publication of Transport Supplementary Grant allocations, but there is general pessimism in the bus industry about the contents.
• West Glamorgan County Council is to provide a grant of £500,000 to National Bus Company subsidiary South Wales Transport to enable it to fit Ferodo retarders to its entire fleet of buses.
The County is providing the Company's £900,000 revenue support for the year 1983/84 and is providing the retarder grant as a capital project designed to improve efficiency and reduce the bus company's operating costs.
The County is also providing a capital grant for the installation of electronic fare collection equipment designed to increase efficiency by increasing management information.
The retarder programme is part of a National Bus Company wide policy to fit retarders to buses.