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Unions attack PTA plan

27th June 1981, Page 25
27th June 1981
Page 25
Page 25, 27th June 1981 — Unions attack PTA plan
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Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

THE IDEA of a passenger transport authority being set up in Gre London got a firm thumbs down last week when the three unions gave verbal evidence to the House of Commons trans' committee.

Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen general secretary Ray Buckton described a PTA based on the travel-to-work area for London as "impossibly unwieldy", and said one for the GLC area would cause huge problems for crossborder services.

Instead, he said that London Transport should be returned to the umbrella of a British Transport Commission-type organisation and out of the shuttlecock world of the GLC. He flatly rejected any idea of it coming under the direct control of the Department of Transport.

The Transport Salaried Staffs Association told the committee that it saw that there could be a bigger role for the DTp in controlling London's transport, but said that, like the National Union of Railwaymen, it saw scope for closer co-operation between the main operators in the region.

It described as "workable" the arrangements which already apply between London Transport and London Country Bus Services. When questioned by Peter (Conservative, WellingborouE the unions were inclined concede that improved servi should take precedence o fares subsidies, although n( was prepared to say the pres GLC is wrong in planning 25 cent cuts in fares.

Mr Bucicton said: "First, } must get the right type of roll stock, and times and fares. Th there will be no problem tn, fares. People will come to you

And TSSA assistant gene secretary Bert Lyons told t committee: "Even a 50 per CE fares cut tomorrow won't attrE passengers unless the service better and modern equipment used. We've got the worst both worlds at present."

He told Mr Fry he did not knc how much money was need' in order to attract extra busine to public transport. And with 1.1 skill of a politician, Mr Lyor ducked Mr Fry's question whether, in the event of shortfall in revenue as a result the 25 per cent fares cut, the should be a severe cut in inve. ment. "I believe that the GLC w ensure that revenue support available," he said.

Mr Lyons said he hoped th the South Yorkshire farE subsidy policy would be appliE to the rest of the country, ar ASLEF pointed out that tl former Conservative We Yorkshire's increased fares ar reduced services still cost £27 a year, more than half that pa to support the expanding Sou Yorkshire system.


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