Tories' bus shock
Page 20
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
BIG CHANGES will face the seven big city operators in England, if the Conservatives are reelected. There also will be more liberalisation of licensing, reports our Parliamentary correspondent.
Conservative plans to introduce a London regional transport authority after the June 9 election, in place of London Transport and the Greater London Council, has been adopted almost wholesale from the recommendations of the allparty Commons transport committee.
The proposals in the Tory manifesto are effectively the Government's response to the select committee report — published last year — which called for an overall transport authority to deal with buses, tubes and commuter rail services in the London area.
The Committee also called for a new approach to roads in London and under the Tory plans, the Department of Transport would take over responsibility for many of the main roads.
The current Labour-controlled GLC has virtually frozen the road building programme, which would probably be restarted with the establishment of a new authority.
According to the Conservative manifesto, the GLC has "grossly mismanaged" London Transport. Under the new authority the different types of transport will be split into different operating units, more services will be put out to private tender and passengers will be offered better performance.
The abolition of all six metropolitan county councils could mean the end of South Yorkshire County Council's cheap bus policy, although the manifesto pledges that city bus services will still need "responsible" levels of subsidy.
Other promises in the manifesto include a further relaxation of bus licensing — some suggest this would be total deregulation in England and Wales — and the creation of smaller units in place of "monolithic" public transport organisations.
In rural areas the Tories promise more flexibility for school and special buses to help local communities, while restrictions on minibuses will be eased.
It proposes the injection of "substantial" private capital into National Bus.
Feeling in the established sector of the stage carriage industry is one of horror at the prospect of total deregulation, although some entrepreneurs take a more optimistic view.