PROPOSED TRANSPORT FOR LONDON FARE INCREASES

Early day motion 2066, tabled 15 October 2009 by George Galloway (Respect). Signed by 21 members.

That this House views with alarm the proposed fare increases that Mayor Johnson plans to impose on London; and notes that these range from 3.9 per cent. to 20 per cent. far in excess of the current retail price index; that Londoners have already suffered an above inflation six per cent. fare increase in 2009; that London is already the third most expensive city in the world for public transport costs as cited by The Economist on 24 September 2009; that many Londoners who rely on public transport face wage freezes, benefit cuts and/or unemployment, that the increase of a single Oyster Card bus fare from £1 to £1.20 per journey will hit the travelling poor hardest; that these increases are deemed necessary by Mayor Johnson to fill an alleged £1.7 billion funding gap, £900 million of which is due to the recession; and calls on the Government to intervene to urgently review the need for these draconian increases and to provide the necessary finance to ensure that Londoners are not forced to pay for the failed policies of deregulation and privatisation that have lead, in part, to the current iniquitous situation.

Signatures by party: Labour 15, Independent 2, Liberal Democrat 2, DUP 1, Respect 1.