It’s been revealed this week by the transport aide to the Mayor of London that plans are in place to cut the London bus subsidy by 40%.
The cut is part of Boris Johnson’s plan to save £1.7 billion. The bus subsidy under the previous mayor, Ken Livingstone, has been described as “out of control” and so Boris is planning to regain some of that control by reducing the subsidy by 40%.
Despite the planned reductions to the budget, the London Mayor maintains that bus services will not be affected on the whole as the savings will be made through “backroom efficiencies.” Mr Johnson’s aide describes the reduction in subsidy as an example of “doing more with less.”
However some transport experts are challenge this claim as they believe the cuts will lead to fewer buses on the road during the busiest times, and higher fares for bus passengers.
There are also fears that the cuts will affect the most vulnerable Londoners as those who are on benefits or elderly are most likely to rely on public transport. However it’s understood that the mayor is keen to guard concessionary fares for the most needy.
These fears have been dismissed by the mayor’s transport aide, Kulveer Ranger, as he maintains “greatly reducing the subsidy does not mean greatly reducing services.”
