Said leader of the Conservatives David Cameron on Radio Four’s Today on the day before the London mayoral elections, a Conservative mayor will ‘sort out London Transport’. Now, they have that chance. Rather than sorting matters out, perhaps they need to build on the work of former mayor Ken Livingstone, who since 2000 has achieved:
- A network growing at a considerable rate, faster than any other in Britain, said to be the only network in the world where public transport use is increasing faster than the car
- 8,000 modern, 100 per cent accessible bus fleet
- All buses fitted with CCTV
- Considerable improvements in frequency
- Doubling of the night bus network
- Contactless smartcards used for 75 per cent of all journeys
- Free travel for those under 11 and free travel on buses for those under 18 in full time education
- Experiments in greener technology
- The high amounts of public subsidy. There is a certain inevitability with this
- User satisfaction fails to keep up with investment
- High fares, especially walk-on tickets
- Allegations of high fraudulent use of articulated buses
- Issues surrounding anti-social behaviour from younger people travelling o buses
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