GOVERNMENT plans to increase bus fares by 50 per cent have been slammed.
Ahead of the Labour’s first Budget in 14 years – which was delivered last week in Parliament, the Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, confirmed during a visit to Birmingham the Get Around for £2 scheme was being scrapped by the Chancellor, Rachel Reeves MP.
And now bus passengers are set to face a bus fare cap of £3 per journey.
The £2 scheme was introduced by the previous Government to help revitalise the bus services outside of London which had taken a hit during the Covid-19 pandemic. Other measures included the Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) which pumped over £1billion into bus services, which the West Midlands Combined Authority benefitted from £88million which was used to enhance bus services and upgrade existing fleets.
The borough’s Conservative MPs – Saqib Bhatti for Meriden and Solihull East and Dr Neil Shastri-Hurst for Solihull West and Shirley have hit out at the move.
Mr Bhatti has written to the Chancellor saying the decision to end the cap on the cost of travel could put some of his elderly and disabled constituents at risk.
He argued that they are more likely to use public transport networks and that this increase in the cost of travel could impact their chances to get a job, visit friends and family or get to key medical appointments.
Mr Bhatti said: “The Chancellor has demonstrated that she is out of touch and incapable of keeping costs down for working people”.
“Many of my constituents in Meriden and Solihull East use the bus every day to get to work and this cruel increase in the cost of travel will end up costing working people hundreds of pounds.
“That is why I have written to the money-grabbing Chancellor highlighting my deep reservations about this egregious ‘bus tax’ which will punish some of my most vulnerable constituents.”
Meanwhile Dr Shastri-Hurst has written to the West Midlands Mayor, Richard Parker, calling to keep the £2 bus fare cap in place across the region.
He said, “It is somewhat ironic that, whilst the Mayor prepares his flagship policy of bus franchising, the Prime Minister introduces this devastating blow in Birmingham. It is noteworthy that, far from being upfront with the electorate, neither the Labour mayoral nor General Elections manifestos disclosed raising bus fares.
“My constituents in Solihull West and Shirley are deeply concerned with this fare rise and what it means for their travel across the West Midlands.
“In addition, the franchising system, which will be implemented by the Labour Mayor, will create greater uncertainty for residents who use buses as their primary form of travel; for example, older and disabled residents who cannot drive themselves to doctors and hospital appointments.
“In a letter sent to the Mayor, I asked for reassurances, on behalf of my constituents, that the franchising system will maintain a local bus fares cap of £2.00, protecting residents from the impact of Labour’s unfair choices to increase costs for the most vulnerable in our society.”
