GFTU BGCM 2019 Minutes

A new report from the Independent Transport Commission has highlighted

additional factors undermining the private sector claims, pointing to a 41% rise

in rail commuters, particularly in London and the South East, arising from a

27% growth in employment among those with a propensity to commute.

The most used element of public transport is the bus. Outside London, but

deregulation and privatisation in 1985 meant companies prioritised profitable

routes and increased fares by 45% whilst local government subsidy for socially

inclusive bus services has been reduced by 46% because of Tory austerity

cuts.

Conference believes that public transport should be for the public, not for the

private sector to make money out of and calls on the GFTU to campaign for

public ownership of Britain’s public transport, including the re-regulation of bus

services across the country.

She said: Chair, conference, Keeley Lipscombe TSSA, moving Motion 12. As

most of you well know, within the TSSA with the support of the Labour Party

throughout the country we have been campaigning to bring the largely

privatised transport industry back into public ownership. We have been

campaigning against the Tory Government and the SMP’s continual drive to

allow privatised companies to bid for our franchises and bringing in higher fares

and cuts to vital services. With this, many UK companies now cannot afford to

make the bids for these. This means that profits now go into the pockets of

international companies rather than being reinvested back into the pockets of

the British taxpayer. Privatisation across the travel industry has led to higher

fares. Some have increased by as much as 45% in the past few years. For my

company personally last year our off peak travel card for everybody was £8.90.

This year when we had our new fares in January it was £13.10. That is a

significant rise.

Cuts to local bus services. It has been calculated that we have now lost over

8,000 different bus routes through urban and rural transport with the same

privateers applying the same cuts now to the rail industry. This will make you

laugh. The reason for such high fares has been reported in the news by our

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