Bus Fares Rise Shock

Dear Editor

The fare paying resident of Enfield & Haringey will be only too aware this week of the huge fare rises which Mayor Boris Johnson has now inflicted on the traveling public, especially those who use the bus network to get around.

Our buses have become, in recent years, a reliable and affordable way to get around, but people who want or need to travel in this way are now feeling the pinch of a huge 20% fare increase. A Pay As You Go Oyster journey now costs £1.20 while the cost of a weekly bus pass has also gone up 20% to £16.60.

The Mayor claims this is necessary to raise funds for Transport for London, yet he plans to halve the size of the congestion charge zone, which will cost TfL £70m a year in lost revenue, he has scrapped plans to charge the most polluting gas guzzlers more to enter central London (cost: £50m a year in lost revenue) and is replacing bendy buses with lower capacity vehicles, which will cost almost £30m extra a year. Balancing the books is about making choices and the Mayor has chosen to make Londoners who rely on public transport pay for his poor decisions 

Yours sincerely

Joanne McCartney