- £1 rise affects some of the poorest in society
- 50% increase is a tax on working people
- Ultimately will result in less people using the bus, create more congestion and more pollution
Southend Green Party Group have reacted to news that the Labour Government is to increase the Bus fare cap by 50%.
Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer announced on Monday the £2 cap introduced by the Conservatives to help with the cost of living will be increased to £3 per journey.
“This is a tax on working people, and will affect the poorest in society. Plenty of people rely on the bus to get to work and this increase will only hurt them in their pockets – once again Labour are hitting the most vulnerable hard, rather than looking at other ways to tax those that can afford to pay more. These are political decisions and Labour are making the wrong ones.
“Like Europe, I believe Government should be subsidising all forms of public transport, especially buses and trains, as this enables greater mobility and less dependence on cars. Increasing fares directly impacts the poorest in society and restricts mobility. It’s a stealth tax on the least well-off when we should be taxing the super wealthy more.”
Cllr Richard Longstaff
Cllr Stuart Allen adds, “The £2 fare cap made the bus an affordable way to get around the city, and we should be actively encouraging as many people to use the bus to reduce traffic on our roads and emissions in our city. Ultimately the increase will put people off from using the bus and will result in more congestion and more dangerous pollution.”
The Green Party will be writing to Southend West & Leigh MP, David Burton-Sampson sharing its concerns with the cab increase.
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