Local Lib Dem MP, Norman Baker, has slammed the government's lack of commitment to providing affordable public transport in the wake of New Year price hikes forcing people in Lewes, Seaford, Newhaven and Polegate using the Southern network to pay 4.3% more in rail fares. This price increase follows recently released figures which show that the cost in real terms of travelling by train has risen by more than 50% in the last 30 years.
The figures illustrating the increasing cost of public transport in real terms over the last three decades were revealed in the answer to a parliamentary question tabled by the local MP. They show that, since 1976, the cost of travelling by train has risen by 51.2% and the cost of travelling by bus has risen by 57%, while the cost of motoring has dropped by more than 10%.
Under this government alone, since 1997, bus fares have increased by 20%, rail fares by 7% while the cost of motoring has fallen by 8.5%.
Speaking on the issue, Norman said,
"It is completely unacceptable that this government, which claims to be trying to get people out of their cars and onto buses and trains, is providing such a shocking lack of leadership. Many rail companies, including Southern, are working hard to provide a better service but are struggling to do so at a fair cost to customers because of a lack of support from the government. This means that year after year public transport customers, including some of the most vulnerable groups in society, are facing price hikes that are over the rate of inflation and, quite frankly, exorbitant.
"These figures make it brutally clear that the government's promise, back in 1997, to get more people using public transport and fewer using their cars was little more than hot air. Letting bus and rail fares continue to rise while the cost of motoring just keeps on falling is yet another sign of this government's lack of social conscience and green credentials."
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Norman Baker,
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East Sussex,
BN7 2LJ.
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Fax: (01273) 480287.
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