Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Eddie Izzard and Ken launch Fairer Fares campaign

"Ken Livingstone and Eddie Izzard will launch a campaign for 'Fairer Fares' today (Wednesday 21st September) following Boris Johnson's decision to increase bus, tube and train fares last week.

Ken and Eddie will call for Conservative Mayor, Boris Johnson, to end his high fare policy which has committed London to 20 years of 2% above inflation fare rises. They will call for a fairer approach to the cost of public transport.

Last week's announcement by the Conservative Mayor means bus, tube and train fares will have risen under Boris Johnson since 2008, including:

• A single bus ticket up is 56%, costing Londoners £260 a year more
• A weekly bus and tram pass is up 47%, costing Londoners £317 a year more
• A weekly zone 1-4 travelcard up 23%, costing Londoners £416 a year more

• A weekly zone 1-6 travelcard is up 22%, costing Londoners £509 a year more

Boris Johnson called these fare increases, ‘fair and reasonable’.

Ken and Eddie will visit Finsbury Park tube and bus station on Wednesday morning to meet commuters and go on to meet students at Bsix college, Hackney.

Eddie Izzard said, "It's the Mayor's job to make transport better for everyone who relies on the tube, trains, trams and buses everyday. Yet Boris Johnson's fare increases threaten to price thousands of Londoners off public transport.

'I think its time for Boris Johnson to rethink these steep fare rises and put Londoners first. His decisions have meant that it now costs two to three hundred pounds more a year just to use public transport.

‘At this time when the cuts are biting and the economy is in trouble, it’s the wrong time to be make the cost living higher for people

It's time for fairer fares in London and a Mayor of London who is on the side of Londoners."

Ken Livingstone said, "With the cost of living rising in London, last week's decision by Boris Johnson to increase fares again was ill-judged and unfair to Londoners who need the Mayor to be on their side. It’s increasingly clear that under the Tories, Londoners are less well off with every day that passes.

'The Conservative Mayor must put Londoners first and rip up the commitment he has signed that fares will rise above inflation for 20 years."
Nuff said...

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

It seems to be taking longer and longer these days to load your blog, and I've tried from a number of different PCs. It would be a shame if that deterred people from reading your daily helpings of decency and sense - don't know if you can do anything about it?

John Gray said...

Hi anon

Thank you for this (and your kind comments). It seems to be ok when I open blog but I will keep an eye on it. Maybe some of the photos I post are too large?