- Conference
- 2003 National Delegate Conference
- Date
- 6 February 2003
- Decision
- Carried
Conference is concerned that Britain’s public transport system continues to suffer from years of neglect and under-investment. Conference welcomes the Government’s commitment to increase investment over the next ten years, but believes that bus deregulation and rail privatisation will make it difficult to achieve the Government’s transport strategy, which aims to create a fully integrated system.
Conference believes that transport is a key public service which should be democratically accountable with service to the people, not profit to shareholders, as the first priority.
Conference also believes that the Government should give priority to a strategy for Britain’s bus services which are key for delivery of social inclusion recognising that buses are a major mode of local travel for the elderly, women and low-income households, but they also have the potential to attract those who currently use the private car for short journeys.
Conference calls for the Government to rethink the ten year plan and give priority to:
1)ensuring that transport services are democratically accountable with service to the public as the first priority;
2)new investment aimed at increasing bus usage by 20 per cent;
3)improved concessionary fare schemes for senior citizens, disabled people, students and job seekers;
4)minimum standards to raise bus service standards across the country and iron out the disparities between the best and the worst through the introduction of a bus regulatory body;
5)an emphasis on partnership between transport authorities, operators, passengers, trade unions and community organisations;
6)a strategy to make the roads safer and cleaner by reducing congestion in major cities;
7)introducing a fiscal strategy which makes it economic for transport providers and car users to utilize cleaner fuels and encourage the development of the next generation of non-pollutant fuels.