Boris Scraps Cheap Bus Fares

[paddygreenman]

[
What sort of nonsense is it to say that "the public are subsidising dublin transport to the tune of tens of millions a year". How much are the public subsidising private road users each year, i would guess that it exceeds motor tax, fuel taxes etc sizable as they are. Add in air pollution, space and noise monetary valuations and i would think that would run into billions a year.

'Nonsense' that equates to the truth.. Do you not believe that the public subsidise public transport in Ireland?

Of course the public subsidise public transport, but they get a crap service in return, one reason of which is relative underfunding compared to europe and a governmental fixation with building roads. My point was that the public also fund private transport to a far greater extent and no, to my knowledge it is not covered by what a motorist payes in motor tax, registration, fuel etc. I also mentioned the external costs of car dependency which are air pollution, noise, space etc. Please note i am talking here about immediate direct impacts not about global warming and dont wish to go down that route. I have lived in two different mainland european countries and the abscense of a gridlock and proper public transport helps makes urban living extremely attractive, which is not really the case in Dublin.

[Simon.D]

It also said that Johnson would honour the reduced fare even though the venezualean deal was finishing...

You obviously didn't understand the article....

"Boris Johnson will not renew an oil deal with Venezuela which provides cheap fuel for London's buses once the agreement ends later this year."

"We will continue to offer the half-priced travel concession to Londoners on income support for the duration for which the deal was originally planned"

"The current deal is due to conclude on 20 August."

i.e. Once Boris stops getting the cheap fuel, he stops subsidising transport for those on income support, meaning as of August 20th the poor of London will be back paying full whack..

[meriwether]

Im sure the Venezulan poor will thank him though?

[geraghd]

[
What sort of nonsense is it to say that "the public are subsidising dublin transport to the tune of tens of millions a year". How much are the public subsidising private road users each year, i would guess that it exceeds motor tax, fuel taxes etc sizable as they are. Add in air pollution, space and noise monetary valuations and i would think that would run into billions a year.

'Nonsense' that equates to the truth.. Do you not believe that the public subsidise public transport in Ireland?

Why not show some credible evidence of this?

I shouldn't need to, it's common knowledge.

[Pax]

I gather that the Irish community in London are incensed at the immediate scrapping by Tory Mayor of London Boris Johnson announced this afternoon, arising from the termination of the Venezuellan Oil deal which Ken had negotiated.

Where did you find the words "immediate scrapping" ?

Read the report from a reputable source and see if you notice anthing.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/engl ... &width=850

He's not renewing it, i.e he's scrapping it.

A very sad ideological act which makes no sense whatsoever. It makes perfect economic and social sense to continue with the deal.

You mean the ideology that says, londoners won't be funded by a people that live in extreme poverty and that there may be better ways of helping poor londoners and poor venezuelans?
And can we change the thread title, because it is patently false.
Does 21st Century Socialism understand difference between truth and lies?

That makes no sense. Boris is scrapping the deal which has led to cheap bus fares and is making no proposal of an alternative.

Meanwhile, while your abject concern for the poor of Venezuela is only matched by your tangential and dichotomous support for the Washington supported opposition there, Chavez has by any objective measure improved the formers' lot greatly.

If such a deal makes it harder for any future UK government to support a Washington led coup leading to local Pinochet, free-market Opus Dei head* then yes it will help the Venezuelan poor even further.

*(a local blueshirt of sorts )

[Pax]

Oh and one to keep an eye on

http://www.boriswatch.co.uk/




daylight-robbery-in-london-gaffe-old-etonian-sought/

Well, you wouldn’t have put your house on it lasting the year, but it’s now official that the deal to subsidise London public transport fares for the low paid (via a deal with Venezuela) will be scrapped in August. Forced to choose between breaking with the pro-US ideology of his chums at Policy Exchange or screwing the poor by doubling their bus fares, Boris has chosen the latter. Same old same old for this Tory, it seems. No consideration appears to have been given to finding the money elsewhere, and given that fuel prices will probably force a rise within months anyway, there’s probably a double whammy coming. Lovely.

As Dave Hill puts it:

Does Johnson consider scrapping concessionary fares for some of London’s worst-off people to be consistent with the character of the “generous hearted city” he now leads and what appeared to be his implied recognition that the huge and growing gaps between the capital’s rich and poor is undesirable?

how-much-cash-do-the-venezuelans-owe-boris/


how-much-does-venezuela-owe-boris-part-2/

[badboy2]

Ken Livingston made the cost of a single on the tube the equivalent of 6 euro.

How did that help people on the minimum wage?

He then subsidised the bus - taking people off the tube and onto the bus.

How did the use of cheap oil (with a high sulphur sulphur count) help London reduce its carbon emissions.

People on the left liked this deal because Chavez was involved.

In reallity it was a bad deal for both parties, but it was a useful excuse for Ken to jack up tube prices.

[evercloserunion]

Im sure the Venezulan poor will thank him though?

Well of course, they love their economic embargoes and all the benefits they are known to bring.

[Pax]

Ken Livingston made the cost of a single on the tube the equivalent of 6 euro.

How did that help people on the minimum wage?

He then subsidised the bus - taking people off the tube and onto the bus.

How did the use of cheap oil (with a high sulphur sulphur count) help London reduce its carbon emissions.

People on the left liked this deal because Chavez was involved.

In reallity it was a bad deal for both parties, but it was a useful excuse for Ken to jack up tube prices.

Just for the record, because I'm defending Livingston instead of Boris does not mean I'd have given him a number 1. And increasing the use of the bus is not necessarily bad for the environment in contrast to use of the train. I'll have to use Monbiot (again!) here, but this is explained in Heat.
Also,
http://www.monbiot.com/archives/2006/12 ... -coaching/
You could get a very quick reduction for a lot less money by doing the above.

Finally Chavez is much more open to the use of new carbon capture technologies currently in use in Norway and has made some good noises with respect to carbon emission reductions and climate change. In terms of an OPEC member with a large poor population that's better than the opposition there at least. The broader argument on reducing support for a coup and support for possible economic sanctions is also beneficial to the Venezuelan poor.