Commenting on Labour research demonstrating the impact that 5 more years of Conservative government on local bus services, Liz Twist MP for Blaydon commented:
“The Tories’ policy of deregulating bus services has been a total failure: across Blaydon constituency we have seen fares rise as patronage has plummeted. In the North-East bus passenger journeys have fallen by 26 million since 2010.
“Labour will extend the powers to re-regulate local bus services to Gateshead Council if it wants them – not just to those combined authorities with an elected mayor, so that bus services can be ran in the interests of passengers. There are too many areas in North-East where pensioners have a bus pass but no bus.
“For too long the bus industry has been allowed to put profit before passengers. A Labour Government will change that.”
