Green Party

A new round of fare increases on Norwich buses this week and the local campaign to get faster trains to London, has thrown the spotlight again on the Green Party’s election promise to improve public transport.

First Bus raised their ticket prices for journeys in and around Norwich and in other parts of Norfolk. Daily, two-trip and most single fares in Norwich have crept up by 10p each, while weekly tickets have increased by £1 and monthly tickets by £3.

Also this week, the local campaign group “Norwich in 90” has submitted a plea to the government for improved rail services in East Anglia. Their priorities include a 90 minute journey time between Norwich and London plus reliability improvements.

The Green Party believes the best way to achieve cheaper bus fares is to re-introduce a national scheme to regulate the buses so that services are run primarily to meet social need rather than for outright profit.

Adrian Ramsay, Green Party General Election candidate for Norwich South, said:

"Bus fares in Norwich have risen repeatedly in recent years. Studies show that over half the population would take the bus to work if the service was more reliable and more affordable. Cutting bus fares is a positive way to ease congestion and pollution on city roads.”

The Green Party believes that Britain’s fragmented railway system, which operates some of the highest fares anywhere in Europe, should be renationalised to improve services and lower fares.

Adrian Ramsay said:

“Taxpayers pay far more to subsidise shareholders than was ever used to fund British Rail, yet fares continue to rise. As an MP I would fight for the railways to be re-integrated into one coherent organisation under public ownership.”

The party’s costed manifesto envisages a £30bn diversion of money from road-building projects to public transport. £1.5bn would be used directly to reduce fares by up to 10%. This would have the added benefits of strengthening communities, reducing crime, improving health, reducing traffic deaths and creating 160,000 jobs.

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