Fair deal on the buses demanded

CHEQUE it out . . . Councillor Shoab Akhtar, Maria Eagles MP and Councillor Sean Fielding with the campaign cheque

THE local Labour party is backing a campaign for fairer bus fares.

At their national conference in Manchester, Labour called for more regulation of the buses to ensure Oldham passengers don’t get ripped off.

Shadow transport secretary Maria Eagle said bus fares in Oldham are higher than in other parts of the region because of bus deregulation - even though wages are lower.

A bus ticket in South Manchester is £12 a week under Stagecoach, she claimed - but £18 a week in north Manchester under First.

Members of Oldham Labour party presented her with a large cheque - showing how much more Oldham residents are paying for bus fares. A standard single fare in Oldham is £3.60 - and only £1.35 in London.

Oldham councillor Sean Fielding, assistant Cabinet member in charge of the campaign, said: “It’s a disgrace that residents in Oldham, an area with some of the lowest wages in the country, pay almost three times as much as Londoners.

Ms Eagle MP said: “Bus deregulation outside London has been a dogmatic experiment that has failed and passengers have paid the price.”


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