Boris's Inflation beating fares rises!

[the-e-dealer]

All fares up more than inflation. Except Bicycle Hire - Doubled!

Are we all in the sh1t together?

[uncleglen]

People are adept at cheating the fares. Everytime I use public transport I see a new scam. On the 12 bendy buses people didn't touch in their oyster (and it looks as if the new routemasters have a loophole as well). I saw a teenager pass his ticket back over the barrier to a woman and then she used it. Grown adults using child tickets are common going through the barriers and on Friday a young lad was pushed by his mother so that they both passed through the barrier together.......now there are some ideas to think on until the freedom pass comes along!

[Burbage]

It wasn't unexpected, given the TfL pay deal. But it will hurt a lot of commuters, possibly unnecessarily, although not nearly as much as the increases in rail fares.

But I'd guess that many of us can avoid the rises. It's reasonably possible to commute to town from here on pushbike, or even foot, and although pedalling through the cold, dark and wet isn't much fun, thinking you're doing something that might deprive a strike-happy button-pusher another above-inflation pay rise can bring a ray of sunshine to even the coldest heart.

[The Minkey]

Then again there are those like me with mobility issues unable to walk long distances, totally dependent on public transport :-(

[the-e-dealer]

"People should Walk or Cycle" typical Boris Bolloxx

[DulwichFox]

If you drive a car, I'll tax the street,

If you try to sit, I'll tax your seat.

If you get too cold I'll tax the heat,

If you take a walk, I'll tax your feet.

Fox

[the-e-dealer]

But he has doubled the price of Cycles

[Marmora Man]

Who would you like to pay your fare?

Fares only cover a prioportion of the cost of running TFL - Boris isn't pocketing the lot and running off to the Caribbean for fare funded whooppee. The taxpayer (local and national) also contribute toward the cost of TFL.

Keeping fares low = raising taxes. Not a really good idea.

Of course a debate on where to apportion tax funded spending would be a sensible idea - but simply calling, albeitly without thinking, for further tax funded subsidies is not appropriate in current hard times.

[the-e-dealer]

1. Don't build the Emirates stupid cable car ?15M Saved

2. Continue the cheap Oil deal we had ?20M saved

3. Don't upgrade Leicester Square ?17M saved YES 17 Miliion !

That's cut the fares a bit.

[Lowlander]

uncleglen Wrote:

...I saw a teenager pass his

> ticket back over the barrier to a woman and then

> she used it...

That shouldn't work, it's nigh on impossible to do as the machines will recognise it - where was this you saw it?

[nimby]

Oh and The Boris Bikes losing Money Hsnd over Fist- Oh and the "new" "Routemaster" ?20M To Design. And the Early retirement of Bendy Buses.

[uncleglen]

That's what I would have thought Lowlander- it was probably at the underground at London Bridge- it was over a year ago now.

The most interesting 'collar' I saw was one Saturday morning on a 12 (when it was bendy) The ticket inspectors got on and were checking when a young man got up to get off the bus. The inspector asked for his ticket and he said 'I'm getting off'. The inspector insisted and the youth said 'get out of my face' and head-butted the inspector and got off the bus. The lad got on a bus behind and was seen by the inspectors. They radioed ahead toget him picked up at Downing Street because ther is a policeman there. When my bus arrived at Downing street the other bus was held and the Transport Police turned up in their car.

Hopefully he got a custodial sentence.

[Loz]

the-e-dealer Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> 1. Don't build the Emirates stupid cable car ?15M Saved

> 2. Continue the cheap Oil deal we had ?20M saved

> 3. Don't upgrade Leicester Square ?17m saved YES 17 Miliion !

>

> That's cut the fares a bit.

TfL has an annual budget of about ?9bn, so your savings are fairly trivial.

[Chick]

Burbage Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> It wasn't unexpected, given the TfL pay deal. But

> it will hurt a lot of commuters, possibly

> unnecessarily, although not nearly as much as the

> increases in rail fares.

>

> But I'd guess that many of us can avoid the rises.

> It's reasonably possible to commute to town from

> here on pushbike, or even foot, and although

> pedalling through the cold, dark and wet isn't

> much fun, thinking you're doing something that

> might deprive a strike-happy button-pusher another

> above-inflation pay rise can bring a ray of

> sunshine to even the coldest heart.

Oh so it's the fault of the unions? Tosh

[the-e-dealer]

Loz Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> the-e-dealer Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

> > 1. Don't build the Emirates stupid cable car

> ?15M Saved

> > 2. Continue the cheap Oil deal we had

> ?20M saved

> > 3. Don't upgrade Leicester Square

> ?17m saved YES 17 Miliion !

> >

> > That's cut the fares a bit.

>

> TfL has an annual budget of about ?9bn, so your

> savings are fairly trivial.

BUT THEY WOULD BE ENOUGH TO REDUCE THE INCREASE!

[Marmora Man]

the-e-dealer Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> 1. Don't build the Emirates stupid cable car ?15M Saved But already built with operating costs subsidised by Emirates. So nothing saved.

> 2. Continue the cheap Oil deal we had ?20M saved. One off deal between old guard socialists enabling the poor of Venezuela to subsidise the wealthy (in comparison) Londoners. Not ethical.

> 3. Don't upgrade Leicester Square - ?17M saved YES 17 Miliion. If you're referring to the refurb of the square itself then this was long overdue and a necessary fillip to London's long term tourist trade - will probably pay for itself in increased tourism spend.

So not a lot there really.

Of course we could use the technology to permi driverless tube trains - which could save significant sum of annual costs and reduce annoying and costly to Londoners strikes

[the-e-dealer]

1. Im saying he should not have done it.

2. The deal was good for all of us

3. New Fence ?17M big joke on us!

[Huguenot]

Had a look at that t-e-d, and it seems to be a complete misrepresentation of the facts. The redevelopment of Leicester Square was a decade long project that was calculated to deliver an overall reduction in public expenditure because of the ongoing cost of servicing and maintaining a failing infrastructure.

Boris was neither responsible for the work, nor was it spent last year, nor was it an overall loss, but an overall benefit.

I'm not sure of the terms of the 'cheap oil deal'. You may be right - but this was a two way arrangement that involved London providing technology and consultancy, so it's also entirely possible that the terms of this arrangement were no longer attractive to the Venezuelans. Is there any information about the circumstances (particularly anything that holds Boris responsible)?

Your views regarding the cable car made be valid, but they're not substantially different to the views that city populations globally have taken to infrastructure work the later proved to be massively beneficial. Many of the bridges across the Thames were regarded to be white elephants at time of building, but are now invaluable.

[the-e-dealer]

New Conservative London Mayor Cancels Oil Deal with Venezuela

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By 21st Century Socialism

London?s Tory mayor, Boris Johnson, today announced that he was scrapping a discounted oil agreement with Venezuela that provides half price bus fares for London ?s poorest citizens. Fares for those on Income Support are expected to double by the end of year, causing serious financial hardship for 80,000 Londoners who had taken advantage of the scheme.

[Huguenot]

I'm not suggesting the deal didn't end, I'm saying you can't judge it until you know the overall context.

That particular item doesn't seem to say anything of value regarding that?

[the-e-dealer]

Is there any information a 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.

The mayor of London said half-price bus and tram fares for 250,000 Londoners on income support, which were also funded by the deal, would still be honoured.

Mr Johnson said he thought many Londoners were uncomfortable with how the scheme was funded.

Former mayor Ken Livingstone signed the deal at City Hall in February 2007.

In return, a team of officials from the Greater London Authority agreed to work in Venezuela advising on recycling, waste management, traffic and on reducing carbon emissions. bout the circumstances (particularly anything that holds Boris responsible)?

[El Pibe]

here's an article

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2007/feb/20/probablynointernationalagre

I liked the quote

"Instead of Venezuela asking for expensive advice from McKinsey or some other vendor of teenage consultants, it could come to London"

plus some balance from a man with a bit of a bee in his bonnet about ken

http://www.vcrisis.com/index.php?content=letters/200806041335

[DulwichFox]

Do not go up town much.. but was during the summer I was visiting Calumet.. (a Photographic Co. )

which is in Drummond street, just North of Tottenham Crt. Rd.

There is one of the Boris bike 'Stations'? in the area.

Nearly all of the bikes had bald tyes. They were well worn and one would assume quite dangerous.

Even more so in the wet. The Bikes,look heavy so would take a lot of stopping and would do a lot of

damage to anyone hit by one.

Not sure if they are fitted with any bell to warn pedestrians.

Who is responsible for their maintainance. ??

It would seem nobody

Fox.

[Huguenot]

Well it seems from the public record that this wasn't half price oil but a direct contribution from Chavez to the Livingstone administration of TFL.

It doesn't seem to be rocket science to assume that Chavez may have no longer wished to make that payment to a Boris administrated TFL, nor that Boris would have been able or willing to continue with whatever terms were agreed as a quid pro quo.

The benefits or disadvantages of the agreement would have been dressed by both sides, but it seems relatively clear that transparency wasn't delivered by any of the parties.

Until that point, I wouldn't feel that it's valid for any of us to make a call on the value of it?

[the-e-dealer]

ok fair enough.