Feeling the pinch with fare rises

• I JOINED campaigners outside Victoria station to protest against the huge fare rises that mayor Boris Johnson has inflicted on the travelling public, especially those who use the bus network to get around.
As a result of policies adopted under Ken Livingstone’s administration, buses have in recent years become a reliable and affordable way to travel across London.
But people who travel in this way are feeling the pinch of a huge 20 per cent fare increase.
A Pay As You Go Oyster journey now costs £1.20 while the cost of a weekly bus pass has also gone up 20 per cent to £16.60.
Boris is not using the fare rises to expand public transport.
On the contrary, he is cutting back on bus services. He has raised fares in order to plug a hole in Transport for London’s finances, which is itself the direct result of his own mismanagement.
MURAD QURESHI
Labour Group
London Assembly