WATCH: Jeremy Corbyn Hears Concerns About Rising Bus Fares In Ilkeston

1 February 2019, 05:47

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has visited Ilkeston to hear about people's concerns there about the rising price of getting a bus.

Research for the party suggested average fares will be 53% higher in 2022 than they were in 2010.

The number of passengers is on course to be more than 10% lower than in 2010, while the number of elderly and disabled passengers will fall by almost a fifth, said Labour.

Private bus companies have reported growing profits in recent years, with those in England making a total of £3.3 billion since 2009/10, said Labour.

Party leader Jeremy Corbyn, who is meeting residents and community leaders in Ilkeston, Derbyshire, to discuss their concerns over cuts to bus services, said: "The Tories said privatisation would improve our buses but private bus companies are running bus services into the ground, while raking in billions of pounds in profit.

"Passengers now face a toxic mix of rising fares, cuts to services and reduced access.

"Labour will act in the interests of the many by protecting pensioners' bus passes and introducing a new free pass for under 25s.

"For too long the bus industry has put profit for a few before millions of passengers. A future Labour government will change that."

Official figures on Wednesday showed the number of bus passenger journeys in England fell by 85 million last year.

#WATCH Labour leader @jeremycorbyn has been in #Ilkeston today, and has been talking to us about the rising price of bus services...#CapitalReports pic.twitter.com/IjOygoRwTO

— CapitalEastMids News (@CapitalEMNews) January 31, 2019