Graham Stringer, MP for Blackley, has been busy getting his name into the papers over the past week. While it's hard to find sympathy with his views on Dyslexia (in a nutshell, that it's made up to cover up poor teaching), you can't fault his enthusiasm for Greater Manchester's public transport. While he was opposed the recently failed TIF bid, he always said he supported improvements to public transport but that a congestion charge was the wrong way to fund them.
Now David Ottewell has brought our attention to a hint at Stringer's 'Plan-B'. In an Early Day Motion submitted last Wednesday he put the boot into First's price increases in the region. "These increases", he writes, "will hit those on low incomes the hardest, will offer further encouragement to the long-term decline in bus usage in the city and come after First Bus has announced profits of £180 million for the last six months accounting period, up from £103 million for the same period in 2007".
The Motion goes on to call on First to "rethink these unacceptable increases" and on GMPTA/E to think about launching a public consultation on the possibility of using new powers in the Local Transport Act 2008 to establish quality contracts and remove the ability of bus operators to impose fare increases of this scale.
Quality Contracts allow local authorities to apply conditions (such as minimum frequencies and limits on fare increases) on bus operator's services. While you'd think operators would oppose them, it might not be that difficult to get First to agree to such a contract. First's South Yorkshire arm have already signalled their interest in entering into a Quality Contract with SYPTE.
Given their history of vigorousy defending their right to innovate on their own terms, we can't see Stagecoach being so easy to persuade!
[Image credit: Coradia1000 on Flickr]
hi martin just had to respond to you in this catagory i was barred in the other regarding comments,you have your rights and i have mine , just as you dont blieve in god and i do believe in god, but i dont have any hate in my heart at all i respect everyones values the only reason i chose your web is i seen the picture of the bus that is all and i left comments , i respect your atheist views just as you respect my christian views and my belief in god and i do turn my other cheek many times each day just as i am now but you are right i simply know nothing about grammar infact you can say im thick or more if you like it dosent hurt me in the least because i have jesus in my life so im lucky ,you are lucky to you had an education but in my time i never went to school the world was my teacher untill i met god and now he teaches me more than you can ever know, once i was full of sin and shame then jesus came into my heart and he made me a new creation so i pray for you that one day you will meet god and like me get to know that god is alive, im so glad you have a fantastic grasp of the queens english but were in gods bible does it say all the fulgar provanities you quoted to me as i have never came across them in the great book and i certainly dont use them mabie you can enlighten me, and i understand you dont want to talk with me but can i say this god loves us both , we may not talk again but i will remember you in prayer and martin remember god loves you.
Posted by: ron | August 27, 2009 at 03:30 AM
hi dudleyi understand your comment regarding my christian faith but you never where able to read the other comments as they were deleted you misunderstand i have no hatred for other beliefs and regards the campaign if you say im an extremist regarding if there is a god or not then i must be one just as john the babtist was , and if you think there is a difference between ;there probably is no god; and ;there is no god ;i think this is wrong as it puts doubt in your mind if there is a god or not so i as a christian know there is a god so i must voice my values aswell as others,
Posted by: ron | August 27, 2009 at 03:46 AM
hi ross what makes you think i have hate and why do you or knowone else not care either if there is a god or not, you say your sure god would not approve of me why do you say this, we as christians must tell the whole world there is a god and a heaven to gain, he is real and alive just as there is a devil and a hell to shun, so by me saying there is a god and making myself out like a fool then what better way to be a fool for christ jesus our creator .then you could call me a fool for god andmy friend god never encouraged hatred he encouraged peace and love toward one and other as it should be.and i pray i do.
Posted by: ron | August 27, 2009 at 04:06 AM
Hi Ron, I haven't barred you from anywhere. What "Vulgar profanities" have I quoted to you? I still have all the comments you left here which were both vulgar and profane. Anyway, there's no point arguing - we obviously both want peace. You're welcome to comment here on the blog as long as it relates to the subject and is not offensive. Thanks.
Posted by: Martin Bryant | August 27, 2009 at 09:32 PM
hi martin i must apoligize to you my friend due to my bad eye sight i thought it was you who left the provanities but it was,ent it was dudley who left them , so my friend please accept the opoligys and excuse my bad grammar.
Posted by: ron | August 28, 2009 at 11:28 PM