All 1 Catherine West contributions to the Bus Services Act 2017

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Mon 27th Mar 2017
Bus Services Bill [Lords]
Commons Chamber

3rd reading: House of Commons & Report stage: House of Commons

Bus Services Bill [Lords] Debate

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Department: Department for Transport

Bus Services Bill [Lords]

Catherine West Excerpts
3rd reading: House of Commons & Report stage: House of Commons
Monday 27th March 2017

(7 years, 7 months ago)

Commons Chamber
Read Full debate Bus Services Act 2017 Read Hansard Text Read Debate Ministerial Extracts Amendment Paper: Consideration of Bill Amendments as at 27 March 2017 - (27 Mar 2017)
Daniel Zeichner Portrait Daniel Zeichner
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I very much agree with my hon. Friend, and I will return to other examples of the failure of deregulation in a moment. It is not just about the number of services. Fares have risen faster than inflation, and patronage overall has fallen by more than a third. Bus market monopolies have become the norm in far too many places.

Back in October, we noted the 30th anniversary of bus deregulation, but it was far from a cause for celebration. It meant 30 years of bus users being ripped off by a handful of big bus operators, which have carved the market into chunks and which go largely unchallenged in their own territories.

Catherine West Portrait Catherine West (Hornsey and Wood Green) (Lab)
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Does my hon. Friend agree that for people on low incomes in rural areas, and in some urban areas as well, it is almost impossible to job hunt without a decent bus service?