Buses World News: * UK: Bus companies accused of 'ripping off' passengers after failing to pass on fuel savings

* England - Labour says transport firms could save nearly a billion pounds through falling diesel costs and demands action to help commuters and protect services

(Photo by Mark Waugh / Manchester Press - Manchester Piccadilly Bus Station - Fuelling a row: Bus companies have been attacked for not passing on savings from cheap fuel to commuters)
-- Bus companies were accused of “profiteering” for failing to cut fares while making tens of millions of pounds from falling fuel prices last night... They Labour Party estimates Stagecoach, the largest bus company with 20% of the British bus market, could save as much as £150m this year if diesel prices drop to £1 a litre by April... This means bus companies could swell their profits by nearly a billion pounds while passengers suffer cuts to services and rising fares... Martin Abrams, of the Campaign for Better Transport, said: “Local authorities have slashed more than 2,000 bus routes since 2010. Government and the bus companies need to work together to make sure passengers get affordable and reliable buses they want and need” ... A spokesman for Stagecoach was not available for comment... Members of the Unite union went on strike yesterday with further strikes due later in the month, but Transport for London said almost half of the buses which normally operate were running... Unite is seeking a single pay and conditions agreement across all the capital’s 18 bus companies, saying wage rates vary by up to £3 an hour... London,EN,UK -The Mirror, by Mark Ellis -6 February 2015

Labels: complaints, public transport services