W. Germany
Page 12
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TRANSPORT SECRETARY David Howell has been impressed by a visit to Hamburg and Munich to study urban transport development.
Mr Howell was replying to George Gardiner, (Conservative, Reigate) who asked whether he had studied the Verkehrsverbund transport organisation in major West German cities with a view to introducing changes in the organisation of urban public transport here.
Mr Howell said: "I was impressed by the efficiency of services and the stability that had been achieved, and this was the result of practical co-operation among operators.
An important factor was the emphasis on cost cutting through tight controls on management overheads, universal single manning and the use of automatic equipment to handle large flows of commuters.
For example, in Hamburg he was told that staff costs are currently around 60 per cent of total costs with plans over the next
Ifew years to reduce them nearer 50 per cent. In London, the figure is over 70 per cent.