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W. Midlands crews call for free travel
Page 25
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ei Representatives of bus crews of the Nest Midlands Passenger Transport kuthority have demanded urgent consideraion of their call for free bus travel and warn hat services throughout the area will lisintegrate unless this is introduced in the 'ear future.
They claim that the £20m a year running osts of the PTA could be met from a 20p . week contribution from every rate-payer lying in each of the Authorities in the Vest Midlands PTA area.
Mr H. Fulleloye, passenger services rfficer for the PTA bus crews, told CM hat his men were absolutely serious and dded, "Free bus travel will have to be ltroduced eventually or passenger serices in this region will decline so much hey will just disintegrate". Mr Fullelove,
full-time official of the TGWU, said his union was prepared to concede that initially fewer men would be needed to operate the free travel scheme. He envisages that there would be a token flat rate fare, possibly about 2p, to stop joy-riding from stop to stop. Free bus travel, he firmly believes would bring enormous long term benefit and would mean reducing expenditure on car parks and new roads and would eventually save the taxpayer money.
Mr B. Mathers, regional secretary of the TGWU, disclosed that the plan for free travel was under consideration by the West Midlands Regional Labour Party as well as many members of the Birmingham City Council. Mr R. Groocott, who is chairman of the West Midland bus crews committee, said he also favoured free transport except for a small boarding charge to prevent joyriding.