{"id":17607,"date":"2019-03-14T11:50:27","date_gmt":"2019-03-14T11:50:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/unitelive.org\/?p=17607"},"modified":"2020-11-12T12:57:09","modified_gmt":"2020-11-12T12:57:09","slug":"two-tiered-bus-system-warning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/?p=17607","title":{"rendered":"Two-tiered bus system warning"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>\n

Unite has issued a warning against the \u00e2\u20ac\u0098Uber-isation\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 of bus services, following an announcement from beleaguered transport secretary Chris Grayling outlining proposals in support this week of on-demand buses.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The government said it would soon unveil a strategy \u00e2\u20ac\u015bwhich could transform bus travel through on-demand services, flexible routing and smartphone apps\u00e2\u20ac\u0165.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

As part the strategy, the government said in a statement it would be \u00e2\u20ac\u015blooking at the legislation covering flexible bus services, to ensure that demand responsive bus services can operate across the country\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 but Unite has highlighted that such services could create a \u00e2\u20ac\u0098two-tier\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 system.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

On-demand bus services operate much like Uber taxi services \u00e2\u20ac\u201c where they have been rolled out, recently in Liverpool and Oxford, minibuses can be summoned via an app. Passengers can choose a pick-up point and reserve a seat. There are no fixed bus routes and the technology maps a route to pick up other passengers along the way.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

ArrivaClick<\/a> was introduced in Liverpool in August last year after a trial period in Sittingbourne, Kent, while the Oxford Bus Company now runs its own on-demand service called PickMeUp<\/a>. Both services advertise affordable fares \u00e2\u20ac\u201c ArrivaClick says journeys start at \u00c2\u01411 and PickMeUp says fares usually won\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t exceed \u00c2\u01412.50.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

But the websites of both services say in fine print that such fares are \u00e2\u20ac\u015bfor a limited time only\u00e2\u20ac\u0165. ArrivaClick notes that \u00e2\u20ac\u015bprices may vary depending on time and day of travel, and other factors\u00e2\u20ac\u0165, similar to Uber with its \u00e2\u20ac\u0098surge pricing\u00e2\u20ac\u2122. This has confirmed fears Unite has highlighted that the extended roll-out of on-demand bus services could lead to an increase in prices, excluding those who cannot afford it.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bChris Grayling\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s reverse Midas touch has struck again,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 Unite national officer for passenger transport Bobby Morton said, responding to Grayling\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s latest strategy. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bThese proposals are laying the foundations for the Uber-isation of the bus service.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bNot only will they lead to higher prices, the exclusion of everyone who does not possess a smartphone and the decimation of existing bus routes but it will lead to bus companies competing against taxis and mini cabs,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he added. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bIf rolled out, this will result in buses racing each other to collect passengers, endangering the safety of all road users.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bTo improve buses the government should be bringing back services into public ownership and ensuring that fares are affordable in order to increase usage and the mobility of the financially excluded.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The announcement comes as Transport for London (TfL) plans to trial its own on-demand minibus<\/a> service in Sutton, south London following a consultation which closes on Wednesday, March 20. Fares will be \u00c2\u01413.50 per journey \u00e2\u20ac\u201c more than double the \u00c2\u01411.50 fare for a standard bus ride.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Commenting on TfL\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s project, Unite regional officer John Murphy warned that \u00e2\u20ac\u015bthere is a real danger with the creation of on-demand buses, that TfL are preparing to apply the gig economy to London buses.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bWe have already seen massive cuts in central London bus routes, with the money being funnelled into this vanity project, if the trial is extended other routes face the axe,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he added, pointing to the fact that the service \u00e2\u20ac\u015bwill be advantageous to a few elite users while hitting low paid workers, who rely on buses to get to work, squarely in the pocket.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Unite has issued a warning against the \u00e2\u20ac\u0098Uber-isation\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 of bus services, following an announcement from beleaguered transport secretary Chris Grayling outlining proposals in support this week of on-demand buses.   The government said it would soon unveil a strategy \u00e2\u20ac\u015bwhich could transform bus travel through on-demand services, flexible routing and smartphone apps\u00e2\u20ac\u0165.   As part […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2623,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[17],"tags":[202,523,238,718],"wps_subtitle":"Unite warns against government \u00e2\u20ac\u0098Uber-isation\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 of bus services plan","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17607"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=17607"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17607\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25433,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17607\/revisions\/25433"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2623"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=17607"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=17607"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=17607"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}