Kendall welcomes OFT action on bus services
Cllr David Kendall, parliamentary spokesman, has welcomed the Office of Fair Trading's decision to refer UK local bus services, excluding London and Northern Ireland, to the Competition Commission.
This decision follows consultation on the results of an OFT market study into the industry. The study found evidence that limited competition between bus operators tends to result in higher prices and lower quality for bus users and may represent poor value for money for taxpayers.
David, Secretary of the Brentwood Bus & Rail Users Association, said:
"The bus industry needs to be investigated. It is clearly not working well for the bus companies who are struggling to provide services under very difficult circumstances or for bus users, who are often getting a very poor service.
"In Brentwood, we have a very limited bus service and have had to fight so hard for even basic services, such as a Sunday bus service for the East Ham estate."
"I welcome the decision and hope this will make an impact and improve bus services across the UK."