I love a bus hopper fare as much as the next person but enough is enough. Isn’t it?

Would safe cycle lanes help your life?

Hence my wish that the money had been spent on more buses, even though that would have taken time to get them introduced.

He’s still thinking like a city mayor, not like the prime minister of a second rank nation. What is thinking and policy on our energy independence, technology strategy, preparing the economy for the changes that AI will bring in terms of employment and productivity?

Im pleased those who have access to buses can do so much cheaper/free now but what about those of us who dont have a bus service thats able to be used? Can he start thinking about us too?

I live in a town of over 90,000 people. The only bus route that stops within 1 mile of my house goes 3 times a day mon-sat (10.34, 13.34, 15.34) & only to the town centre (a 20 minute walk from my house).

Funnily enough I cant use the bus to help me with work, kids, food shop etc.

Id like him to recognise that not everyone has access to a bus & maybe do something that will improve my life too!

“Maybe I am just impatient”

I do think this sums up a massive problem we have at the moment in politics. Too many people expect instant fixes to even the most complex of things and then start criticising when things aren’t happening at fast enough.

Now we have undoubtedly had some poor leadership in recent years but what we haven’t had is any consistency and when people (I’m not saying you are) start calling for them to leave because they haven’t fixed everything in 12 hours we just end up stuck in this cycle we are now. Maybe we have got too used to everything being instant so can’t give things the time they need.

Big changes take time. Every time we have a new leader we take several massive steps back because they have to learn the ropes and do things their way.

I saw that. What an amazing outcome from a brave mayor who introduced it knowing it would be unpopular in many quarters.

Transport infrastructure of a country is pretty much up there with big things happening, do you mean world peace?

Don't be so feckin' stupid.

Have you missed his announcement about a strategy to get rough sleepers off the streets?

I definitely need a new MN name of BusBusBusBusBusPotato.

More to the point, this was today's news:
Scientists 'stunned' by children's lung recovery in ultra low emission zone
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c1l1r1zne1ro

The merit of helping people reduce their car journeys needs no selling to me.

I haven't seen much on Burnham's bus obsession, is it your algorithm?

I've seen his involvement with Ukraine, the pledge to end homelessness, removing VAT on electricity bills, changes to planning rules for vape shops and gambling, and cost of living crisis.

Are you sure it's not your obsession being played back to you?

Well you’re a delight. Assuming your nastiness is because you assume only ‘poor’ people use buses? Rather than the young (can’t drive), some older people (who no longer feel safe to drive), people with some disabilities, people who care about the environment, people who live in flats where parking is prohibited/prohibitively expensive, people where their household only runs one car and another household member is using it… But yeah…vapes

But isn’t that part of his point? He’s making bus fares cheaper for everyone so that access to buses is at least economically better (even if the services are still poor)?

The bigger stuff takes time. He can’t broker world peace overnight!

in the meantime he can make smaller announcements that will make lives for ordinary people that bit easier.

It’s not an either or!

Quite a bit cheaper than west mids then, although I think our one way fares are all to come down soon. I think public transport is important. It would be good for it to be a bit more joined up across the country though.

Agreed!

People seem to forget they're paying a lot for their car...
Lets say have a car for 5 years... But a 3 year old car..
Cost to buy £10,000
Cost to insure £400p/a - total £2000
Cost to tax/service/MOT - £200p/a - £1000
File £100 p/m so around £6000
Car parking... Let's say £20p/m average? £1200

You're looking at a cost of at least £20,000 other 5 years. £4k a year, £330 p/m, £12 a day.

And that's not including any tolls, potential repair costs, breakdown cover,

And then they complain about a bus fare to town being £3.70 return 🤷

Apparently he is hiring 12 more social media staff.

These are all fair enough policies, but really should be for local politicians to make. Otherwise what’s the point of local politics all.

It’s about time a politician cares about the little people rather than what the donors want. It’s refreshing to see him on social media actively engaging with the population too.
Encouraging bus use gets cars off the road.. making it as cheap as possible means there are less barriers to getting to work. It reduces parking issues and helps the economy as more people are able to travel.

As well as improving other options such as public transport and cycling

Congestion charge areas are very limited. Boris scrapped Kensington and Chelsea and - I don’t know why - Sadiq Khan has not reinstated it, despite the fact that it is clearly needed.

Anything that discourages inessential personal car use must be encouraged.

As for AB, he clearly is efficient and good at multiple-tasking. He can hold more than one thought in his head at the same time. And he has a big team to implement his ideas.

I am cautiously optimistic…

£1.75…? Hells teeth. It's £3 here. Per journey.

If we weren't prepared to drive one leg and she wasn't prepared to walk the last, dd's journey to college would have cost £9 each way. That's £72 a week. For compulsory education.

It involves 3 different companies so it's 3 capped fares. I was so grateful when fares were limited to £3 a journey.

And that is why we have cars.