§ Mr. Greenwayasked the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has received about the efficiency of London buses; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. David MitchellMy right hon. Friend receives representations from time to time from hon. Members, interested organisations and members of the public about the efficiency of bus services in London.
§ Mr. GreenwayNotwithstanding the problems of traffic congestion, what is London Buses Ltd. doing to make its services more efficient and regular and to avoid bunching? Will he tell my constituents why a one-man 207 bus should be more efficient than the previous two-man service, which did not cause a bunching of traffic behind it or delays to long queues of people waiting to get on?
§ Mr. MitchellWhether particular routes should be one person operated is a matter for London Buses Ltd. It has invested in 260 buses with easier access for elderly people, which I think my hon. Friend will welcome. He should also be aware that there are three times as many boarding and alighting accidents on open platform buses and four times as many assaults on crews of two-man buses as on OPO buses.
§ Mr. PavittIs the Minister aware of the amount of violence on the 52 and 16 bus routes in the area known as the Kilburn triangle? I welcome today's statement about steps to be taken to deal with violence on public transport. Will the hon. Gentleman give special attention to protecting conductors on those routes?
§ Mr. MitchellI very much concur with the hon. Gentleman's views about the protection of bus crews and indeed, passengers, but details of the 52 bus service are matters for management, not for me.