§ Mr. Sorensenasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of War Transport whether he is now in a position to review the effect of the withdrawal of cheap travelling fares; and, in particular, whether he will give the reduction in the number of passengers carried on weekdays and on Sundays by London suburban trains and by omnibuses, trolleybuses and tube railways, respectively?
§ Mr. Noel-BakerMy hon. Friend will appreciate that the figures of traffic carried in different months are affected by seasonal variations and other changing factors, including, for example, the cessation of the Green Line Coach services. For this reason, it is impossible to isolate and measure the effect of the withdrawal of cheap day fares. Comparing the total bookings on the main line railways throughout the country at full ordinary, monthly return and cheap day fares in September and October respectively, there was a reduction of over 24 per cent. This compares with a seasonal reduction of about 11 per cent. between the corresponding months of last year. In the London area the number of passenger1952W journeys on the main line railways was 1,266,482 less in October than in September. In 1941 the corresponding reduction was 377,841. It is not possible to give separate figures for Sundays and weekdays. On the London Transport Board's railways the number of passengers who previously travelled at cheap day fares was very small, and the effect of withdrawing these fares is not discernible. On the Road services of the London Passenger Transport Board the passenger receipts for October show a small decline (2.3 per cent.) compared with September, and some of this reduction was due to the withdrawal of the Green Line Coaches. In terms of mileage the net saving effected by the cancellation of the Green Line Coach services amounts to about a million vehicle miles a month. It has not been necessary for either the main line companies or the Transport Board to augment their normal train services to deal with any of the previous Green Line Coach passengers who may have transferred to rail services.