§ 92. Mr. Spriggsasked the Minister of Labour if he will give as a percentage the effect which bus and train fares have upon the cost of living; and what has been the trend in each from 1951 to the latest convenient date.
§ Mr. ThorntonA rise of 1 per cent. in bus fares and in train fares would raise the retail prices index by .023 per cent. and .008 per cent., respectively. Increases in bus and train fares accounted for about one-eighteenth of the rise of 75 per cent. in the retail prices index between January, 1951, and December, 1965. During this period bus and train fares, taken together, are estimated to have risen by about 150 per cent. On the advice of Cost of Living Advisory Committee percentage changes for smaller divisions than sub-groups of the retail prices index are not published.