§ Dr. MarekTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will follow principles of freedom of information and public accountability in respect of his dealings with London Transport Buses. [6993]
§ Ms Glenda JacksonYes. It is for London Transport Buses to decide however, what information it would be appropriate for them to release abut their own activities.
§ Dr. MarekTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what is his policy in respect of standards of service on London Transport Buses. [6994]
§ Ms JacksonI have recently set tough new quality of service targets to improve the performance of London Transport bus services. These are as follows:
Measure 1997–98 New targets Mileage operated (excluding miles lost due to traffic congestion)1 99.0 High frequency services—excess waiting time2 1.5 minutes Low frequency services—percentage of services Departing on time 74.0 per cent. Departing early 4.0 per cent. Percentage of Night Bus services departing on time 65.0 per cent. Customer satisfaction (score out of 100) Condition of bus stops/shelters 57 Internal cleanliness of buses 63 External cleanliness of buses 55 Staff helpfulness 66 Bus station environment 71 Bus station information 68 Notes:
1 This measure reflects the extent to which bus services are cancelled or cut short.
2 A measure of how much longer passengers have to wait, on average, than if all the buses ran on time.