§ Mr. George Gardinerasked the Secretary of State for Transport whether he has studied the Verkehrsverbund organisation of transportation undertakings in major German cities with a view to introducing changes in the organisation of urban public transport in the United Kingdom.
§ Mr. David HowellI was much impressed during my recent visits to Hamburg and Munich by the efficiency of services and the stability that had been achieved on their public transport system. This was the result of practical co-operation among operators. An important factor was the emphasis on cost cutting, through tight controls on management overheads, universal single manning and the use of automatic equipment to handle large flows of commuters. For example, in Hamburg I was told that staff costs are currently around 60 per cent. of total costs with plans over the next few years to reduce them nearer 50 per cent. In London the figure is over 70 per cent.