Buses are one of our key transport systems. Many people who are poor and disadvantaged rely on them to get around. But to the companies that run the bus services, they are there to rake in the cash. As the Evening Post reports;

“The company that runs almost all of Bristol’s buses saw its profit increase almost sevenfold in the space of a year, Bristol Live can reveal. And First Bus West of England also saw its revenue leap by almost £7 million to soar above £100 million for the first time ever. The company said its increase in profits and revenue exceeded expectations and was down to, mainly, an increase in the number of people travelling on buses in Bristol and the wider West of England area – and because of the new Metrobus routes that began.”

Research shows that when bus prices go up, it is the poorest who are hit hardest. One Green party candidate noted, “Scandalous, really.”

(Image credit – Wikipedia)