General election 2019: Labour pledges to electrify England’s 35,000 buses by 2030
Labour will on Saturday unveil a plan to electrify the country’s entire bus fleet by 2030 and bring “bus services into the future”.
The initiative would be funded by the party’s green transformation fund, should Labour get into power following next week’s general election.
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Under the plans, Labour would electrify all of England’s 35,000 buses in the next decade, reducing emissions by 72 per cent.
The party would also increase funding in bus services and reverse the 3,000 cuts made to services by the Conservatives.
It has also pledged to make bus travel free to under 25s in areas that bring buses into public control or ownership.
Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, said: “The Westminster bubble doesn’t care about buses but cuts to bus routes leave so many people isolated, stuck at home and unable to make vital trips out.
“Away from London, many people have approached me in this election to talk about their local bus route closing down.
“This policy will bring our bus services into the future and help to revitalise our high streets and rebuild local communities.”
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Shadow transport secretary Andy McDonald added that the Conservatives have not pledged “a penny to reverse a decade of cuts”.
“Buses are by far the most used and most important form of public transport but huge budget cuts has caused bus use to plummet to an all time low,” he said. “The Conservative Party do not care about buses nor the people and communities who rely on them.”