What costs £1.3 million a pop and Boris hopes will get him reelected?

Val Shawcross AM is the Labour assembly member for Lambeth and Southwark

Is there a policy that sums up the priorities of Boris Johnson’s mayoralty better than the new ‘Routemaster’?

We’re on the verge of another recession. The cost of living is becoming unbearable for many in London – passenger watchdogs have warned that public transport is becoming “unaffordable” for those on lower incomes because of Boris Johnson’s fare rises. And the Tory mayor is spending millions unnecessarily redesigning our city’s buses.

The so-called new generation Routemasters, costing over £1.3 million each - five times the cost of a green, hybrid double decker – will run on just one of London’s 700 routes. So when, from January, Londoners from Barnet to Bexley and Hillingdon to Haringey will be paying a massive 50 per cent extra for their bus tickets, they should remember where a large chunk of their fares are going.

If it’s a choice between improving their bus service, keeping their fares down or spending millions to alter the design of the double-decker they ride to and from work, what would the cleaner, school teacher, office or shop worker choose?

We don’t oppose the new bus for opposition’s sake. The bus is green and well-designed. But it’s costing millions when budgets are tight and looks strangely like the other green, hybrid double-deckers on London’s roads, which were only rolled out a few years ago.

The notable new addition is the open platform, which requires extra staff to supervise. But according to the mayor’s own figures it would cost an extra £54 million a year to employ conductors on just ten per cent of London’s bus network. To put this in context – the mayor’s latest bus fare hike will bring in £57 million.

He refused to say what this ridiculous policy would cost before the 2008 election, later admitting it would cost £100 million. This has to be the most expensive photo opportunity in history. Millions spent for pictures of the Tory mayor on an open-backed bus in the run up to the May election – paid for by squeezed fare payers.

Londoners have a choice in May: above inflation fare rises year after year under Boris Johnson to pay for vanity schemes like needlessly redesigned buses, or lower fares and a fairer deal under Ken.

See also:

• Livingstone pledges London Living Rent, saying Boris has “completely failed” on housing – Shamik Das, December 13th 2011

• Expensive and ineffective: Boris Johnson’s island airport (even Tories think so) – John Stewart, November 21st 2011

• Boris is turning back the clock for women in London – Shelly Asquith, November 14th 2011

• Ken v Boris: Six months out, Livingstone steps up the pressure on transport and crime – Shelly Asquith, November 8th 2011

• Boris fiddles as London prepares for transport chaos – Alex Hern, October 19th 2011

Selohesra

What will get Boris elected is that he is running against Ken and Ed is still party leader
Mark Stevo

The £1.3m/bus number only makes sense if you believe they’ll only make 8 of them. Methinks Val is being just a touch misleading.
http://twitter.com/davidwhite020/status/147710872339480576 david white

RT @leftfootfwd: What costs £1.3 million a pop and Boris hopes will get him reelected? http://t.co/8DBHko2J
http://twitter.com/yrotitna/status/147713539916836864 Juan Voet

What costs £1.3 million a pop and Boris hopes will get him reelected? @valshawcross isn't convinced: http://t.co/wummpq1E
http://twitter.com/padraic_c/status/147713681361354752 Padraic

RT @leftfootfwd: What costs £1.3m a pop and Boris hopes will get him re-elected? http://t.co/g9zT29IF #SackBoris
http://twitter.com/oilywaters/status/147727399080038401 H. O.

RT @leftfootfwd: What costs £1.3 million a pop and Boris hopes will get him reelected? http://t.co/4SD6lk1I
http://twitter.com/unitonehifi/status/147729106279211008 chris star

What costs £1.3 million a pop and Boris hopes will get him reelected?
http://t.co/GbT9MaQD
Belgravedave

We should be backing buses which have conductors on them! There are so many issues to attack Boris on but this is not one of them, maybe redirect your efforts?
http://twitter.com/hanlemic/status/147745181561663488 Michael Hanley

RT @leftfootfwd: What costs £1.3m a pop and Boris hopes will get him re-elected? http://t.co/g9zT29IF #SackBoris
http://twitter.com/ray_1712/status/147774506541387776 Ray Sirotkin

RT @leftfootfwd: What costs £1.3m a pop and Boris hopes will get him re-elected? http://t.co/g9zT29IF #SackBoris
http://twitter.com/se1/status/147781959752495104 London SE1

RT @leftfootfwd: What costs £1.3 million a pop and Boris hopes will get him reelected? asks @valshawcross http://t.co/HxOSDzxe
http://twitter.com/k_treen/status/147802477880803328 katrina

Please London, don't fall for it! …What costs £1.3 million a pop and Boris hopes will get him reelected?http://t.co/fHV12kwT
Mr. Sensible

Ridiculous…
Charles

So let me get this straight: The two Ed’s want to spend billions to stimulate the economy, but Boris paying a few million for a new bus to be designed and built in Britain is a waste of money?
Black

‘If it’s a choice between improving their bus service, keeping their fares down or spending millions to alter the design of the double-decker they ride to and from work, what would the cleaner, school teacher, office or shop worker choose?’

- They would choose the Routemaster, where you on holiday during the last mayoral elections? Attacking Boris on one of his most popular policies is an act of electoral suicide.
http://twitter.com/sparklerpix/status/147872553980014592 Teresa

RT @leftfootfwd: What costs £1.3 million a pop and Boris hopes will get him reelected? asks @valshawcross http://t.co/HxOSDzxe
http://twitter.com/garryq/status/148017720397533184 Garryq

@wearconservativ Local tories say bringing public transport under council control is expensive. Only if tory controlled http://t.co/ipWoQRr9
http://www.leftfootforward.org/2011/12/look-left-17-12-11/ Look Left – Labour hold Feltham but deeper problems remain | Left Foot Forward

[...] for Mr Johnson, well, on Friday he launched the ‘Boris Bus’, a new Routemaster to replace the bendy bus – at £1.3 million each, five times the cost [...]
Red

How ridiculous. Boris may have many faults but this is certainly not one of them. And basing the argument of cost on the prototype buses is very misleading, with many parts still being effectively bespoke. Campaigning like this will only ever return Boris for another term, then again if the alternative is Ken, I am not sure that is a bad thing
http://twitter.com/moo_poolpunt/status/161366740389994496 Chumporn Poolpunt

RT @leftfootfwd: What costs £1.3 million a pop and Boris hopes will get him reelected? http://t.co/8DBHko2J