05.07.13
Baker to end bustitution
The Government is to put an end to the practice of rail companies profiting from ‘bustitution’, rail minister Norman Baker is to announce.
When bus replacement services are put on, the rail companies who own those bus companies can collect the Bus Service Operators Grant, as well as compensation from Network Rail when engineering forces the closure of the track.
The move could save the taxpayer £2m, the Telegraph reported.
Baker said: “I have been pushing for some time to end this highly questionable practice.
"It is simply not right that the public purse has been subsidising these replacement services when Network Rail already offers compensation when trains are not running.
“When rail passengers buy a train ticket they expect to see a train not a bus, and I would hope this change would push train operating companies to reduce further their over reliance on buses and give passengers exactly what they have paid for.”
The responsibility for how the Grant will be spent will be devolved to local authorities.
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