New rules allowing councils to regulate bus fares and frequencies come into effect this week – but passengers in Cambridgeshire won’t see the benefit!

Councils in Sheffield and West Yorkshire are taking advantage of changes in the law introduced by the Labour government so that their citizens get a better regulated system, similar to that used in London.

 Cambridge Labour Parliamentary candidate Daniel Zeichner says that a monopoly operator like Stagecoach in Cambridge is in a dominant position, and is critical of the failure of local councils to use the new powers on offer from Labour:

 Daniel, a member of Labour’s Policy Commission on Transport who campaigned for these changes in a speech to the 2006 Labour Party Conference, says:

“It is no good local councillors complaining about Stagecoach when they continue to resist using the powers that the Labour government offers. I have been involved for many years in lobbying the government to extend these powers, and I’m delighted that this work has finally come to fruition this week. I don’t blame Stagecoach for resisting attempts to limit their power, that is only to be expected, but I think that disgruntled local passengers will continue to wonder why their local councils don’t stand up for them.”