Liz Kendall, Labour MP for Leicester West, highlights the pressures Christmas can bring:
Local buses are a lifeline for many of my constituents. People rely on buses to get to and from work. Students depend on them for school or college. Buses take patients to hospital, ferry shoppers into town and are essential for many older people to get out and about instead of being stuck at home.
Yet too often, local bus services let people down. My constituents get infuriated when a service stops at 6pm or doesn't run on a Sunday.
Rip-off fares make some trips unaffordable and it's really frustrating that you can't use the same day ticket across different bus companies.
I know the system isn't working when I look out of my office to see empty buses queuing down Narborough Road at the same time as my constituent, Joe Carroll, is on the phone telling me that the bus has once again failed to turn up on time in Braunstone Frith.
Last year, I backed my constituent, Janet Statham, and the 400 people who signed her petition to try and save the 302 service, which was run by Centrebus.
It connected the city centre with Beaumont Leys, Narborough Road, Braunstone and New Parks. Unfortunately, we didn't succeed and the 302 was axed because the company said that it was no longer profitable.
The situation is getting worse as companies axe more routes and reduce their timetables.
Across the country, funding for bus services has been slashed by 17 per cent in three years, 1,300 routes have been cut and fares have risen five times faster than wages.
This isn't just bad news for bus users, it's bad news for taxpayers too: the Competition Commission says failures in the bus market cost the economy up to £300 million every year.
Budgets are tight, so the answer isn't to throw more money at the problem but to look at what works in other parts of the country.
I've argued for years that Leicester should have the same powers over local transport as they do in London. When I'm in Westminster I see the huge difference this makes.
I use my Oyster card across the buses, trains and tube; the buses are cheaper and more frequent; there's real time information at bus stops and many buses run through the night.
No wonder over the past 20 years the number of bus journeys inside London has gone up by 105 per cent but those outside the capital have gone down by 37 per cent. What's good enough for London should be good enough for Leicester.
That's why a Labour Government would legislate to give our city more powers over public transport so we can get faster, more frequent and affordable bus services.
This includes greater powers over bus routes and fares and to ensure bus services are properly joined up with other forms of transport.
Buses help people work and boost the economy, and support communities by helping people keep in contact with one another. Let's make these services work for us all.
If You would like to contact Liz Kendall MP, telephone 0116 204 4980 or e-mail her at:
liz.kendall.mp@parliament.uk
