FIRST GROUP AND BUS RE-REGULATION

That this House condemns First Group's recent 10 per cent. increase in bus fares in Manchester; recognises that this is another example of First Group exploiting their near monopoly of services in North Manchester at the expense of the travelling public; and believes that the sooner First Group and other private bus companies have to operate in a regulated system the sooner the public will get reliability, punctuality, lower fares and better public transport and First will stop making its excessive profits.