Socialist paradise

[Tubby Isaacs]

A loose use of "socialist", but no irony intended about the "paradise". This place sounds fantastic:

http://www.newstatesman.com/international-politics/2009/06/hasselt-british-city-socialist

It's obvious that for Chomskian reasons, I haven't heard much about this place in the media. But I'm surprised it's never been mentioned here before.

Also, free public transport sounds like such an obvious policy, but I've only heard of it done here and in Bologna (and in some campaigning in Manchester, by opponents of the Congestion Charge). Any other places you know about?

[Anton Gramscescu]

Socialist paradise

Yes, Chomsky's always banging on about how the Man suppresses news from Belgium.

[Guest]

Socialist paradise

Didn't Ken(Livingstone) try or want to make the tubes(or public transport) free, back in the '80's when he led the GLC?

[Tubby Isaacs]

Socialist paradise

They were very cheap, but never got to be free. Don't know if that was the plan.

[Spearmint Rhino]

Socialist paradise

Hence Bananarama's protest song "Give Us Back Our Cheap Fares" when the GLC got dismantled.

[Gangster Octopus]

Socialist paradise

The Socialist Republic Of South Yorkshire had incredibly cheap fares until it was abolished in 1986 for not voting Tory. When I first started using the bus from Rotherham to Sheffield (and back) in the early seventies, it cost 11p. By the time I'd moved to London in the eighties, it'd changed. To 10p. 'Cos they rationalised the fares to be multiples of 5p...

[Anton Gramscescu]

Socialist paradise

Cities with Free Public Transport

You know, it's just occurred to me - maybe Chomsky *has* been going on about the suppression of news from Belgium and I just don't know about it because the MSM has been suppressing this information. It's possible, you know.

[Brandenburger Toro]

Socialist paradise

Munchkin wrote:

Didn't Ken(Livingstone) try or want to make the tubes(or public transport) free, back in the '80's when he led the GLC?

Seriously, what is the point of putting brackets around "Livingstone"? Is it solely to give me a migraine, or did you think there was some nuance of meaning that would be lost by giving his surname in the usual fashion that you nevertheless had to balance with the possibility that your reader wouldn't know which Ken you meant?

[Tubby Isaacs]

Socialist paradise

Cheers, AG.

When I see the 10p fares in South Yorkshire, I can't understand why they didn't make them free. I assume there were conductors on the buses taking this pittance, or drivers having to do it, as well as drive, which has always struck me as a harsh. If I were a driver I wouldn't want to carry cash.

Was there some wariness after the court case re London?

[Gangster Octopus]

Socialist paradise

The only conductors were on the 69; the main Rotherham-Sheffield bus. There had been talk about making them completely free, but the theory was that it would be either illegal or unworkable 'cos of the various health and safety* laws. I can't remember which, as all this was nearly thirty years ago.

* Should that be "health and safety" or "Health and Safety"?

[Tubby Isaacs]

Socialist paradise

Elf n Safety

[Tubby Isaacs]

Socialist paradise

And that was only invented in 1997.

[Gangster Octopus]

Socialist paradise

Must've been PCGM then...

[Guest]

Socialist paradise

Toro: Count On It wrote:

Munchkin wrote:

Didn't Ken(Livingstone) try or want to make the tubes(or public transport) free, back in the '80's when he led the GLC?

Seriously, what is the point of putting brackets around "Livingstone"? Is it solely to give me a migraine, or did you think there was some nuance of meaning that would be lost by giving his surname in the usual fashion that you nevertheless had to balance with the possibility that your reader wouldn't know which Ken you meant?

For an educated? man you have literacy issues....

[EIM]

Socialist paradise

[Gangster Octopus]

Socialist paradise

But, but, but they're both black...

[Uncle Ethan]

Socialist paradise

Perth has free buses in the City centre.

[Houdi Elbow]

Socialist paradise

The only conductors were on the 69; the main Rotherham-Sheffield bus. There had been talk about making them completely free, but the theory was that it would be either illegal or unworkable 'cos of the various health and safety* laws. I can't remember which, as all this was nearly thirty years ago.

Wasn't the City Clipper free at one stage?

I remember paying 2p for journeys when I was at school - the maximum U16 fare was 4p. The buses were driver only and had ticket machines that made an imprint of the coins you paid with on the ticket (and you try and tell the young people of today that...)

[Gangster Octopus]

Socialist paradise

Houdi Elbow wrote:

Wasn't the City Clipper free at one stage?

Was that the bendy-bus? If so, yes, 'cos for some reason it wasn't possible back then to licence a bendy-bus for public usage. Summat to do with it being considered an articulated vehicle.

[Houdi Elbow]

Socialist paradise

That's the one - I didn't know about the licence.

[Guy Profumo]

Socialist paradise

Houdi Elbow wrote:

The only conductors were on the 69; the main Rotherham-Sheffield bus. There had been talk about making them completely free, but the theory was that it would be either illegal or unworkable 'cos of the various health and safety* laws. I can't remember which, as all this was nearly thirty years ago.

Wasn't the City Clipper free at one stage?

I remember paying 2p for journeys when I was at school - the maximum U16 fare was 4p. The buses were driver only and had ticket machines that made an imprint of the coins you paid with on the ticket (and you try and tell the young people of today that...)

Yep.

The famous "bendi-buses".

It's only recently their replacement - the FreeBee - has been reintroduced.

[Brandenburger Toro]

Socialist paradise

Leeds has a very useful free bus service shuttling around the city centre, in addition to the more standard paid suburban services.

[Guy Profumo]

Socialist paradise

As does Manchester.