Transport: Bus and rail complaints soar

The level of complaints from bus and train passengers in the London area is soaring, according to figures released yesterday. Complaints in the area inside the M25 between October and December 1996 rose 12.4 per cent compared with the same period in 1995 and were more than 30 per cent up on the previous three months, statistics from the London Regional Passengers' Committee, the passenger watchdog, disclosed.

Refunds and claims topped the list of complaints from main-line passengers, whereas fares and ticketing were Tube travellers biggest gripes. Bus passengers complained most about staff conduct. The pressure group Save Our Railways described the complaints level as providing "another hammer blow to the credibility of rail privatisation".

Jonathan Bray, a spokesman for the group, said: "London's rail passengers have given their verdict on rail privatisation. That verdict is a resounding thumbs down."

Of the total complaints in the final quarter of last year, 47 per cent related to main-line rail, nearly 33 per cent related to buses, and more than a fifth to London Underground.