THIS summer has seen public transport move up the news agenda — the climate crisis highlights the urgent need to reduce reliance on fossil fuels and to have a strong public transport infrastructure; strikes by RMT, Aslef and Unite are showing how vital our front-line services are in keeping Britain moving and supporting the economy; and the cost-of-living crisis means that our buses and trains are crucial not only to get people to work and to the shops, and to enable them to visit friends and family, but also as places of light and warmth.  

It is shocking that this should be the case, but it was happening last winter, and is bound to increase this autumn as energy costs soar and real incomes drop. 

Our services are already under pressure, with news of companies closing and routes being reduced across Britain.

In London, there has been a huge impact following lockdown, when Transport for London revenues fell dramatically. London’s transport system has one of the lowest levels of government support in the world compared with other major capitals and has been very heavily reliant on passenger fares.  

Naturally, usage has fallen with people working from home and travel restrictions for tourists, and it will take time for them to rise.  

The government has provided some short-term funding to keep services going, but there is still no long-term settlement and there are rumours of new strings being attached in terms of cuts to services, significant increases in fares and attacks on terms and conditions of transport workers.

Outside of London, the situation is even worse in many places, but the solution is to improve systems overall, not a race to the bottom.

As a result of the lack of investment from government, there are presently threats to axe 250 London buses, and 16 routes across the capital, with a devastating impact on jobs and services.

Yesterday and today, Unite members working on the London Underground and Overground join colleagues from other unions to take action over a 3 per cent pay offer, following a freeze last year — in real terms a significant pay cut over two years.

More than 1,600 Unite bus workers employed by London United are staging pay strikes at the same time.

Our public transport workers were on the front line during the first two years of the Covid pandemic — keeping essential services going. Tragically, a number paid with their lives and they will not be forgotten.

In some other countries, governments are responding to the cost-of-living crisis by making public transport available very cheaply — benefiting household budgets and local economies.  

These schemes are popular and are encouraging more people to use public transport regularly. Instead, we have a Tory government attempting to make London transport less reliable and more expensive for passengers, and to make it a worse place to work as well.

The London bus campaign shows how it is possible to bring together communities and trade unionists and engage a wide coalition in fighting for decent services.  

London-wide, Unite members have contacted their local MPs, written to the local press, talked to passengers on buses, organised marches and told people about how to respond to the consultation.   

There has been support from some Labour councils and Greater London Authority members, and campaign groups have brought together older people, young people, disabled people and those who rely on the bus for essential journeys, as well as trade union reps and politicians.

There has been strong support from the public — at a recent march from Manor House to Wood Green, Saturday shoppers took leaflets and applauded those taking action, and there has been a very high volume of written responses to Transport for London’s consultation exercise. 

The Tories have tried to divide striking workers from the wider public, but in reality we have common cause and it is vital that we build practical solidarity with disputes.  

The general public can now see very clearly that there are huge profits being made in a number of industries, while workers are getting real-term pay cuts and customers are paying higher and higher prices.  

We have a rare opportunity to hear strong trade union voices on the news and the reception for people like RMT leader Mick Lynch has been amazing.  

Decades of austerity have already cut services to the bone, and meant that real wages have fallen, and so we are in a worse position than we have been in living memory.  

Many workers have high levels of debt, rents are rising and our social security system and pensions no longer offer any security.

There is real fear as well as anger in communities at the moment, as every day brings worse projections for inflation. Local solidarity provision is under strain — for example, foodbanks are struggling as donations are dropping while demand is escalating. 

There is a need for radical solutions which offer genuine change and which are focused on how we ensure that everyone has the basic essentials for a decent life.

It’s extremely encouraging to see trade unions and community groups coming together, and the development of inclusive campaigns which defend the working class in its entirety.  

We cannot sit by while our communities are under attack — we can and must combine forces to take action and support each other. Solidarity with all those taking action and giving hope to their communities. Together we can win.