Mizter T wrote:

Continuing his drive for 'taxpayer value' Mayor Boris has announced
that companies will have the opportunity to sponsor bus stops and
advertise their wares on-board buses via the PA system - e.g. "alight
here for the Harrod's Half-Price sale, where a pack of Harrod's HB
pencils can now be yours for under a hundred pounds". Rumours that
companies might be allowed to sponsor entire routes have not been
denied.

That's daft. It's not daft just to announce the next stop, however, in
fact it's very useful if you're on a crowded bus in the rain and can't
see out clearly.

It does have to be mentioned IIRC that the Viacom Tube advertising
contract (which includes the digital moving display stuff) apparently
paid for the bus fares to be kept down to 90p. If Boris wants to use
advertising revenue to keep fares down, that's fine by me, but
everything that's come out says he's going to put fares up above
inflation every year, so presumably you'll pay more to get blasted with
advertising. Add that to the complete lack of investment in developing
new projects and I think we're in the process of being taken for a ride
here - it's not as if TfL is even funded by London taxpayers, it's
general taxation subsidy plus fare income. If Conservative policy is
that they're not interested in creating a better transport system why
are the fares going up? Is Boris under orders to hand back some of the
£40bn TfL settlement to a future Conservative Chancellor for national
tax cuts, or something?

Tom