Caroline's news

Commenting on the news that the project to deliver "new Routemaster" buses will have put only four new buses on the streets by the end of May, Caroline Pidgeon told the Evening Standard:

"The Mayor has repeatedly made misleading claims about the new London bus. Initially he claimed that the research and development costs would be picked up privately, but we soon discovered that it would be taxpayers who would foot the massive bill.

"The starting date for the first bus operating on London's roads was then delayed. Now we find out that the repeated promise of eight of these buses operating in London by the end of May is set to be broken as well.

"It is time Boris Johnson stopped writing newspaper columns about the new London bus and instead gave clear answers about why this expensive project is not matching the promises he has made to Londoners."

Read the full story in the Evening Standard.

Caroline Pidgeon, Leader of the Liberal Democrat London Assembly Group, commenting on the Mayor’s response to her questions about his plans to implement the three key policies of the London Cycling Campaign’s Love London, Go Dutch campaign, said:

“The Mayor might have signed up to the London Cycling Campaign Love London, Go Dutch campaign but there is a huge gap between his pledge and actual delivery on the ground.

Talking to the Evening Standard about the news that Transport for London has delayed the introduction of "wave and pay" facilities for credit and debit cards on the Tube, Caroline Pidgeon commented:

“No one is against new technology but the delayed start of Wave and Pay is a great opportunity to ensure the new technology works properly from day one of its introduction.

“At the same time the Mayor and TfL must ensure that whenever it starts people who decide to stick with Oyster ‘pay as you go’ don’t get penalised with higher fares.”

Caroline Pidgeon, leader of the Liberal Democrat London Assembly Group and chair of the London Assembly Transport Committee, commenting on new proposals from Transport for London to allow Oyster card users to check their accounts online and to allow Oyster customers to submit refund applications online, said:

“These improvements are welcome and indeed long overdue. Last year alone passengers using Oyster Pay As You Go were wrongly charged maximum fares totalling over £66 million.

Writing for the London Loves Business website, Caroline Pidgeon points to the opportunities the Olympics provide for fresh thinking about flexible working - which could have a lasting impact on making London a better place to live and work.

Caroline says: