Exactly this.
The X5 is still the main service to Buckingham (which EWR doesn't serve), and provides a direct connection between Bedford and Milton Keynes (which EWR won't). It's also a long-established service. When buses are cheaper, or free for pensioners, they can still attract a decent number of passengers. I don't believe the X5 will disappear at all, although it might be reduced to hourly, like the X95 was between Edinburgh and Galashiels following the opening of the Borders Railway.
This is different, as it's effectively replacing one tax - fuel duty - with another.
It could also be split in Buckingham into a slightly less express Buckingham - Oxford and a similar Buckingham - Milton Keynes - Bedford as today. That might make it cheaper to run, or not depending on which depots were used. I'd rather it stayed similar to now personally but the bus industry is probably in for a rude awakening.
Much of the off peak service has already been reduced to hourly (in some cases for a second time in September, after being restored to half-hourly).
Thats not going to stop the conspiracy theorists (and people with genuine privacy concerns) being really against them. I wouldnt even be suprised if most the blade runners have compliant vehichles themselves, its not about the 10 quid.
Not to mention people clocking their cars to reduce mileage
It's unlikely anything will be confirmed before the budget - in any case that's what was given as a clear answer (for a politician) in last week's transport questions.
One thing people are against, I think, are too many different forms of taxation. Personally, I think it's rather loopy that, for instance:
I once had a not quite flat battery result in the odometer resetting to zero.
I don't think many people have genuine privacy concerns, though. They certainly wouldn't if they understood the huge amount of data that is already being collected. Take, for instance, the infrastructure used to work out the 'shadow tolls' charged for PFI-constructed motorways.
I think that's probably the most likely outcome, £2 fares increasing upwards to £2.50 or £3. This would, in turn, allow day tickets to go back up to the £5 mark that most of them were charged at pre-covid.
I mean past abuses dont excuse, plus the goverment has a much poorer reccord with data breaches than someome like google that also snoop heavily.
The only way you can toll for the exact mileage used is by installing the equipment on the car. The idea of a network of cameras tracking your every move is fanciful, and not just in rural areas. Even the congestion charge zone and the ULEZ zone in London doesn't have a camera on every street. Those swivel-eyed loons spray-painting the cameras achieve nothing, as another camera will get you later in the day and you only need to be snapped once.
That would be another big political battle that the current goverment who is obssessed with not rocking the boat is not going to fight
Though if you don't toll local roads, you'll end up with drivers driving through towns and villages to avoid the tolls.
Out of interest, how do you feel the revenue currently extracted via fuel duty and the associated VAT can be recovered once the majority aren't buying their fuel in a way that can easily be taxed?
Maybe, but if your tolled road takes a fraction of the time and is in much better condition then at least a decent percentage will choose that option. It all depends of the level of the toll really. As per my earlier post it probably needs to average 6-7p a mile to replace fuel duty on a one for one basis.
To my mind that is just another argument for moving to PR. It's too difficult to bring in much needed reform under FPTP as anyone who tries knows they'll likely be out as the rewards won't be obvious until well after the next election. At least with PR a drastic swing in the makeup of government is less likely, so the less popular reforms might have some chance.
This doesn't seem to happen all that much in France. I guess that's partly because French drivers know the autoroute is highly reliable though.
The protests about ULEZ have been massively overstated in the right wing press.
My understanding was that EWR would serve Milton Keynes. But whether it has available capacity before HS2 opens, I don't know.
Why do you assume its going to be equitable rather than whats politically easier to collect, our taxation is far from perfectly progressive. Why do you also assume the funding shortfall isnt going to be responded to with borrowing or austerity. Theres so many options other than the alleged inevitbility of road pricing. Not to mention EVs are going to create savings by removing lots of the externalities of ICE , combined with road accident rates that will likely further decline with reduced car use and automatic safety systems
The core of EWR will have two service patterns:
Road pricing may make sense, but if it is done on the basis of paying for roads it will still leave a large revenue gap. In recent years total spending on roads has been less than one third of motor tax revenues.
The ULEZ within inner London (i.e. within the north and south circulars) caused barely a murmur.
It does, but charging more at peak time also seems logical, other than it then becomes a 'tax on working people' is some eyes.
