• Question by: Bob Blackman
• Meeting date: 05 December 2007

I listened to your comments about the requirement to do the Metropolitan Line, which runs right the way through my constituency. Obviously one of the concerns that most people have is that, in some way, shape or form, the various different station upgrades and improvements to the line are going to be delayed or even worse, postponed. Can you give us a guarantee now about when the work will be carried out, or whether that will be included within this Metronet review?

• Question by: Bob Blackman
• Meeting date: 05 December 2007

One of the considerations that I would like you to take away, and I do not expect an answer now, is about the timings on the Metropolitan Line trains on the signboards that seem to have disappeared because no one can rely on them. The fact that trains are due to appear is listed now, but without the actual time delay and it appears because of frequent breakdowns and problems that we have got on the rolling stock, that that is what is happening and a lot of commuters are concerned about that.

• Question by: Peter Hulme Cross
• Meeting date: 05 December 2007

Absolutely, so it is going to go ahead? This idea that it had been abandoned is not true?

• Question by: Bob Blackman
• Meeting date: 05 December 2007

In the spring. Is that the spring of next year or 2009 or later?

• Question by: Bob Blackman
• Meeting date: 05 December 2007

Have you got any idea when we will actually hear when this will all happen?

• Question by: Roger Evans
• Meeting date: 05 December 2007

It is not actually 3% of total revenue; it is something else?

• Question by: Roger Evans
• Meeting date: 05 December 2007

You mentioned the fare evasion rate; what is it?

• Question by: Roger Evans
• Meeting date: 05 December 2007

Right, so the sort of ticket that is bought?

• Question by: Murad Qureshi
• Meeting date: 05 December 2007

I just want to go back to the visit we made to the stop on the 25 bus on Romford Road, organised for the Transport Committee. Interestingly enough, over the three hours, you are quite right, 2,500 passengers were checked. I think that mostly what was found was irregularities rather than evasion because certainly no one did a runner during all the time we were there. I was just wondering whether the emphasis should be different as a result and also the complexity of the whole policing set-up, because there was TOCU there, BOCU (Borough Operational Command Unit), British Transport...

• Question by: Bob Blackman
• Meeting date: 05 December 2007

The reason I raised that is that the number 18 bus route that runs through my constituency carries two million passengers a year, or thereabouts. In a recent exercise over 100 people were caught in an hour, without having paid a proper fare. That suggests that anecdotal evidence that people just do not bother paying if they get on the rear portion of those buses is borne out by reality, and if there is a concentration on routes such as that, it must reduce the amount of money that is evaded. Would you not agree that is a useful way...