Michael Dugher MP, Labour’s Shadow Secretary of State for Transport, responding to comments by the Chief Executive of Stagecoach in The Guardian, said:

“Martin Griffiths, the chief executive of Stagecoach, is complaining about being underpaid, but he earned £2.2 million last year, including a bonus of £600,000. What planet does he live on?

“The truth is the bus barons are giving themselves massive bonuses while cutting crucial routes and hitting passengers with fare hikes. On David Cameron’s watch, over 1,300 bus routes in England have been cut and fares have risen by 25 per cent – an increase five times faster than wage growth. Now Stagecoach is trying to hold the travelling public to ransom by threatening to take their buses off the roads in the North East. It is clear that like in the energy sector, the bus market is broken.

“And Mr Griffith’s attitude once again calls into question the Government’s decision to privatise the East Coast Mainline. The public sector operator achieved top customer satisfaction ratings, established itself as one of the best train operating companies in the country, and will have returned over £1 billion to the Exchequer. Now they have privatised it and handed it over to the likes of Mr Griffiths.

“Mr Griffiths is a dinosaur and the best advert possible for Labour’s plans to give communities power over their local bus services and to ensure we can have a public sector operator for our railways.”