Labour's transport plan 'is biased against poor'

Tony Blair's anti-poverty unit will declare today that the Government's 10-year transport plan is biased in favour of the rich.

The Social Exclusion Unit will publish a long-awaited report concluding that nearly 40 per cent of public spending on transport goes to the richest 20 per cent of homes. Just over 10 per cent of government cash goes towards services for the poorest fifth of the population, many of whom depend on buses rather than trains.

The Institute for Public Policy Research think-tank says buses are the "Cinderella" of public services. The IPPR has found that although two out of three journeys on public transport are made by bus, public spending on buses is less than half that spent on trains.

Tony Grayling, associate director of the IPPR, said: "Tackling transport exclusion while reducing congestion and pollution requires more spending on bus services, pavements and traffic calming. The government is too focused on roads and railways.

"The Social Exclusion Unit report highlights the social inequality in government policy."