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My bus plans will cost £100m, admits blundering Boris
Paul Waugh, Deputy Political Editor16.04.08
Boris Johnson has admitted the cost of his plans for new Routemasters will be more than £100 million after being caught out in a Labour sting.
The Tory candidate let slip the figure as he was asked by an apparent member of the public exactly how much it would cost to implement his replacement for bendy buses.
As he campaigned in Edgware he told the woman "500 new Routemasters would cost about £100 million" - not realising she was in fact a Labour activist and that their exchange was being filmed by another Ken Livingstone campaigner on mobile phone.
Moments later, anxious aides were asking him what he'd said to the woman and a flustered Mr Johnson admitted that he had used the £100 million figure.
He told aides: "They asked what are the costs of the new buses, and I said it would be about £100 million which is about, you know, 500 times 25. They will now go away and say that I'm going to spend £100 million on new buses."
The Tory candidate had originally only given an £8 million estimate for the cost of conductors on his alternative to Ken Livingstone's "bendy buses". Transport for London put the total cost of his proposals at £112 million and independent analysts said it would be nearer £100 million. Labour claims the funding black hole would mean Mr Johnson would have to raise bus fares.
But Mr Johnson's figures appeared to be mired in confusion. His "500 times 25" remark appears to refer to the cost of 500 buses, each with a conductor cost of £25,000. That would mean a total conductor cost of £12.5 million, as opposed to the £8 million estimate he has made.
The reason for the increased costs is that he now assumes he will have to replace the current 337 bendy bus fleet with 500 of his new vehicles, largely because a bendy bus carries more passengers than a double-decker bus.
The admission is the first evidence of the Livingstone campaign's new "citizen journalism" tactics - where its supporters use US techniques to record embarrassing comments by opponents and then post them on the internet.
Last night, Mr Johnson was forced to issue a statement that clarified his position and claimed his proposals would still be cheaper than the £143 million cost of the 500 hybrid petrol-electric buses Mr Livingstone was planning to introduce.
He said: "I believe Londoners want safer transport. That is why I have pledged to introduce a new Routemaster bus with conductors. When asked, I explained the cost of conductors would be £8 million. I am confident that new Routemaster buses and conductors can be delivered for £100 million, saving Londoners money while providing the safer bus network they deserve."
But Minister for London Tessa Jowell said: "Boris Johnson has been caught out admitting that his bus policy would cost £100 million more than he originally told us. For Londoners, that means an extra £2 a week on a weekly bus pass.
"Even Boris Johnson doesn't believe the figures he has been opportunistically touting around for weeks.
"In the era of the camera phone, you can't get away with saying one thing in debates and another on the street. Boris Johnson is finding out that unfunded pledges won't wash with Londoners."
Reader views (27)
Here's a sample of the latest views published.
Having Routemasters with conductors will save millions by stopping fare evaders.
It's been estimated that £1 million a week is lost due to fare evasion in London. Some of this no doubt is due to Ken's bendy-buses, but lax standards are also to blame.
Conductors would stop this.
Boris also plans to cut down on PR and expensive transport advisors (Ken employs expensive people who admit doing little for the money, while giving TfL bosses huge bonuses despite their failure to meet targets).
So we at least know where the money would come from if Boris is elected.
Meanwhile, why isn't the Evening Standard pointing out Ken Livingstone's failure to say where the money for his proposed new Envirobuses will come from?
- Robert Cunningham, Harrow, London, UK
I'm afraid that Boris really shouldn't be allowed out on his own as he epitomises the word 'incompetent'.
- Raoul, London, UK
Talking of Boris Johnson giving one figure whilst thinking of another, can Tessa Jowell please confirm the Olympics are still going to cost £2.5bn
- Louis, Guildford
We should stand up for Boris. So what if he has no grasp of detail and his management experience is limited to editing the Spectator magazine. He is a jolly funny chap and will be an inspiring ambassador for London.
- Martin Clerkenwell, London
Really, anyone who votes for Boris shouldn't be allowed to vote in the first place. I'm absolutely serious, a rotting cabbage would make as good a go of the job as that cretin would and anyone who can't see how terrible he is doesn't deserve to have a say in the democratic process. The Conservatives have failed us completely by putting the man forward as their candidate when there are so many more able ones in their ranks who could have proven a far better and more worthy opponent.
- Edie, North London
I'd love to film an embarrassing moment of Ken Livingstone's but he never comes to Sutton.
- Paul, Sutton
Nu-Labour are such a bunch of hypocrites - spend spend spend on racial advisors and trips to Cuba but as soon as a Tory wants to improve the infrastructure we haven't got the money. Grow up.
- Robin, London
Boris Johnson plays the fool, this just shows that he is a fool. Unfortunately for us he will probably be the next Mayor of London.
- Mick, London, England
We already have modern version of a Routemaster - its called - Double decker bus.
- Eric, London
Rather the truth before the act than lieing to us stating they will cost £2B and when elected they cost £12B like the Olympics and every other lie perpetrated by this administration.
- Den, London
The Routemaster is a nice bus, and much more convenient for boarding and departure than the present lot. But is that convenience worth scrapping the buses that have already been bought, and the £100 million? Surely there are better things to spend the money on?
Boris is acting like he is the class clown at a rather posh public school. The only problem is, being Mayor is a serious job, London isn't a public school, and most people aren't posh.
- Christian, West Sussex
Boris' policy positions flop about more than his hair. First he was against the C-charge, now he is in favour of it. Then he says new routemasters with conductors cost £8 million, then it turns out he lied and it will cost over £100 million. He was against the Kyoto treaty, now is in favour of it.
Wake up London, do you really want this man to run a bath, let alone London?
- Martin Michaels, London
A politician tells the truth and you say he's blundered -he was being honest with someone whom he thought was a genuine member of the public - that gets my vote. I want Routemasters back on London streets, and to see the demise of bendy buses, which have been a costly mistake.
- Philip, London
No doubt these Labour activists are on the taxpayers payroll as well....will they stop at nothing - their tactics say everything about Ken and Labour and they cannot even see it. Anyway who cares - buses cost money whether routemaster or bendy bus. The difference is the Routemaster makes sense for London and the bendy bus does not. Also it would be nice if we spend our taxpayers money on an English made product and not a Mercedes
- Simon, London
Does the £100m include the development costs of the vehicles, seeing as there isn't any such bus as a "new Routemaster" at the moment?
- Roy Stilling, Gillingham, Kent
I'd rather he spent £100M on new Routemasters than another penny on minority ethnic interests.
- Squiz, Islington
So what: that's what Red Ken spends on his staff and trips to Cuba/ Venezuela/ China etc. in a week! At least it would improve London Transport, and it just is to compensate for the stupid cancellation of Red Ken. He cancelled them a few years ago!
- Peteo, London, NW1,
This is hilarious, look at the end of the clip when Boris realises he's made an awful mistake, he's a bumbling fumbling fool! "Anxious aides" - guffaw, the man can't open his mouth without putting his foot in it!
Strangely, when Ken raised that Spectator article, Boris claimed he never wrote what was cited:
Contrast our treatment of the Union Flag, which is endlessly being cited in racial harassment cases,
Err, when? When was the flag cited in a racial harrassment case?
“When is someone going to get 18th century on Islam's mediaeval ass?”
“The trouble with this disgusting arrogance and condescension is that it is widely supported in Koranic texts”
Those quotes were written by Boris and published in The Spectator.
I for one agree with what Ken Livingstone said. Of course we should know whether the mayor can represent everyone in London.
London is a very multicultural city - 1 in 3 is of an ethnic background and 1 in 7 is a Muslim.
If someone says Islam is the problem and Islamophobia is a natural reaction than how do you think people who practice that faith will take it?
Will it endear them to Boris or Londoners or push them further away and alienate them?
To tackle terrorism, we need those people, pushing them away will make our lives more dangerous. Comments like these from Boris - he has got form on this whether it be blacks/Muslims/Liverpudlians- will balkanise London and make it more dangerous and precarious.
- Dr Susan Porter, London
Old Jowell has a nerve criticising other people for being wrong with figures. And at least Boris admitted the mistake, which is quite novel for people used to being ruled by arrogant Stalinist dictatorships.
- Helen, norwich
Doesn't matter, I would much rather Boris spend the money on Routemasters unlike Ken who squanders our taxes on 'focus groups' for immigrants or visits to third world dictators.
- Kyle, London
And there is surely nothing wrong with the Mayor's team doing this? When the Tory contender put out his uncoated statement about Routemasters, we too fairly easily in our role on the London Assembly holding the Mayor to account checked the figures and put out out a statement making clear that even the Mayor's estimate might be a bit low, but was drawn from the only logical course of argument. In theory, there are 9 Tories on the London Assembly who could have corrected this privately or publicly. But they didn't. My group, the One London Group, does not have some monopoly on the information. If ever there is a case for the London Assembly seeing as many small parties as possible elected on May 1st, this is it. Smaller parties are in a stronger position to be objective in their areas of expertise and interest. Neither are they held back by party hierarchies at headquarters which effectively tell Tory and Labour Assembly Members to support superiors in their parties who are publicly claiming black is white. Or just to keep quiet.
- Damian Hockney Am, London
Underhand tactics are more deplorable to me than unfunded pledges to be honest.
- Oli, London
This just highlights how grubby Ken and his lackeys really are.
- Jason Dewar, Dunmow, UK
It could just be me, but does anyone really care whether it's 10 or 100 million, if the end result is to bring back the Routemaster and stop people being killed or injured with alarming regularity by bendy buses, it's surely worth it?
So what if Boris got his sums wrong, I'd take someone who admits his error over someone who gets his team to lie for him so he doesn't have to come clean...
- St, London
I'd rather spend £100m on buses than £20bn on the Olympics.
- Nobby Clark, Perth, Scotland
£2 a week for new routemasters... Yes Please.
Besides, with proper management of county hall, I'd be surprised if they could not find £100m in savings within hours of taking office.
- Jon Taylor, Blackheath, London
Isn't the real issue, which Boris is addressing, the fact that he is going to make savings to meet these costs. The fare evasion on bendy buses is about £50m per year and there are more spin doctors working for the Mayor than the Prime Minister. He is not going to put £2 a week on a bus pass. He is going to get rid of all the useless civil servants working at city hall to clear up the congestion that bendy buses cause and put conductors on the buses to cut crime and to stop fare evasion. Sorry but I don't think this is a real story. Ken is just desperately trying to tarnish Boris.
- Louise, Walworth, London
