UK bus and rail subsidies in the "culture of openness"

The Tory-LibDem coalition continues its transparency policy on public expenditure.  RoadTransport.com reports:

As part of its new culture of openness, the government has begun publishing departmental spending each month, with figures currently available from May to September.

They show that during the five-month period, the rail freight industry was helped with subsidies to the tune of £8.5m, with Freightliner the chief beneficiary, raking in some £5.6m, followed by DB Schenker, which received £1.5m (see table, right).

In addition, the figures reveal that the government is spending around £11m each month to subsidise the bus industry as it considers it an essential service.

Although the freight transport industry has long been calling for an essential user rebate, this is unlikely given the current government spending restrictions.

The UK Department of Transport "monthly spend" website is here.