И. А. Курбасова Е. И. Силантьева

TEXT 11. MINIBUS SERVICE PROPOSED FOR LONDON
A project of operating 400 minibuses as a new mode of public transport has been recently proposed in London. The minibuses could partly solve the problem of London's hard-pressed public services.

It is planned to introduce four routes of about 29 km with minibuses running at intervals between two and four minutes throughout the day. The minibuses can stop when and where passengers want. Some preliminary calculations show that the minibus service will be extremely economical.

However, as soon as the project had been proposed, it became an object of criticism from the competing London organizations. To begin with, the opponents say that the previous predictions were not correct. Then they claim that the minibuses will consume more fuel than it was expect­ed. Besides, it is difficult to predict the possible effects this transport will have on traffic congestion.

But the idea of the minibus service does have its sup­porters who believe that minibuses will improve the quality and quantity of public transport.