Sadiq Khan hikes Tube and bus fees by up to 20p as he blames government for price rise

Bus and tube fares in London are set to rise by up to 20p a journey – in yet another cost of living blow for those living in the capital.

With Londoners already facing spiraling gas bills and rising inflation, today Sadiq Khan heaped on more misery by raising prices by almost 5 per cent across the Transport for London (TfL) network.

The price hike, set to be introduced in March, will see tube pay-as-you-go fares within the capital’s central Zone 1 area increase by 10p.

But while average prices will rise by 4.8 per cent across the TfL network, the biggest hike will be on the bus and tram ‘Hopper’ fare.

The tap-on fares, which allow unlimited journeys on London buses and trams within an hour, will increase by 10p to £1.65 – a rise of 6.5 per cent.

The tap-on cap – the maximum amount a person will pay in a day in Hopper fares – will also increase by 30p to to £4.95 to match the fare hike.

TfL bosses say the price rises, the biggest in a decade, will protect services and ‘help ensure it can reach financial sustainability by 2023’. 

Meanwhile Labour mayor Mr Khan, in his announcement of the rises, blamed the Government, who he accused of ‘refusing to properly fund TfL’ during the pandemic.

In December the Government agreed a last-minute extension of its £1.6billion bailout to keep Tube and bus services running across the capital.  

Commenting on the rise, Mr Khan said: ‘Public transport should be affordable to all, and I’ve taken bold action to ensure this since I became Mayor by introducing the unlimited Hopper bus fare and freezing all TfL fares from 2016-2021 – saving the average London household over £200.

‘Since TfL’s finances were decimated by the pandemic, the Government has set strict conditions as part of the emergency funding deals to keep essential transport services running in London. 

‘We have been forced into this position by the Government and the way it continues to refuse to properly fund TfL, but I have done everything in my power to keep fares as affordable as possible.’  

It comes as TfL today announced fares on TfL services will rise by 4.8 per cent overall on March 1 – meaning most fares in the capital will increase by either 10p or 20p.

Under the plans tube pay as you go fares within Zone 1 will increase by 10p, from £2.40 to £2.50. TfL say this is their first increase since 2016. 

Meanwhile, bus and tram ‘Hopper’ fares – introduced by the Mayor and allowing unlimited journeys within an hour – will increase by 10p to £1.65.

The daily cap – the maximum amount those using buses pay in one day when using London buses – will also increase by 30p to £4.95. This is the same price as three single journeys.

Today travel groups warned the rise will disproportionately impact on lower income workers who rely on bus travel to get to and from their place of work.

Responding to today’s announcement about the fares increase on TfL services, London TravelWatch CEO, Emma Gibson commented: ‘Londoners affected by the current cost of living crisis will be disappointed to hear that bus fares are going up by almost 6.5 per cent in March, even more than the average 4.8 per cent rise across TfL services.

‘Many key workers and those on low incomes rely solely on the bus, as they can’t afford the Tube or train, and they will be hit hardest by this rise, which comes despite London TravelWatch repeatedly asking for bus fares to be kept low.’

However TfL bosses today defended the fare rises, saying they were keeping prices ‘as affordable as possible’.

Shashi Verma, Director of Strategy at TfL said: ‘This fares package aims to keep fares as affordable as possible while still ensuring TfL can continue to run clean, green and safe services and support London’s continued economic recovery.

‘Through daily and weekly capping, as well as the Hopper fare and our wide range of concessions, passengers can continue to get the best value fare by using pay as you go with contactless and Oyster.’

It comes after TfL secured a last-minute extension of its bailout to keep Tube and bus services running across the capital. 

The Department for Transport (DfT) provided £4billion in emergency funds to TfL to cover the provider’s loss of fare revenue since March 2020.

In December to the Government agreed to extend the deal until February – injection a further £113million.

A DfT spokesperson said in December: ‘The Government has repeatedly shown its commitment to supporting London’s transport network since the start of the pandemic, providing more than £4 billion in emergency funding to Transport for London.

‘In addition to the emergency funding, this year’s Spending Review settlement for London provided over a billion pounds of capital investment per year, in line with previous funding.’ 

Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, had previously said that without Government money Londoners could see a reduction of 10 per cent of Tube services, 20 per cent of bus services and more closures of the Rotherhithe Tunnel.   

Mr Khan has previously indicated that without a solution to TfL’s funding crisis, whole Tube lines could close – with the 115-year-old Bakerloo Line mooted to be axed. 

The mayor has said that he will not be able to balance TfL’s books until at least the 2024/25 financial year and has announced a cull of 500-600 staff members at mainly central London stations to bring down spending.