More Flexibility for Bus Hopper Fare

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Mayor criticises rail franchise fare hikes as TfL extends price freeze

The new Hopper fare programme has been extended to allow bus users to make unlimited extra journeys within an hour of paying a fare. Extra journeys will still be free even if passengers use a tube or train within the allowed hour.

The new scheme is due to go live at the end of the month. Since the Hopper fare was introduced in September 2016 over 140 million journeys have been made benefitting from the discount.

Transport for London is also working on a software update that will allow Oyster users to benefit from weekly capping during 2018, bringing it in line with contactless ticketing.

Fares on TfL services have also been frozen until 2020. The Mayor of London has criticised rail franchises across the country who have just increased their fares by an average of 3.4 per cent.

Fares increased by more than 42 per cent in the eight years before Sadiq Khan became Mayor, but four million journeys a day across London are the same price as they were in 2016. By 2020, TfL say this will have saved the average London household around £200.

The Mayor has written to Paul Plummer, chief executive of the Rail Delivery Group, with Mr Khan expressing his disappointment at this year's 3.4 per cent increase in fares and challenging them to do better for the good of all rail passengers.

Sadiq Khan, said, 'It is simply not right that millions of rail passengers face eye-watering fare hikes today after suffering 12 months of delays, cancellations and disruption. Commuters have been hit with fare increases of around 5.5 per cent in the last two years while their cost of living also continues to rise. It's time for the government and private rail companies to step up and give the passengers the service they deserve at a price they deserve. We've shown them it can be done - my TfL fares freeze is helping millions of Londoners every single day while we maintain a much better service, and I'm delighted that they'll save even more when the popular Hopper fare goes unlimited from the end of the month.'

Critics of the fare freeze claim that the reduction in revenue for TfL has led to an accelerated program of ticket office closures and a slowing of the upgrade of track and signalling on the Underground.

 

January 3, 2018