TfL nets an extra £51m from London commuters despite fare freeze
London commuters will pay an extra £51m in fares next year, despite Sadiq Khan’s fare freeze.
Figures from the mayor of London show that daily, weekly, monthly and annual travel cards will rise 2.8 per cent over the next year, raising £51m in revenue for TfL.
Read more: Sadiq Khan confirms 2020 TfL fare freeze for individual trips
This is despite Khan’s confirmation on Monday that fares would be frozen in 2020 for a fourth consecutive year.
Fares for daily, weekly, monthly and annual Travelcards also rose in the first three years of the freeze.
TfL predicts the fare freeze will bring in a further £19m in revenue in 2020 by encouraging more people to use public transport.
A spokesperson for Khan said the increase on Travelcards was beyond the mayor’s control as prices are set by the train operating companies in line with the yearly retail price index (RPI).
“Alongside his £1.50 Hopper fare – which allows people unlimited changes on bus and tram journeys for free within an hour – the mayor is making transport more affordable for millions of Londoners,” the spokesperson said.
“In stark contrast, when he was Tory Mayor, Boris Johnson increased TfL fares by 42 per cent.
“Since 2016, the Tory Government has allowed national rail fares to increase by more than 10 per cent, despite all the overcrowding and delays.”
Under the new pricing system, a daily zone 1-4 Travelcard will increase by 40p to £13.50, while a zones 1-6 card will increase by 50p to £19.10.
Meanwhile, a zone 1-4 weekly card will increase by £1.40 to £51.90 and a zone 1-6 by £1.80 to £66.
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Conservative 2020 mayoral candidate Shaun Bailey said Khan is “not being honest with Londoners”.
“His so-called fares freeze is a fares fraud, costing 4.5 million commuters an extra 2.8 per cent to travel from January,” he said.