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In news that will gladden literally no one, it’s been announced that the price of public transport in the capital is set to see the biggest price hike in a decade. Single pay-as-you-go tube fares in Zone 1 will increase by 10p to £2.50, with increases per journey of between 10p and 30p across the rest of the Underground network. On the surface, a single bus fare will increase by 10p to £1.65 across London.
In a statement, Mayor Khan said: ‘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’s worth remembering that while this price jump seems steep, the last time Londoners experienced a bigger one was under… Boris Johnson, who, during his tenure as London Mayor, raised fares by 6 percent in 2012. In fact, while fare prices have gone up by 13 per cent since Sadiq Khan become mayor in 2016, they rose by more than 40 percent during Boris Johnson’s term in City Hall.
Either way, it’s another blow for Londoners struggling with cost-of-living inflation in the wake of Covid, and potentially something that may prove counter-productive in enticing WFH commuters back to their Zone 1 offices.
Oh, and if you’re looking for a really leftfield public transport alternative, even the Emirates Airline cable car will be affected, with single journey prices rising to £5. Sorry.
Check out this new London double-decker bus with skylights in the roof.