London Mayor Sadiq Khan is freezing all fares on Transport for London services until 2025, City Hall announced this morning.
All aboard: London Mayor Sadiq Khan will pay for the TfL fares freeze out of business rates
Mayor Khan’s office says people could save up to £90 a year under the plans, part of a £123million investment in the capital’s transport services which also includes extra money used to resolve the long-running industrial dispute with Tube train drivers and their union ASLEF.
The London mayoral elections are on May 2.
It is the fifth time since Labour’s Khan has been London Mayor that he has frozen the capital’s fares, while tickets on national rail services under Government control continue to soar. TfL fares would be 14% higher had the freezes not been implemented.
Harrow hairdresser Susan Hall, who somehow has managed to get elected as an Assembly Member for the Conservatives, did not welcome the valuable help to all hard-working Londoners but opted to describe the fare freeze as a “fake, magic money tree promise”. Except it isn’t “fake”, because it is actually happening, and it will be using public money, from Londoner’s taxes, to keep fares low – a policy which has seen Khan elected as Mayor twice.
Standard issue: it is an election year in London
The Mayor’s announcement follows £250million funding from the government for 2024 to address the continuing, post-covid funding shortfall.
That spending package will be used by TfL for projects such as providing new Tube trains for the Piccadilly line. The fares freeze is likely to cost around £123million, and will be paid for from business rates.
After his predecessor, Boris Johnson, ended London’s transport subsidies received from central Government, Mayor Khan’s fare freezes from 2016 to 2021 were seen by some transport commentators as contributing to the transport authority’s financial predicament, when covid saw a near-complete collapse of fare income. Those first fare freezes cost around £640million over four years – money that could have been used elsewhere, such as on Croydon Tram extensions to Crystal Palace or Sutton.
Today, the Mayor said: “Not only will this put money back in people’s pockets, making transport more affordable for millions of Londoners, but will encourage people back on to our public transport network.
“While people across the country face another hike in their rail fares, I simply wasn’t prepared to stand by and see TfL customers face a similar hike.
“As we continue building a fairer, greener and more prosperous London for everyone, making public transport more affordable and appealing will continue to be a key part of my plan.”
‘Arse’: Neil Garratt
Neil “Father Jack” Garratt, the Assembly Member for Croydon and Sutton and the leader of the Tory rump at City Hall, said, “Feck! Arse! Drink!” Apparently.
But Caroline Pidgeon, of the LibDems, said: “Any fare freeze is obviously good news for those reliant on public transport in the midst of an inflationary crisis.
“However, major questions need to be answered on which pot of money the funding for this has been taken out of. With the inflationary crisis also hitting TfL, and staff calling for wage increases, we must ensure funding is sustainable.”
The voice of reason was sounded by Michael Roberts, the CEO of independent watchdog London TravelWatch, who said, “London’s public transport services are among some of the most expensive in the world, so the fares freeze will bring some welcome relief to hard-pressed passengers.
“We hope there will be continued focus on making public transport in the capital more affordable over time, especially for lower-income Londoners.”
According to analysis this morning from Tom Edwards, BBC London’s transport correspondent, “Mayor Khan’s opponents says he is just buying off voters with an election bribe, but he is focusing on the money it will save the average family.
“The aim may be to push the mayoral debate firmly towards the cost of living, like Mayor Khan’s other policies of free school meals and more money for ULEZ scrappage.”
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