Going places: fares on Croydon’s tram network and London buses are frozen until July
With fares on Croydon’s trams and London buses frozen until July, today Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan announced that the TfL Hopper fare is being extended over the summer to include unlimited journeys at weekends.
The promotion will operate throughout the school summer holidays, between July 25 and August 31, and will allow passengers to take as many trips by tram and bus as they want on weekends, all for the flat fare of £1.75. The existing Hopper fare’s one-hour limit will be dropped, and passengers will be able to travel by tram or bus all day for the single fare.
Transport for London says that more than 1billion Hopper journeys have been made since its launch.
The Hopper initiative, which usually allows unlimited journeys within an hour for a single fare on London’s buses and trams, was introduced in 2016, based on a policy proposed by journalist and transport expert Christian Wolmar during the Labour mayoral selection process.
Big ideas: Christian Wolmar first suggested the Hopper fare for trams and buses. Pic: Mike King
The London Standard also reported this morning, “The Mayor is understood to be exploring options to continue the £1.75 fee freeze throughout the summer.”
Sir Sadiq said: “I am determined to continue to help Londoners with the cost-of-living crisis. My Hopper fare has enabled millions of people to enjoy cheaper bus travel.
“I know how expensive the summer holidays can be for families and my new Weekend Hopper – which is a whopper of a deal – will make it cheaper and easier for Londoners and visitors to enjoy all that our great city has to offer this summer.
“I know that buses and trams are a real lifeline for many Londoners, nd I’m determined to keep them the most accessible and affordable mode of transport in the capital as we continue building a greener, fairer, better London for everyone.”
London’s Transport Commissioner, Andy Lord, said: “The Hopper fare has helped revolutionise taking a bus or tram for many people over the last decade and we are delighted to be able to offer a Weekend Hopper fare this summer to further help make public transport affordable and convenient for all.”
The Mayor Khan Whopper weekends fares are part of a £20million budgeted effort on “innovative fares” to attract people back to public transport.
Three buses on routes city centre routes near some of the world’s biggest tourist attractions – the 23, 49 and 295 – have been decorated with frog-themed designs to publicise the Hopper promotion.
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That will be good if you can find a tram to travel on, as they always close the lines for engineering work in the school summer holidays. And while the fares are frozen all summer, passengers have no danger of freezing as it gets very hot on (slow-moving) buses in the summer ?!
I appreciate the intent here, and I know TFL had its government funding completely wiped out by the Tories. But the issue with the current situation isn’t paying another 1.75 for a bus fare. It’s that when you get where you’re going, a pint still costs £7. Fish and chips still costs £20. (And don’t chime in about how your local Spoons is cheap, I don’t care).
As long as every business is price gouging, saving a quid on a bus fare is just weeing into the wind.
So you don’t subscribe to the Tesco approach of “every little helps”, then David?
On the matter of Spoons, I can confirm that £2.10 for a ping, after taking the tram to Lloyd Park or Coombe Lane, is really not worth it, given the general experience of the over-crowded, under-staffed and miserable service that is the offer at their latest outlet. Oh, and you take your life in your hands as you try to cross the road when storming out in disgust…
I’m sort of glad to hear that the new Spoons is overcrowded. Whenever I’ve been, it’s been almost empty.
Storming across the road when you’ve had a few is never a good idea