Posted 6th January 2023 | 1 Comment

Mayor faces tough decision over TfL fares

Fares ++ The Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has yet to announce how much fares on Transport for London will rise this year, after the government said regulated rail fares in England will rise by 5.9 per cent on 5 March. The Mayor faces a reduction in government funding for TfL if he tries to cap fares revenue, but he is also reported to be reluctant to increase bus fares, because buses are often the choice of poorer Londoners.

The Mayor told the London Assembly yesterday: ‘The basic principle is we try and make sure that public transport is as affordable as possible for those who need it the most and are least likely to afford it. My instinct is always to try and keep bus fares as low as we possibly can.’ City Hall said TfL is now starting discussions with the government about the implications of the forthcoming increases on National Rail.

Strike ++ Some 40,000 RMT members are walking out today and tomorrow on National Rail as they stage the second 48-hour stoppage called by their union this week. There has already been a two-day RMT strike on Tuesday and Wednesday, and ASLEF drivers staged their own strike yesterday. As with previous RMT strikes, train services will be very restricted, with no trains running on many lines today and tomorrow. Timetables on Sunday are also set to be disrupted, and problems could spill over into Monday in some areas. 

ASLEF general secretary Mick Whelan said he ‘wants to get back to the day job’, while RMT leader Mick Lynch is accusing the government of getting in the way. ‘The government is blocking the union's attempts to reach a negotiated settlement with the rail employers. We have worked with the rail industry to reach successful negotiated settlements ever since privatisation in 1993. And we have achieved deals across the network in 2021 and 2022 where the DfT has no involvement. Yet in this dispute, there is an unprecedented level of ministerial interference, which is hamstringing rail employers from being able to negotiate a package of measures with us,’ he said. The DfT has denied this, saying that ministers have held ‘polite, constructive meetings’ with union chiefs.

Reader Comments:

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  • Peter Carpenter, Crawley

    "He has already take steps to increase TfL’s earnings from passengers by no longer allowing Travelcards bought at National Rail stations in the south east to be used on TfL services"

    What does this mean? The only point for buying a Travelcard in the SE is to be able to travel within London on TfL services. Surely this would decrease his earnings, as presumably TfL gets a contribution from National Rail.

    [We have queried this, and it has been reported in different ways. The argument is that declining to accept National Rail Travelcards would mean more revenue, not less, because passengers would have to pay TfL directly. Because of the uncertainty we have amended the story.--Ed.]