Commuters return to fares increase

Anger is mounting today at the large fare increases hitting passengers as they return to work.

Bus, train and Tube tickets have all increased above the rate of inflation, with commuters entering central London the hardest hit.

Tube tickets for zones 1-3 have jumped by up to three times the rate of inflation, while train fares went up by an average of four per cent - despite one in six trains running late.

The biggest increase is on the buses, where saver tickets and prepay Oyster fares have risen by up to 43 per cent, prompting concerns this could stall the growth in bus travel of the last four years.

On the trains, passengers on some Silverlink services into Euston face paying 7.2 per cent more, while offpeak services on Chiltern jump six per cent and C2C rise five per cent.

In London, key changes include:

Critics also say the new Tube and bus fares package - which should raise an extra £125 million for Transport for London - has been accompanied by a more complex ticket structure, making it harder to work out the cheapest way to travel.

A new system of off-peak discounts has been introduced on the Tube for users of pre-pay Oyster cards. This offers cheaper fares for weekday journeys completed before 6.30am or after 7pm, and for weekend travel.

Oyster passengers will also qualify for cheaper bus travel. The aim is to roll-out the use of the plastic smartcards and get cash off the buses by

2006. Popular tickets, such as the weekend Travelcard and one-day LT card, have been withdrawn. Free bus travel has been extended from children under 11 to those under 16.

Mayor Ken Livingstone, who sets the bus and Tube fares, said the average increase on the buses was 13 per cent, and four per cent on the Tube.

He said the increases were necessary to help fund a five-year ?3 billion programme of transport investment.

Brian Cooke, chairman of the London Transport Users' Committee, said: "It is amazing that TfL is increasing bus fares by the largest percentage of all, at a time when they and the Mayor are trying, and succeeding, in encouraging bus travel in the capital."