Travelcard users miss out on 'fares freeze'

BLOG: THE TRUTH ABOUT KEN'S NEW FARES PACKAGE

The Mayor today revealed details of his annual fares revision, with all single Tube and bus fares frozen for passengers who pay cash or use pay-as-you-go Oyster cards.

But Travelcards - whether they are loaded on to an Oyster card or bought as a paper ticket - will increase by an average of 3.8 per cent.

They are the tickets most commonly bought by commuters as they allow them to switch between train, Tube and bus. The Mayor's aides estimated that the cost of half of the nine million journeys a day on London's public transport network would be frozen while half would rise by inflation.

Today, Mr Livingstone promised to hold fares at the rate of inflation if he is re-elected next May.

He also criticised the private train firms for insisting on the 3.8 per cent rise in Travelcards, saying it had been his wish to freeze all ticket fares.

But the Mayor faced accusations of attempting to offer a pre-election "bribe" after an Evening Standard analysis suggested that around 70 per cent of Tube passengers would miss out on real-terms savings.

Transport for London statistics show that only 3.8 per cent of passengers pay cash fares on the Tube while a further 25.8 per cent use Oyster pay-as-you-go. This means that the remainder of commuters, who use Travelcards, will see fares rise by inflation.

Similarly, on the buses only 2.1 per cent pay cash while 14.4 per cent use pay-as-you-go. The Mayor's aides say that 40 per cent of bus journeys are by passengers using Travelcards. The effects will be felt most sharply in areas of the capital poorly covered by the Tube network, such as south London, where overground trains are the main link to central London.

Geoff Pope, Liberal Democrat transport spokesman on the London Assembly, said: "Fare freezes are always welcome but this announcement is another pre-election con by a Mayor desperately chasing good headlines.

"The reality beyond the spin is that seven out of 10 Londoners will not benefit from this freeze on pay-asyougo and cash fares because the majority use Travelcards."

The Mayor was able to find the cash to pay for the fares freeze because TfL expects to make £33 million more than expected in revenue from Tube fares. This is a result of successive increases - including the £4 single cash fare in zone one - increased passenger numbers and the greater use of pay-as-you-go.

Tory mayoral candidate Boris Johnson said the fares package demonstrated that Mr Livingstone did not care for commuters. Oyster pay-asyougo will not be available across all 10 private train companies serving London until 2009.

Mr Johnson said: "Why should those who still have to buy paper tickets bear the brunt?"