This week the Mayor of London announced proposals to scrap daily travel cards and significantly increase the cost of travel to and around London. I am deeply concerned this latest assault on the ability of residents of Runnymede and Weybridge, and other areas surrounding London, to travel into the capital at an affordable cost.
This latest effort to fill the hole in TfL’s budget aims to raise between £0.5-£1.0bn each year through higher charges for commuters, which will harm both households and businesses. This goes against his election pledges to keep fares low and protect, preserve, and help to create jobs. Estimates of the impact on local journeys could be a cost increase of up to 25%, with reports of up to 62% increase on some routes.
Currently, day Travelcards give unlimited travel on TfL services, including buses and the Tube. If the Mayor and TfL decide to proceed with this plan, this will mean that current discounted fares for travel around London would be withdrawn, including:
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Adult Day Travelcards
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Child Day Travelcards
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Group Day Travelcards
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Weekend Travelcards
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the London Family Travelcard
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and discounted Day Travelcards bought using National Railcards
The proposals could also see rail companies no longer being able to issue joint rail and TfL tickets, increasing hassle for passengers as well as increased cost.
These proposals also directly contradict the Mayor’s claims regarding ULEZ expansion that his priority is improving health and wellbeing, and reducing air pollution. By pushing for huge increases to the cost of public transport, fewer people will be willing or able to reduce car usage. I and many others against ULEZ expansion have been calling for an expansion and promotion of public transport as a means to improve air quality. This proposal directly undermines those efforts and is clearly yet another tax grab from the London Mayor.
A further concern is the apparent lack of meaningful consultation on these plans. Despite the significant impact it could have, their engagement does not appear to include any consultation or survey of views, but merely a webpage with a box for members of the public to ‘Ask a question’. This is available here: https://haveyoursay.tfl.gov.uk
I would encourage everyone who may be affected, or who shares my concerns over these plans, to respond clearly setting out their opposition to removing daily travel cards.
I have also launched a petition against these plans, which I will submit to the Mayor before his so called ‘engagement’ closes on 23 May. You can sign the petition here: Petition: Stop Sadiq Khan’s plan to scrap Day Travelcards
If Sadiq Khan continues with these plans it will compound the detrimental impact of the ULEZ expansion (planned for August this year) on those on lower incomes, including key workers required to commute to London. This will further reduce their options for affordable travel. It will also affect the ability of families to travel into London for days out and deter day tourism. Please support the campaign against these plans by signing the petition and sharing your views on how these cost increases would affect you.
