by Benson Agoha | Transport
Proposed fare increases for 2016, released Friday by Tfl has been criticized by the Labour London Assembly transport spokesperson Val Shawcross and the General secretary of the RMT, Mick Cash.
According to an approved "REQUEST FOR MAYORAL DECISION", released by the Greater London Authority Friday, adult fairs are set to rise by an average of 1% in 2016. But there is extension on free travel by under 11-year-olds.
According to the report, children under 11 will still be able to travel free on all National Rail services in the capital.
Also to be frozen is the pay as you go single bus fare which will remain at £1.50, while the one day bus cap increases by 10p to £4.50, the same as the cost of three single fares.
chair at the British Youth Council, Jon-Rhys, welcomed the extension of free travel for children and said it will help those families struggling with the cost of living in Londond.
As did Green Party's Darren Johnson AM who said: "For some time I have been urging the mayor to persuade train operators in south London to roll out free travel for under 11s so I am very pleased this will now happen."
"Ultimately all suburban rail routes in Greater London need to come under control of the mayor and TfL and I will carry on making that case. But this step will at least clear up confusion around ticketing and benefit London families in the meantime."
Also happy with decision on children fares was Stephen Locke, London TravelWatch Chair, who said: "We are pleased to see free travel for children under 11 being extended to all National Rail services in London — another step towards a simplified fares structure which will increase consistency across travel modes in London and reduce confusion for passengers."
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| * Val Shawcross |
However, Labour London Assembly transport spokesperson Val Shawcross (right) is not happy with the proposed increase. She said: "By increasing adult fares yet again Boris Johnson has dealt a parting blow to Londoners who have already had to contend with astronomical fare rises during his mayoralty."
She said, "We've witnessed astonishing levels of hypocrisy from a mayor who once said he'd lower fares in the long term but has bumped them up by over 40% during his time in office."
The Key points about fares from the announcement are:
* The pay as you go single bus fare is frozen at £1.50 while the one day bus cap increases by 10p to £4.50, the same as the cost of three single fares. The overall increase in bus fares is 0.8 per cent.
* On the Tube, London Overground, the DLR and TfL Rail, pay as you go single fares in Zones 1-6 are frozen, with the exception of Zone 1 only and Zone 1-2 off-peak fares, which will increase from £2.30 to £2.40. The overall increase on these services is 1.1 per cent.
* All other current concessionary fare schemes will be maintained in their current forms.
The all day caps, which were reduced last year to 20% of the 7 Day Travelcard price in Zones 1-6, will increase by 10p.
* The Off-Peak Zones 1-6 Travelcard and the Anytime Zones 1-4 Travelcard will increase from £12 to £12.10 while the Anytime Zones 1 to 6 Travelcard will increase from £17 to £17.20.
* Travelcard season ticket prices increase by just under 1% on average in line with the guidance from Secretary of State for Transport that no regulated National Rail fare should rise by more than RPI next year.
* On the Emirates Air Line, the single fare for adult pay as you go users and Travelcard holders is increased by 10p to £3.50. All other Emirates Air Line fares — including child fares and cash fares — are frozen.
But General Secretary Mick Cash said: "Travellers in and out of London are forking out huge sums for their rail and tube travel and they rightly expect a safe, reliable and well staffed service but that is being compromised against a background of cuts which is leaving stations and trains dangerously overcrowded."
He said, "With the transport funding settlement this week set to unleash a further wave of cuts, passengers are rightly demanding to know where their money is going and RMT will continue to fight alongside transport user groups for safe and secure services that meet surging passenger demand."
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