News
TfL ‘To Explore New Fare Concessions’
Boris Johnson has asked Transport for London to investigate new forms of “fares concession” for poorer Londoners. The announcement follows Johnson’s decision to scrap the current Venezuela funded half-price fares scheme.
The decision to double fares for the poorest Londoners was one of the first major policy decisions of the Johnson administration and attracted criticism after City Hall took the decision to slip the announcement out over a Bank Holiday weekend in an apparent hope that it would attract little coverage.
Johnson’s office have since given a series of contradicting answers to journalists seeking to ascertain whether the Mayor would explore new funding opportunities for the scheme when the current finance runs out.
However in a written answer to Green Party Assembly Member Darren Johnson the Mayor now says he has “asked TfL to investigate more suitable forms of fares concession for low income Londoners for consideration at the next fares revision.”
In-depth: Venezuelan oil deal Recent Items
Categories
Tel: 020 7060 1986 Fax: 020 7060 3787
Email: feedback@mayorwatch.co.uk
Comment feed
News feed
Terms of Use Privacy Policy
He also said in a written answer that:
‘Many Londoners face growing economic difficulties at the moment but I believe this can best be addressed by keeping the overall level of bus fares as low as possible.’
I think that’s pretty clear. Whatever ‘more suitable’ forms TfL come up with they won’t include half-price fares for people on income support.
They also publish the figures for the amount of people who have taken up the offer. It totals to about 75,000 people. This, he tells us, is inefficient. If I was one of those 75,000 people I wouldn’t find it particularly ‘efficient’ having to pay twice as much to get around.