Ken Livingstone has declared 2007 the “year to get onto Oyster” as cash fares on London’s buses, tubes and DLR soar.
Price increases which come into effect today mean passengers paying by Oyster can save more than half the cost of the cash fare with Oyster purchased peak bus fares frozen at £1.
A single Zone 1 cash fare on the Tube will now cost £4, holders of Oyster cards will pay just £1.50.
Peak bus fares with Oyster are frozen at £1, which now becomes a single flat Oyster fare throughout the day. Cash users will pay £2 for the same journey.
Mayor Livingstone said the Oyster scheme was “the biggest and most successful smartcard ticketing system in Europe” with over 6 million cards now in use.
Two years ago the Mayor announced that bus fares would rise by 10 per cent above inflation for three subsequent years to help fund what he called “the biggest investment programme on London transport since the Second World War”.
