• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

MayorWatch

London News and Comment

  • NEWS
  • Twitter

Mayor Launches 50p Fare for Income Support Recipients

August 20, 2007 - Staff

Ken Livingstone has launched a new scheme which will allow Londoners in receipt of income support to benefit from a reduced bus far of just 50p per journey.

The initiative follows the Mayor’s deal with Venezuelan Oil Company PetrÓleos de Venezuela Europa which provided a 20 per cent reduction in the price of fuel for London’s bus fleet.

The savings are to be passed on to the poorest Londoners via the new concessionary fare which will see those on the lowest incomes will pay only 50p for a single bus journey, half the £1 adult Oyster fare and a quarter of the £2 cash fare

Speaking s today’s launch the Mayor said the scheme would “make it cheaper and easier for people to go about their lives and get the most out of London.”

Last year the deal was criticised by the One London Party
who dismissed the Mayor’s claimed costings. At the time One London
Party leader Damian Hockney claimed lost fare revenue could be as high
as £70 million but this was strongly denied by Mr Livingstone’s office
who told this site “the total cost of the travel concession in terms of
fares will be of the order of £15m.”

Describing President Chavez as “a dictator with a monstrous human rights record” Conservative AM Angie Gray said the deal was “morally indefensible”.

However Mr Livingstone said Venezuelans would also benefit as London would be “providing expertise in areas of city management in which London is a world leader, such as public transport, planning, tourism and protection for the environment.”

London’s Transport Commissioner, Peter Hendy, said the Oyster card “has been a huge success with more than 10 million cards issued since its launch in 2003” and that “agreement enables us to cut fares even further in support of the least well off Londoners, who now have even greater access to jobs, leisure and all this great city has to offer.”

Venezuela provides a number of cities with low cost oil. Joseph P. Kenney II, whose Citizens Energy programme in the US cities of Boston and New York, receives an oil subsidy which provides heating for elderly and less well off residents said he sent his “congratulations to Mayor Livingstone and the people of London for welcoming the tremendous efforts by Venezuela and PDVSA to provide help and assistance to poor people.”

“The poor today, whether in London or New York, have to face cruel choices between heating and eating and other basic needs. It is a rare event for the political leadership of a major city to join in an effort with PDVSA to address these terrible circumstances – a hearty well done to all of those who made this happen.”

How to apply:
Bus and Tram Discount Card application forms are available at all Post Office branches in Greater London.

Application forms and leaflets will also be issued at a number of face-to-face events across London. The form will also be available to download from Transport for London’s website: www.tfl.gov.uk/discountcard

Applicants must live in a London Borough to qualify for the concession.

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)

Tagged With: Fares, Oyster

RECENT UPDATES

Tube and rail users to benefit from Oyster weekly fares cap

Mayor and TfL call on ministers to help plug funding gap

Tube to get full mobile phone coverage from 2024

TfL says Direct Vision Standard is already making HGVs safer for London road users




POPULAR

City Hall to move to Docklands as Mayor seeks to raise £55m for frontline services

‘Concern’ over TfL’s ability to deliver major projects in wake of Crossrail cost overruns

City Hall halts London Overground ticket office closures but many will still see opening hours reduced

Transport for London confirms bus cuts will go ahead despite passenger opposition

GOT A STORY?

As the original London news and scrutiny site we've been casting an eye over the capital's public services and politicians since 1999.

 

Many of our top stories started with a tip-off from a reader - if you've got something you'd like us to cover get in touch and we'll do the rest.

Stay In Touch

  • E-mail
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Copyright © 2022 · Terms of Use · Privacy Policy

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.