Harry Rosehill

TfL Announces Fare-Freeze For Fourth Year In A Row

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For the fourth year in a row, fares for pay-as-you-go transport in London have been frozen.

That means bus fares will remain at £1.50 — the same price they've been since 2016 — along with off-peak tube journeys between Zones 2-6.

Keeping travel fares down was a 2016 campaign promise from Sadiq Khan, and this news will surely come as a boon to his re-election campaign next year. It's especially impressive that he's done this during a time when TfL runs on a tight budget — although some would argue that the fare-freeze has led to TfL's current cost-cutting drive.

Photo: TfL

While this is excellent news for some, the same issue lingers on from previous years for others. This fare-freeze is limited only to pay-as-you-go travel. Travelcard prices will increase in 2020 — up 2.8%, in line with Retail Prices Index (RPI).

An annual Zone 1-2 travelcard currently costs £1404, so will cost roughly £1443 in 2020. TfL and the Mayor's office do not have the powers to set travelcard costs — instead, this is set in agreement with train operating companies under fare regulations set by the government.

Shashi Verma, Director of Strategy at TfL, said: