Clapham travel news: Londoners face biggest increase in public transport fares for a decade

Londoners are facing the biggest increase in public transport fares for a decade.

Tube, bus and Overground fares are set to hike nearly 5 per cent next year under the terms of the UK Government's bailout of Transport for London (TfL).

Fare increases are usually linked to the previous July's Retail Prices Index (RPI) measure of inflation, which yesterday (Wednesday August 18) was confirmed by the Office for National Statistics as 3.8 per cent.

The terms of the Government's TfL bailout plan demand RPI plus one percentage point. If introduced in January, this 4.8% fare hike will be the biggest increase since 2012.

Emma Gibson, director of London TravelWatch, said: "Fares in London need to be affordable if people are to be tempted back to public transport.

"It is especially important that bus fares are kept low, as buses are most used by lower-income Londoners and key workers who are often not able to work from home."

Mayor Sadiq Khan said no immediate decision would be made on the level of fare rises until later in the year when factors such as "the prevailing economic circumstances, ridership levels and how any increase is split across different modes of transport" would all be taken into account.

His spokeswoman said: "The Mayor was forced to agree to an overall fares increase of RPI+1 per cent in May last year, as a condition of the first emergency TfL funding deal — which was only required because Londoners followed government guidance and stayed at home, causing fares income to plummet."

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