Oyster fares are up 5%. A single bus ride in London has jumped up by 5p to £1.40 and a single zone 1 trip on the tube goes up by 10p to £2.10. Some rail fares have increased far more than the average.
It is the tenth year in a row that rail fares have gone up across the country above the rate of inflation. Union boss Bob Crow said “As passengers return from the festive break they will be kicked in the teeth with inflation busting fare increases that will do nothing other than to fatten the profits of the greedy train operators.”
Mayor Boris Johnson, who has overseen a 50% rises in bus fares since coming to power in 2008, said “This fares package is hugely important to our millions of passengers and I am very pleased to have secured nearly £100m that will help to keep fares as low as possible, and protect the important concessions that we offer the most vulnerable Londoners.”
“The impact of successive government’s policies on rail fares is appalling. It’s truly shocking that we have deliberately made getting the train to work an extravagance that many struggle to afford. The time has come not just to stop the rises but to reduce fares,” said Stephen Joseph of Campaign for Better Transport.
The extra cash from Londoner’s pockets will go towards new trains for the District, Circle and Hammersmith & City lines as well as upgrading the Northern Line.
Main image: FareFail protester at Kings Cross station (Getty images)
Infographic via George Primentas/The Missing Graph
