Government should freeze rail fares to combat cost of living crisis

The government must not proceed with its planned train fare rise, London Assembly Labour Transport Spokesperson Elly Baker has demanded.

The expected fare increase for Travelcards and Pay As You Go tickets is between 9% and 7.8%, based on today’s Office for National Statistics figures.

Government usually links ticket cost rises on Retail Price Index increases, but in 2022 opted to use wage increases. RPI this year is 9% while the wage figure is 7.8%.

Should the government institute a national fare rise, the face value of Travelcards and Pay As You Go fares across London will increase as a result. Londoners who are already struggling to accommodate increase in food, fuel and housing costs will face another burden on their bank accounts.

The weekly cost of a work commute from Bromley South to Victoria, for example, is currently £50, but the expected fare rise would change this to between £53.90 and £54.50.

Transport reflects the second largest expenditure category for households in the UK, reflecting 14% of weekly spending and secondary only to the cost of housing. Latest Polling from YouGov shows that almost one in four Londoners report switching to cheaper forms of transport in order to manage the cost of living.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan has previously frozen single fares to support those who are just about managing with the costs of commuting, as part of his efforts to support Londoners to use public transport, including:

• introduced the Hopper fare, which allows passengers to make unlimited free bus and tram transfers within an hour and nearly three-quarters of a billion journeys have now benefitted from the Hopper.
• protected the 60+ Oyster Card and the Zip Cards for under-18s, despite the Government’s best efforts to remove these vital concessions.

Government has five months to plan for a freeze in fares, with the implementation due in March 2024.

London Assembly Labour Transport spokesperson, Elly Baker AM said:

“Following many returning to work after school holidays and summer breaks, Londoners are facing the prospect of massive fare hikes in a midst of a cost-of-living crisis.

 “Given the real terms pay cuts Londoners are experiencing, the government needs to ensure that rail remains affordable, especially as so many Londoners rely on rail to get to work. Instead their record on rail is one of cutting staff, reducing services, closing ticket offices and above inflation fares rises almost every year. 

"I am calling on the government to follow the Mayor of London's pre-pandemic example and freeze all fares. Only a fare freeze can support those going to school, commuting to work, living their social and family lives and ensure the communities of London can stay connected."