The Mayor has finally published his fare package for next year.
Transport for London fares will increase, on average, by 2.5%. Travelcard prices, which are jointly set with National Rail, will see prices typically increase by 2.3%.
For bus users fares will rise by five pence and the application fee for the 16+, 18+ and 60+ Oyster concession photocard will increase from £10 to £20 from 1 June 2015.
The one good piece of the package is that after years of campaigning by many people - especially London Liberal Democrats - for a part-time travelcard, there has been an acceptance that some changes are necessary to provide a better deal for people who work part-time, or who work unpredictable hours. Starting from 2nd January, the daily cap on Oyster Pay As You Go will become one fifth of the cost of a seven day travelcard.
However hidden away in the fare package are some severe increases in fares for some groups of people.
Passengers in zone 4,5 and 6 and who have benefited in the past from the off peak cap on Oyster Pay As You Go will see some significant increases in fares as the off peak cap is ending. For example passengers who benefited from a fare cap of £8.50 when travelling between zones 1 and 6 off peak will, from 2015, have their fares capped at a new “all day” rate of £11.70, a 38% increase.
Commenting on these changes Caroline Pidgeon said:
“Hidden away in the Mayor’s fare package is the harsh fact that people from outside London, such as Uxbridge and Kingston, and who only start their journey after 9.30 am will from the New Year face significantly higher fares when using Oyster Pay as you go."
Full information about how fares are changing can be seen in the Mayoral Decision and also at the Evening Standard, BBC.
For a really detailed analysis see the London Reconnections website.