Passenger group urges Livingstone to halt Oyster fares rise
London Mayor Ken Livingstone is being urged by a leading London passengers’ group to re-think the fare rise on London’s buses.
Users of the Oyster pre-pay cards on London buses are due to see the cost of morning peak hour journeys rise from 80 pence to £1 between 0630 and 0930. This compares to the standard cash rate of £1.20. The 80 pence charge will remain in place at all other times.
But, Brian Cooke, chair of the London Transport Users Committee (LTUC) said that the fare change was “daft”.
Mr Cooke, said: “This proposal is completely daft; buses are the success story of TfL’s transport strategy, partly because the fares structure is simple and easy to understand.
“Making Oyster pre-pay users the only passengers who are charged this way makes no sense, especially as it those customers that TfL is trying hardest to encourage. If TfL are serious about moving to cashless buses, they should abandon this now.”
Responding to the criticism, a spokesperson for TfL said that the new pricing structure would in fact represent better value for money for passengers.
She said: “The fact is, Oyster Pre Pay offers better value for single journeys. The most a passenger will pay with Oyster Pre Pay is £1 in peak hours after the 27 February – a 20 per cent saving on cash fares for single bus journeys (£1.20 at any time of the day).
“The 80 pence single bus journey fare for Pre Pay users which will come in on the 27 February 2005, encourages travel in off-peak hours on buses and provides passengers with a great value fare for their journey.
She stressed that the Oyster system had been a success and is a “world leader in smartcard ticketing” and said that moves towards the cashless operation of buses would lead to a “swifter, more secure service for all passengers.”
Mr Livingstone has argued that the fare rise for some journeys is necessary to continue to fund improvements to the public transport network, and to fund his new policy of giving all children up to the age of 16 free travel on the bus network later this year.
But this policy has not found favour with the passengers’ group either.
Mr Cooke, commented: “At a time when TfL is planning to, rightly, spend huge sums on improving and expanding the transport network it seems odd to lose £60 million of income annually by giving free travel to teenagers who can easily, and arguably, should walk.
“If TfL reconsidered this proposal, it would more than make up for the revenue lost by keeping Oyster prepay at 80 pence. Teenagers will increasingly hop-on and hop-off buses for just one or two stops. LTUC is also concerned that this policy may encourage vandalism, graffiti and unsocial behaviour. Has Ken ever been on a bus at school finishing time and seen the chaos? This policy will make it even worse. I invite him to join me one afternoon, and witness it.”
The LTUC is intending to question the commissioner of Transport for London, Bob Kiley, closely on the plans when he attends their annual public meeting on 25 January.
