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Unfare - Boris and Osborne fare rises

Tuesday, 04 January 2011 13:15

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Today Londoners were hit by Mayor Boris Johnson and Tory Chancellors George Osbornes huge fare increases on all modes of public transport.

Since Boris Johnson was elected the cost of a single bus ticket has risen by a wopping 44%.

Campaigners were out in full force for the morning commute flyering over 70 London tube and rail stations.  Campaigning at West Hampstead tube station Ken Livingstone said:
“Take a look at the 44 per cent bus fare rise since Boris Johnson came to office to understand just how Tory priorities are wrong. Boris Johnson and George Osborne are two Tory peas in the same pod, forcing Londoners to pay through the nose for tube, rail, bus and tram travel.

"The reality of life under the Conservatives is VAT up and fares up whilst the Tory Mayor of London defends bankers’ bonuses and presses for the richest to pay less tax.

“Since Boris Johnson was elected bus, tube and tram fares have risen through the roof with a single bus journey by Oyster up a whopping 44%. The increases in fares for outer London and the poor performance of many services show that the Mayor does not speak up for the suburbs. These latest hikes in bus, tube and train fares are completely unfair and unnecessary.

”Why should Londoners pay hundreds of pounds more for using public transport, because of Conservative Mayor Boris Johnson and his Chancellor George Osborne's ideological cuts? It’s about time that Boris Johnson got a grip and put the interests of bus, tube and train users before those of his party.

”It is vital for London that fares are held down. I guarantee that in all circumstances, fares in the next Mayoral term will not be as high under me if I am elected, than they would be under a second Boris Johnson term.”

Val Shawcross AM was campaigning with Jeremy Corbyn MP at Finsbury Park and said of the fare hike:

"At a time of great financial uncertainty and pressure on family budgets, the fare rises are completely unnecessary and add an additional burden on millions of Londoners.

'Last year Conservative Mayor Boris Johnson and Conservative Chancellor George Osborne made a cut of 21% or £2.1billion to the London transport budget. That's a £300 cut in transport investment for every Londoner.

'The consequences of Conservative transport cuts are clear; ordinary Londoners hit in the pocket by record fare rises in order to pay for Boris Johnson and George Osborne's desire to cut public services. The huge hikes in tube, bus and rail fares show just how out of touch Johnson and Osborne are with the concerns of ordinary Londoners."

Boris Johnson and George Osborne’s January fare hikes mean:   
* A single bus journey is up by 8% this week – this fare is now up 44% under Boris Johnson, from 90p when he was elected.
* A zone 1-4 weekly travelcard will rise from £34.60 to £39.40, or £249.46 a year more.  
* The price of a weekly bus and tram pass is up 7%, to £17.80 – up 36.9% since Boris Johnson was elected.
* A zone 1-6 annual travelcard will rise 13%, up from £1,784 to £2,016.  
* An annual rail season ticket from Erith to London Bridge will rise by 12.7%, up from £1448 to £1632.
* A zone 1-2 monthly travelcard breaks through the £100 barrier for the first time.

See ken Livingstone’s article in the Evening Standard here.

Len Duvall AM on Labourlist here.