London Mayor Sadiq Khan has demanded a £500mn bailout in transport budget as the city's Tube and bus services takes major cuts. Transport for London is to cut weekend and off-peak services from next year as per a report in The Telegraph. Fares are expected to go up by over 4pc in January, and bus services will be reduced in the following years. The cost of a monthly travelcard, in the increase, between zones one and four in London would increase from £204.30 to around £212.47.
Khan said the authority still required an additional £500m from Westminster to avoid services grinding to a halt between January and March next year. Khan said, “If we don’t get further Government support in December, there could still be a £500mn gap this year and so I urge Ministers to treat TfL as they do the private rail operators, and commit to a long-term funding agreement. This is vital not only for the good of London, but for the whole country.”
Chairman of passenger watchdog London TravelWatch, Arthur Leathley said, “Londoners will be worried about an overall reduction in the number of miles that buses travel. And they will be concerned about reductions in off-peak Tube services which contradict the new way that people are moving around, with more use of off-peak services because of home-working and an increased demand for leisure travel.”
He added, “It is also disappointing that the need to make savings has reduced TfL’s ability to deliver active travel and [London] borough travel schemes, as cycling and walking were popular during the pandemic. This latest report once again highlights TfL’s reliance on fares revenue, the uncertainty around future demand for public transport in the capital and the need for a long-term settlement from the Government.”
London Transport Commissioner Andy Byford has repeatedly called on Westminster to agree to a long-term rail subsidy instead of a number of short-term bailouts. TfL has previously asked for more than £15bn to fund a long-term deal to keep the authority afloat until the end of the year.
Byford said, “The revised budget will ensure our services operate safely, while keeping vital capital investment going. This budget protects service levels, supports economy recovery and will help build a greener economy.”
