East London Assembly member John Biggs has called on Mayor Boris Johnson to cut fares by seven per cent to take pressure off Londoners and ‘put money back in their pockets’.
The call comes after Londoners were ‘hit with the Mayor’s latest fare rises’ – up 5.6% on average from yesterday, 3 January.
Local London Assembly member, John Biggs said:
“Londoners are being hit with yet another above inflation fare rise, at a time when they are facing a real squeeze.
“It’s time the Mayor used the surplus in TfL’s accounts to reduce fares and put money back into commuters’ pockets.
“This should be used to give Londoners the fare cut they want and need. That is the responsible thing to do in tough times.”
John said claims a fare cut would put infrastructure investment at risk were ‘simply untrue’.
“TfL’s own accounts show that fares can be reduced without putting improvement works at risk. To claim otherwise is simply untrue.
John continued: “A seven per cent fare cut would save the average Londoner £1,000 over the next four years. This would really help struggling families – especially as the lowest paid.
“Because more people than predicted are using public transport in the capital, Transport for London (TfL) have a £206 million surplus in their operating budget.
“The Mayor should use the extra money in TfL’s coffers to hold fares down.
“He should spend less time campaigning for tax cuts for the richest people in London and more time keeping fares down for everyone else.”
