SADIQ TAX AND FARES HAMMER BLOW FOR LONDONERS

BIGGEST RISE IN TUBE AND BUS FARES FOR 10 YEARS AS MAYOR GRABS 9% MORE OF WHAT YOU PAY COUNCIL

- Ross Lydall

 

A DOUBLE whammy of record transport and council tax rises were revealed today by Mayor of London Sadiq Khan. Tube and bus fares will increase by an average of 5.9 per cent- the biggest rise for more than a decade - while the Mayor's share of council tax bills will jump by 9.7 per cent, the biggest rise for 20 years.

For the second successive year, bus fares will rise by 10p, taking them to £1.75 from March 5. The daily and weekly cap on pay-as-you-go Tube fares will increase by up to 6.7 per cent, depending on how many zones are travelled.

A ban introduced at the start of the pandemic on Londoners over 60 travelling for free before 9am is being made permanent from today. It is a move that will anger many thousands of pensioners but which will generate £40 million a year in extra fares.