Government expecting London Tube and bus fare increase

The government is expecting London’s mayor to put up Tube and Bus fares by nearly five percent in line with what they announced for rail fares in the Budget.

A post-Budget letter to the Mayor of London from Transport Secretary Louise Haigh hints that the amount of investment transport in London gets over the next few years could depend on whether Sadiq Khan agrees not to freeze fares again.

It said fare increases will be assumed as the “baseline” for negotiations on future funding.

City Hall said a decision on fares for next year had not yet been made.

In the Budget on Wednesday, it was announced that regulated rail fares would rise by 4.6% – one percent above inflation – next year.

In her letter, Ms Haigh said the government expects the mayor “to consider the full range of revenue raising powers at your disposal as part of TfL’s business planning”.

She added that an assessment of TfL’s funding needs “will be conducted against a baseline scenario where TfL rail fares rise in line with national rail fares.”