The Scoop

Boris Johnson to break promise to "bear down" on fares

Adam Bienkov | Tuesday 4 December, 2012 11:31

Boris Johnson will continue to raise fares above inflation despite promising to “bear down” on the cost of public transport, it emerged today.

Before the election Boris promised that he would “bear down on fares” and insisted that under him they would “go down in an honest and sustainable way.”

TfL’s new draft business plan assumes that fares will actually continue to rise 1% above inflation year on year.

TfL expect to make an extra £500 million a year in fares income by 2015.

According to TFL:

“fares will increase at RPI plus one per cent each January for the period to 2014/15 over which TfL has a funding settlement with Government.”

They insist that final decisions on fare levels remain with the mayor. So far he has raised fares above inflation every year that he has been in office.

---