By Billie May Mason
Londoners can expect a shift in their commuting expenses as of Friday.
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has unveiled a new initiative targeting travel within the city. The initiative will be trialled for three months and is set to transform the cost of peak travel times on Fridays.
As of current, Friday’s peak pay-as-you-go fares run between the hours of 6:30am and 9:00am, and 4pm and 7pm. These hours and charges are implemented on both Transport for London (TFL) and National Rail services, apart from buses and trams, which stay at a fixed rate of £1.75.
The trial will discount all commuters using an Oyster card or contactless payment to off-peak travel fares all day on Friday’s, with exception to journeys to Heathrow Airport via Zone 1. The initiative also allows holders of either an Older Persons’ Freedom Pass or a 60+ London Oyster photocard to travel free all day on TFL and national rail services.
“I’m doing all I can to support Londoners through the cost-of-living crisis and to support London’s economic recovery. This includes freezing TFL fares for another year to make transport more affordable for millions of Londoners and to encourage more people to use our transport network,” Khan told Metro London. A total of £24 million has been divided from the mayor’s budget to fund and compensate for the initiative.
The initiative may be financially beneficial for some Londoners who find themselves commuting around the city on Fridays.
“It will definitely benefit me because I am a (university) student… So, with it being cheaper on Fridays, and that being one of the days I go in, it will really help with the cost,” said 21-year-old university student Leanne Mulligan.
Some believe Khan has done enough when it comes to travel costs within London, but construction worker Aleks Koralewski, 30, expressed his anguish with Khan’s other travel initiatives: “It’s great for people who travel by train. I’d like to be able to drive my car to work without being charged.”
This is in reference to Khan’s 2023 ULEZ initiative, which charges vehicles outside of emission standards with the aim of reducing London’s air pollution epidemic.
Off-Peak Friday fares are set to start this week. For further information and details about the trail, visit tfl.gov.uk/fares.
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