Large Increase in London Underground Prices

**Damien** · 04-01-2010, 20:54

This morning I was shocked to find that a single journey from Zone 6 to Zone 1 has increased by 40p! For a return Journey I now pay 80p extra a day! An extra Â£16 a month This is on top of the increases last year as well!

I knew they were going up but does the Mayor/TFL have any concept of money? That Â£16 a month on top of what was already an expensive fare (especially when you consider the quality of service) is a massive insult.

It's absolutely stupid.

Saaf_laandon_mo · 04-01-2010, 21:06

Damien, have the Oyster Card fares remained static? I noticed today my weekly travel card hadn't gone up. Would you be better off getting an Oyster? Assuming you can get one at your station.

**Damien** · 04-01-2010, 21:10

Quote:

Originally Posted by Saaf_laandon_mo

Damien, have the Oyster Card fares remained static? I noticed today my weekly travel card hadn't gone up. Would you be better off getting an Oyster? Assuming you can get one at your station.

I do use a Oyster, I used Pay-as-you-go. The fares seem to have gone up for those fares and non-Oyster ones. Yes, the season tickets have remained the same but the zone 1-6 one is Â£182 which is Â£12-Â£14 more expensive than a what I pay now (including the extra Â£16 a month). I am thinking of getting it now though since the difference isn't too bad, last year it was around Â£30 more. Now it's more tempting considering it's unlimited travel...

Saaf_laandon_mo · 04-01-2010, 21:27

Oh... I was thinking that they would have kept Oyster card fares (single ones) the same as I get the impression Boris wants to do away with paper tickets. Its annoying you have to consider spending even more money to get a similar service!

**Damien** · 04-01-2010, 21:57

Quote:

Originally Posted by Saaf_laandon_mo

Oh... I was thinking that they would have kept Oyster card fares (single ones) the same as I get the impression Boris wants to do away with paper tickets. Its annoying you have to consider spending even more money to get a similar service!

Yes the tube prices have shot up the last year or so, quite extreme compared to the price increases on national rail! Â£8.40 a day is stupidly expensive

It just doesn't make sense to me. Especially considering the volume of people on the underground, we stuck in overcrowded trains where you sometimes quite literally cannot move while in transit and have difficulty moving when the doors are open and they charge us Â£8.40!?! Something is wrong here!

Osem · 04-01-2010, 22:27

Just managed to catch a snippet of a debate on this subject on LBC the other day. It was being suggested that Ken Livingstone's reluctance to increase fares significantly just prior to the mayoral election contributed substantially to the bigger than expected rise this time. Of course some will say Mayor Boris is bound to blame his predecessor and/or HMG for this but I'd like to see more detail re the facts and figures before I pass judgement either way.

**Damien** · 04-01-2010, 22:35

Quote:

Originally Posted by Osem

Just managed to catch a snippet of a debate on this subject on LBC the other day. It was being suggested that Ken Livingstone's reluctance to increase fares significantly just prior to the mayoral election contributed substantially to the bigger than expected rise this time. Of course some will say Mayor Boris is bound to blame his predecessor and/or HMG for this but I'd like to see more detail re the facts and figures before I pass judgement either way.

Also what isn't being said about that is that Boris scrapped the congestion charge extension and the increased fee for 4x4/other gas guzzlers so Boris did in fact cause a drop in revenue into the future transport budget. You can't cut money making schemes and then blame the person before you that the budget isn't balanced.

I have no doubt Ken Livingston didn't want to increase fares and hence was looking at other ways to raise the money (such as schemes mentioned before) in order to make public transport a better alternative. Boris is taking a different approach I guess.

Osem · 04-01-2010, 22:50

Quote:

Originally Posted by Damien

Also what isn't being said about that is that Boris scrapped the congestion charge extension and the increased fee for 4x4/other gas guzzlers so Boris did in fact cause a drop in revenue into the future transport budget. You can't cut money making schemes and then blame the person before you that the budget isn't balanced.

I have no doubt Ken Livingston didn't want to increase fares and hence was looking at other ways to raise the money (such as schemes mentioned before) in order to make public transport a better alternative. Boris is taking a different approach I guess.

That's politicians for you eh?....

**Damien** · 04-01-2010, 22:52

Quote:

Originally Posted by Osem

That's politicians for you eh?....

*grumble*

Osem · 04-01-2010, 22:57

Given the state of the nation's finances I think we can all expect a lot more of this sort of thing for the foreseeable future....

**Damien** · 04-01-2010, 23:03

Quote:

Originally Posted by Osem

Given the state of the nation's finances I think we can all expect a lot more of this sort of thing for the foreseeable future....

I don't understand how TFL need to charge Â£8.40 for the service we get. I get and approve the massive work going on to improve the lines, but you can bet they won't lower the prices after the work is done!

National Rail, often pretty badly managed. Is cheaper than that for longer distances on trains which carry far fewer people.

BBKing · 05-01-2010, 10:23

Quote:

This morning I was shocked to find that a single journey from Zone 6 to Zone 1 has increased by 40p!

Why? It was announced months ago. Anyway, there are now four different fares from Z6 to Z1 depending on which line you use. I'm not making this up, honest. It's what happens when you put a blithering buffoon with no experience in charge of a transport system.

Quote:

I'd like to see more detail re the facts and figures before I pass judgement either way.

Plenty of stuff on TfL's website, and I can't find one iota of evidence that it's Livingstone-era profligacy that's at the root of this - if anything Boris is planning to cut the subsidy to the bus network and remove a chunk of congestion charge income over the next few years, and you have to fill that hole somehow. TfL has about Â£2bn in the bank at any one time, which has remained remarkably constant.

It's also noticeable that the 'blame Ken' line was inserted into the press release late on, as there are versions online without it, blaming (correctly) the recession for reducing Tube numbers as people switch to the bus and the costs of the Metronet collapse.

Quote:

I get and approve the massive work going on to improve the lines

Quite a lot has already been cut, including stuff approved as recently as June 2009 (step-free upgrades at some suburban stations). The rather expensive cycle hire and cycle superhighway schemes, plus Boris's pet bus project, however, appear unscathed...

Taf · 05-01-2010, 10:46

Someone's got to pay for transport improvements in London prior to the HOLEimpics.