The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has extended the freeze on bus and tram fares for an additional four months, until November 2026. However, single adult fares are expected to rise by 10p to £1.85 after the freeze ends on November 1.
Current Fare Freeze Details
Since March 2023, bus fares in London have been frozen at £1.75. The daily bus cap is currently £5.25, and the seven-day bus and tram pass stands at £26.10. The hopper fare system allows passengers to make unlimited journeys within one hour for £1.75.
Post-Freeze Fare Increases
From November 1, 2026, single adult bus and tram fares will rise by 10p to £1.85. The daily cap will increase by 30p to £5.55, which Transport for London (TfL) says aligns with Tube fare increases. The seven-day pass will rise to £26.10. TfL noted that if bus fares had risen in line with inflation over the past decade, a single journey would now cost £2.35.
Weekend Hopper Offer
During the summer holidays, from July 25 to the end of August, Saturday and Sunday travel on buses and trams will cost only £1.75 for the entire day under a special hopper fare offer.
Mayor's Statement
Mayor Sadiq Khan said: ‘I’m pleased to extend the freeze on bus and tram fares for another four months, and will continue doing everything in my power to keep TfL services as affordable as possible, as I know the cost-of-living crisis is still hitting many Londoners hard. My Hopper fare has enabled millions of people to save money on bus and tram travel over the past decade, and now the exciting new Weekend Hopper will make it even cheaper and easier for Londoners and visitors to enjoy all that our great city has to offer this summer.’
Passenger Watchdog Response
London TravelWatch welcomed the four-month extension but expressed concern about the impending rise. A spokesperson said: ‘The inflation-busting increase in bus fares due in November – if it happens – will be hard to take for passengers on lower incomes who depend on this form of transport, particularly when they are seeing the slowest ever bus speeds across the network or, in some cases, reduced service frequencies on their routes.’
Bus Speeds and Usage
London’s iconic red buses carry around five million people daily. However, average bus speeds have fallen to just 7mph, slightly above a jogger's easy pace, according to figures from the Confederation of Passenger Transport reported by The Standard. This decline in speed has drawn criticism.
