Single adult bus and tram fares in London will rise by 10p to £1.85 from November 1, marking the first increase since March 2023, Transport for London (TfL) has announced.
The new price also includes the Hopper fare, which allows travellers to pay a single fare for unlimited journeys within one hour on the city's buses and trams. Fares for those with eligible concession cards will also increase by 5p.
TfL defends increase
A TfL spokesperson said: 'We are committed to ensuring that London's public transport remains affordable and accessible for all, with revenue raised via fares reinvested into improving services across London.'
'London's bus fares remain some of the lowest in the UK, and this is only the third time they've increased over the past decade, meaning they are still 17% lower than if they had risen in line with inflation throughout this period.'
Earlier this year, Mayor Sadiq Khan extended the bus and tram fare freeze that was due to end in July. Describing it as an 'emergency cost-of-living measure' to support Londoners on the lowest incomes, the mayor said he would do 'everything in his power to keep TfL services as affordable as possible.'
Public reaction
Some Londoners have questioned why they are being asked to pay more for a public transport service they feel is getting worse. On TikTok, @MM said 'this is getting out of hand,' while @Anon88 wrote 'They do everything except increasing salaries and lowering house prices.'
@cherry_baby deemed the new price 'ridiculously expensive', adding 'and the service isn't even worth the cost. It's awful and gets worse with every passing year!'
'They aren't even as frequent as they used to be. Buses used to come every 7 mins – now you can be waiting for 20 mins and it's more expensive,' @sianny_ added.
Comparisons with rest of UK
However, a number of people have been quick to remind locals to be grateful, noting that transport outside of London tends to be far more expensive. Underneath one TikTok video related to the announcement, @Ryan wrote: 'Compared to the rest of the UK, a bus fare for £1.85 is a bargain.'
@Josh added: 'That's still cheap for single ticket, especially in London! In the West Midlands it's £3 for single.'
While TfL has confirmed that price caps for Tube, rail and Travel cards will remain frozen until March next year, buses carry around 1.8 billion passengers across the capital in 2025.
