Balancing act: the Mayor's 2011 fares decision

The Budget and Performance Committee says demand for public transport during the economic downturn has been higher than expected and so Transport for London (TfL) has collected more money from fares than it forecast.

TfL also recently said that it does not intend to use fares to pay for the reduction in its government grant this year or its takeover of Tube Lines. The report therefore calls on TfL to publicly justify why it plans to recommend to the Mayor that fares should rise by two per cent above inflation in 2011.

The report recommends that if the Mayor is convinced that fares must rise next year he should spread the pain more evenly by ensuring the prices of these tickets do not rise by more than other ticket types. The Committee also calls on the Mayor to make sure any future fares rises do not lead to unwanted changes to travel patterns, such as people opting to drive instead of using public transport.

A survey commissioned by the Committee found that people on low incomes and not working have been particularly hit by the much higher rises in 2010. The full survey results are available to view.