Sadiq extends free travel to even more lower-paid workers
- Around 5,800 of the lowest paid transport workers will receive free travel across the TfL network.
- The new concession, funded by the Mayor, will be extended to even more workers in roles vital to London’s transport network.
As the cost of living continues to spiral, the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has directed TfL to offer free travel on the capital’s public transport network to the lowest paid contract workers. The announcement means that around 5,800 transport workers who were not previously eligible will now receive free travel. Examples of employees who will receive free travel from April include cleaners, catering and security staff.
Since 2016 the Mayor has made sure all who work in TfL, including contractors, are paid the London Living Wage.
After first announcing the proposed concession in September, the Mayor has now provided funding to make it possible, and allow even more of London’s lowest paid transport workers to travel for free.
Employees directly employed by TfL already receive free travel across the TfL network. Now, at a time when the cost of living is increasing, hitting the Londoners on a lower wage hardest, the Mayor is taking action to ease the pressure being faced by the lowest paid transport workers, not directly employed by TfL.
The Mayor continues to do all he can to help Londoners, including spending more than £80m this year specifically to help those struggling with the rising cost of living. That includes more than £50m to tackle fuel poverty through the Mayor’s Warmer Homes programme and energy advice services, more than £20m to improve security for private renters and house Londoners who are rough sleeping or homeless, more than £5m to connect Londoners with welfare advice, and £400,000 to tackle food insecurity. He has also spent billions building affordable homes for Londoners and is investing £380m a year to help Londoners find more secure and better paid work. These are just some of the policies the mayor is working on every day to help Londoners during this cost of living crisis.
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “London’s transport workers continue to play an essential and much-valued role in keeping our city’s transport network safe and operational for millions of people every day.
The cost of living crisis shows no sign of improving, and I want to do everything I can to support those in lower paying jobs who are being hit hardest. With so little action from the Government I’m pleased that I can help ease the pressure for lower paid transport workers such as cleaners, catering and security staff who do such a vital job for the capital.
“I will continue to do everything I can to help Londoners with spiralling costs, including providing targeted support directly to those on lower incomes, and to prevent financial inequalities widening further so we can continue to build a better, fairer and more prosperous city for all Londoners.”
TUC London Regional Secretary Sam Gurney, said: "As the cost of living crisis continues to hit all Londoners, this is a really welcome move.
"It will help a large group of key workers on our transport system, including the thousands of cleaners we all rely on to keep it safe.
"It’s a great example of unions working together with the mayor to improve conditions for hard-pressed Londoners.
"We will continue to support moves to build on this by bringing these workers back into direct employment."
Additional notes
- The benefit of free travel on TfL’s network to the lowest paid workers, who aren’t employed by TfL, will be introduced for eligible employees of suppliers to TfL from April.
- Free travel on TfL services is already given to employees employed directly by TfL, and Oyster cards are also issued to bus drivers and operators of other TfL services as part of their benefit package