Dear editor,
Local people have quite rightly lost patience with continuous rail fare hikes, particularly when many have seen little to no improvement of their services. The burden on peoples’ pockets could surely be lessened, and services improved, if privately operated metro services are devolved into the more capable hands of TfL.
You need only to look at City Hall’s decision to freeze TfL fares for the fourth-year running to know that rail devolution could make life that little bit more affordable for London’s beleaguered commuters. Single pay as you go fares and paper single tickets on Tube, London Overground and Docklands Light Rail services remain as they did in 2016. So too ticket prices for buses and trams, for Santander Cycle hire and for the Emirates Air Line. Unfortunately, City Hall does not have power to freeze fares on travelcards, because those prices have to be set in agreement with Train Operating Companies and the Government.
By the end of next year, this freeze will have saved each London household on average £200, providing a helping hand to those hit by the ever-rising costs of living and the lasting impacts of chronic austerity.
Yours,
Jennette Arnold OBE AM
London Assembly Member for North East (Hackney, Islington and Waltham Forest)