One hour 'Hopper' fare
Mayor announces one hour ‘Hopper’ fare
- Fare to launch in September, helping to save millions of passengers money every year
- People on low incomes to benefit the most
The new Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has announced that millions of Londoners are set for cheaper and more convenient bus journeys.
Sadiq Khan, who used the bus on his way to City Hall for his first day as Mayor of London, confirmed today (10 May) that he will meet his manifesto commitment to introduce a one hour ‘Hopper’ fare, and that it will be introduced in September.
The Hopper fare will automatically be given to anyone who uses pay as you go with Oyster cards or contactless payments, and will allow passengers to make an additional bus journey for free within one hour of touching in on the first bus. For the vast majority of passengers this will mean an end to having to pay two bus fares when changing bus routes, and it is expected particularly to benefit Londoners on lower incomes who often rely on the bus network to get around.
Unlimited bus transfers within one hour are not currently possible due to limits on the technology used by Transport for London. However their ticketing technology will be upgraded next year, enabling TfL to deliver unlimited journeys within an hour by the end of 2018, but with an aim of doing so sooner.
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: "My dad drove the number 44 bus and transport in London has always been a big part of my life. The cost of a fare in London has risen for eight years in a row and now that I’m Mayor I am determined to prevent the cost of travel from becoming a barrier to work.
"The ‘Hopper’ fare will make life cheaper and easier for millions of Londoners, and will help ensure that everyone will be able to afford to travel around the city. It is just the start of my plan to ensure that travelling around London is affordable for everyone, a commitment that includes a freeze on TfL fares for four years – benefiting millions of people.”
In 2015 there were an estimated two and a half billion bus journeys in the capital including 600 million pay-as-you-go journeys. Of these bus journeys, an estimated 86 million went on to make another bus journey within one hour.
London’s Transport Commissioner, Mike Brown, said: “This new option will benefit a huge number of our passengers. For many people catching more than one bus is the only way they can get from A to B. This fare will enable us to better meet the needs of those Londoners who live or work in areas which aren’t as well served by Tube or rail services.”