Flexible travel cards to go on sale next year, says Boris Johnson

 
Railways....Underground...Commuters at Hammersmith Broadway tube station,going through the ticket barriers.
21 February 2014

Millions of part-time workers could save hundreds of pounds after Boris Johnson today promised to bring in flexible travel cards from January next year.

A three-day ticket — to be used on days of the commuter’s choosing — would offer better value than Pay As You Go or even a regular travel card.

The Mayor has instructed Transport for London to work up detailed plans and costings for the new tickets after he came under pressure from London Assembly Tories and Liberal Democrats. He previously dismissed proposals for flexible travel cards as “not a sensible way forward”.

TfL’s options are likely to include those set out last year in a report by the Tory group: flexible tickets and annual rebates for those who under-use their full-time tickets.

Mr Johnson said: “Part-time and flexible workers make a terrific contribution to London’s economy and often earn little more than the minimum wage. I have therefore asked TfL to introduce ticketing which specifically addresses the needs of part-time workers from January 2015.”

The introduction of contactless bank card payments on the Tube and other rail services later this year would give TfL the “golden opportunity” for flexible ticketing, he added.

The Mayor’s transport body estimates that introducing a three-day travel card would cost about £40 million a year. Tory Assembly member Roger Evans, author of the “Home Works” report, said: “The introduction of flexible ticketing from January 2015 will put cash back into the pockets of millions of part-time workers across London.”

He added that it would also encourage full-time workers to work remotely for a day or two a week and “reduce demand on London’s overcrowded public transport”.

In October, the Mayor rubbished flexible travel card proposals, saying: “I am not going to fool around and pretend to you that I am going to go off and ask TfL to look at this again. They have looked at it. They have concluded that it is not a sensible way forward.”

The Lib-Dems today tabled an amendment to the Mayor’s budget calling for a new travel card to be funded largely by ending the free travel perk for partners and flatmates of TfL employees.

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