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London Tube and bus fares rise by 6 per cent
9/5/2008 |
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Boris Johnson risked the wrath of commuters yesterday when he announced a 6 per cent increase in Tube and bus fares. The Mayor of London blamed the hike on his predecessor, Ken Livingstone, claiming that he had left him with a black hole in Transport for London funding this year of more than £80 million. Mr Johnson said: ¡°I have been left to tackle the unfunded legacy of Livingstone¡¯s largesse.¡±
Mr Livingstone described the claim as totally false.
Some fares will rise by more than 6 per cent, with the cost of a single bus trip increasing from 90p to £1, more than 10 per cent. Mr Johnson said there would be ¡°tough choices¡± ahead regarding transport projects and said that he was not willing to spend much money on the proposed Cross River Tram, a link between North and South London.
The fares increase was welcomed by business. Baroness Valentine, chief executive of London First, said: ¡°It¡¯s vital that TfL balances its books, so this may be an unpopular decision, but a brave one.¡±
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