02.02.18
‘Affordable’ Hopper fares to be extended on London Tube network
The mayor of London has this week confirmed the extension of Hopper fares on London rail services and the Underground.
Sadiq Khan’s policy means passengers will be able to pay a fee to travel for a one-hour period on most of London’s public transport services, including rail, the Underground, and buses.
Khan made the introduction of Hopper fares a key part of his campaign pledges and originally implemented it as a temporary measure in September 2016 – since then 140 million of the tickets have been purchased.
This week’s extension of the fare means around 130,000 passengers who use multiple services will benefit from more affordable tickets.
“I'm delighted that from today thousands more Londoners will be able to benefit from our landmark Hopper fare,” Khan said.
“The Hopper has been a huge success so far with over 140 million journeys, and from today Londoners will be able to change buses as many times as they want in an hour - whether commuting to work, or popping to the shops and back.”
A spokesperson from the mayor’s office said they hoped the Hopper fares would work alongside the TfL price freeze to improve people’s transport access.
Shashi Verma, chief technology officer at TfL commented: “The Hopper fare has already helped millions of people travel for less, and thanks to these latest improvements to our ticketing system, we can now offer even more affordable journeys to customers.
“This is one of the many ways that we are trying to make life in London easier and encourage people to leave their cars at home in favour of less polluting public transport.”
TfL’s price freeze means that every passenger buying tram tickets or making pay-as-you-go journeys on the Tube, DLR, Emirates Airline and rail services – where TfL fares apply – will pay the same price as in 2016.
It also includes all TfL travel concessions, ensuring that children, over-60s, veterans, apprentices and those on Job Seeker’s Allowance continue to be given free or discounted travel.
Top image: traveler1116
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