London bus fares are to stay frozen at £1.75 for another four months – before going up by 10p in November, TfL has announced. 

Bus fares were temporarily frozen by London mayor Sir Sadiq Khan in March as a measure to help with the cost of living, while Tube, DLR, Elizabeth Line and Overground fares were increased as part of an agreement with the government. 

Now the old fare will stay in place until November 1, coinciding with the Weekend Hopper offer, which means a whole day’s bus travel will be capped at £1.75 at weekends from July 25 to August 31. 

Single fares will go up to £1.85 from November 1, with a day’s travel capped at £5.55. Both the fare freeze and the increase from November also apply to Croydon’s tram network.

National Rail fares and other fare caps in London were frozen in March by the government and are not affected by Friday’s announcement.

Khan has made freezing bus fares a key policy since he became mayor a decade ago. TfL said that if a single fare had risen with inflation since 2016, it would now cost £2.35.

Single-decker 286 bus to Greenwich
Buses on the 286 will be reduced to four per hour from July 12. Image: The Greenwich Wire

But the network is facing major issues with slower journeys and falling ridership. TfL has said the network, which is subsidised by profits from the Tube, is losing £1 billion per year. 

TfL has tried to increase passenger numbers in outer London by introducing Superloop limited-stop services, but has also reduced many services. The latest cut to services in the Greenwich area – reducing route 286 from five to four buses an area – will come into effect from July 12. Calls for a Superloop service linking Woolwich and Eltham were recently rejected. 

Khan said: “I’m pleased to extend the freeze on bus and tram fares for another four months, and will continue doing everything in my power to keep TfL services as affordable as possible, as I know the cost-of-living crisis is still hitting many Londoners hard. My Hopper fare has enabled millions of people to save money on bus and tram travel over the past decade, and now the exciting new Weekend Hopper will make it even cheaper and easier for Londoners and visitors to enjoy all that our great city has to offer this summer. 

“I know that buses and trams are a real lifeline for many Londoners, and I’m determined to keep them the most accessible and affordable modes of transport in the capital as we continue building a greener, fairer, better London for everyone.”

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