London transport above inflation fare rises implemented

Above inflation fare rises have come into force on London's transport network.

Passengers on the Tube, buses, trams, DLR and commuter trains face on average a 4.2% increase, while some rail season tickets have gone up by much more.

A single bus fare on Oyster pay-as-you-go has increased by 5p to £1.40 and the annual access fee for cycle hire has doubled to £90.

Transport for London and the government said the rises would fund improvements.

The fare hike means a zone 1 Tube journey will cost £2.10, an increase of 10p.

Damaging 'competitiveness'

Concessionary fares for young people and veterans have been protected as has free travel for the elderly and disabled.

The increase, described by London Mayor Boris Johnson as "balanced", is 1% above the Retail Price Index (RPI) measure of inflation.

Stephen Joseph, from the Campaign for Better Transport, said: "The impact of fare rises on the national rail network in London is particularly shocking and we are in danger of damaging London's competitiveness.

"People are paying far higher fares to get to work in London than in other cities."

General Secretary of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union Bob Crow said: "As passengers return from the festive break they will be kicked in the teeth with inflation busting fare increases that will do nothing other than to fatten the profits of the greedy train operators."

£5 Tube ticket

The government has provided £96m in funding for the city's transport network.

Mr Johnson said: "This fares package is hugely important to our millions of passengers and I am very pleased to have secured nearly £100m that will help to keep fares as low as possible, and protect the important concessions that we offer the most vulnerable Londoners."

A single bus or tram fare on an Oyster card will be £1.40, a 3.7% rise, while the daily cap will rise by 20p to £4.40 - a 4.8% increase.

For those paying by cash a single fare will cost £2.40, a 4.3% rise. A seven-day bus and tram pass will be £19.60, up by 4.3%.

On the Tube, Oyster fares will rise by 5%, £2.10, for a single journey within zone 1, while a peak-time journey to zone 6 will increase by 4.2% to £5. The daily price cap remains unchanged.

The daily £1 charge to access bikes on hire will increase to £2, while the weekly charge will rise to £10.