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It\u2019s a question that all proper Londoners<\/a> love to answer: what would you do if you were mayor<\/a> for a day?<\/p>\n One of the biggest decisions the current mayor, Sir Sadiq Khan, has to make each year is about Tube<\/a> fares<\/a>.<\/p>\n But Sir Sadiq could have done so much more. Here are 10 things that the mayor got wrong with his fares announcement.<\/p>\n The 60+ Oyster card<\/a> is the best free gift in the capital. It enables Londoners aged 60-65 to travel for free on the Tube, buses and trains after 9am. But it costs \u00a380m a year \u2013 a bill that is picked up by younger fare-paying passengers. Many Londoners in their early 60s are still in work. They don\u2019t deserve to travel for free at the expense of a younger generation that may earn less, be in greater debt and be contending with hefty mortgages \u2013 or having no hope of ever living in a home of their own.<\/p>\n What did the mayor got wrong with his fares announcement?<\/p>\n Getty Images<\/p>\n 2: Tell the truth about rising bus fares<\/p>\n London bus fares are the cheapest in the country at \u00a31.75 (though that may seem less of a bargain when your bus is stuck in gridlock and you\u2019re sat beside someone blaring rap music from their phone). Sir Sadiq says bus fares will have to rise, but not until August. He says he\u2019s waiting for the outcome of Government funding negotiations before announcing the new bus fares. With TfL on course to make a third successive annual \u201coperating surplus\u201d<\/a>, surely he\u2019s only thinking about an extra 10p? Uncertainty does no favours to those most in need of cheap public transport. Tell us what you\u2019re planning, Sadiq.<\/p>\n 3: Hike the Silvertown and Blackwall tolls<\/p>\n Yes, they were only introduced in April, with drivers paying \u00a31.50 off-peak and \u00a34 at peak times to drive under the Thames. But it\u2019s a useful cash cow.<\/a> Failing to increase the tolls annually, and at least matching the increase in Tube fares, creates an incentive to drive.<\/p>\n 4: Extend the Hopper fare<\/p>\n The Hopper bus fare<\/a> is one of TfL<\/a>\u2019s great innovations (an idea stolen by Sir Sadiq from the Lib-Dems). It allows passengers to interchange between buses for up to an hour, without paying more than one \u00a31.75 fare. But with buses increasingly getting stuck in traffic and journeys taking longer, shouldn\u2019t the clock tick for a bit longer on the Hopper? A 75-minute or 90-minute Hopper ticket would prevent passengers having to pay twice if their bus is delayed.<\/p>\n 5: Get more people back on buses<\/p>\n Bus ridership is in long-term decline (though London still leads the way nationally for bus ridership). How to tackle it? Restrict the 60+ Oyster to free bus travel only. Londoners already enjoy more free travel benefits than the rest of the country. Outside the capital, a \u201cfree bus pass\u201d really is only that, and doesn\u2019t extend to the Tube or trains, unlike the 60+ Oyster and the Freedom Pass<\/a>.<\/p>\n The Silvertown bike bus: Free but hardly used<\/p>\n TfL<\/p>\n 6: Save the Silvertown bike bus<\/p>\n Cyclists aren\u2019t allowed to ride through the Silvertown tunnel, but they can catch a free bus<\/a>. It\u2019s great \u2013 but barely used, and costs TfL \u00a32m to operate. \u201cFoot passengers\u201d \u2013 namely those without a bike \u2013 aren\u2019t allowed on board, even when there\u2019s barely a cyclist in sight. Make it free for all passengers \u2013 and create a new stop outside IKEA in Greenwich. Swedish meatballs for all!<\/p>\n 7: Crack down on fare dodgers<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/GettyImages-2234149618.jpeg\")
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