Sadiq Khan wants more people to come to London on Friday to buy lunch, after-work drinks and evening entertainment, which would be a big boost for the hospitality industry.
Friday 1 March 2024 20:01, UK
Fares on London’s Underground and trains will be cut on Friday as the Mayor seeks to get more people to use public transport.
Sadiq Khan The company hopes having more workers in the office on Fridays will raise additional funds for its hospitality sector through additional spending on lunches, after-work drinks and evening entertainment.
People using contactless and Oyster cards will be charged off-peak rates all day on Fridays under a £24m trial which will run from March 8 until the end of May.
If you take the Tube from Zone 6 to Zone 1 outside London during peak hours, you currently pay £5.60, but the trial will reduce this to £3.60 on Friday.
Weekday peak hours are 6:30 AM to 9:30 AM and 4 PM to 7 PM.
Mr Khan said: “Encouraging more people to return to the city on Friday will provide a much-needed boost to the hospitality, business and leisure sectors, making it fairer and greener for everyone. “We have the potential to support London’s broader economic growth as we continue to build a richer London.” .
“So I’m calling on all Londoners: let’s do this Friday to keep London vibrant.”
Midweek, the number of people taking the subway is 85% of pre-pandemic levels, but by Friday it has fallen to just 73%.
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Friday’s daily pay-as-you-go price cap will also be revised to Friday’s off-peak price during the trial period.
However, paper single tickets and day travel cards still have peak time restrictions.
The trial will see cards for over-60s and Freedom Pass cards, which cannot be used until 9am on weekdays, become valid all day on Friday.
This follows Mr Khan’s announcement in January that TfL fares, which are paid for by £123m of Greater London Authority funding, will be frozen until March next year.