image source, Getty Images
Friday rides will be charged at off-peak rates on a 3-month trial
Transport for London (TfL) will trial all-day off-peak Tube and train fares on Fridays in a bid to boost passenger numbers and support the capital’s economy.
Sadiq Khan has called on TfL to start a three-month trial in March.
He said the group’s usage data showed Fridays to be quieter than any other weekday.
Conservative mayoral candidate Susan Hall said the trial would not change anything.
According to TfL, midweek Tube usage was 85% compared to pre-pandemic levels, with Friday usage around 73%.
image source, Getty Images
Sadiq Khan said the test would also include London Underground and train fares.
Mr Khan said: “London has really bounced back since the pandemic, with the clear exception of no commuters returning on Friday, which has had a huge knock-on effect on shops, cafes and cultural venues.”
“That’s why I’m asking TfL to trial off-peak fares on Fridays, and I’m encouraging Londoners to get involved.”
Amit Patel, who works at a newsagents opposite Marylebone station, said trading on Fridays had been slow since the pandemic.
“We have to make ends meet,” he said. “So we just have to try and cope.
“It’s nowhere near what it used to be.”
Tom Edwards, BBC London Transport Correspondent
If you go to many ticket offices at 09:28 GMT, you’ll see travelers waiting for off-peak departures to get cheaper fares.
No doubt, commuters are sensitive to fare changes.
While off-peak Fridays are innovative, other European cities have gone further by offering free public transport at all times.
Things have changed since the pandemic, with working from home leaving many people with no time to go into the office on Fridays and London’s transport system becoming much quieter. The mayor hopes this will bring them back.
The big question is: Will this cost cost Transport for London revenue, or will this revenue become neutral when the numbers come back? And for those who stay home on Friday, will saving a few pounds be enough of an attraction?
Also, it seems that there is still a need to discuss practicality with the railway company.
Politically, of course, the backdrop is the upcoming mayoral election in May. And the incumbent Labor mayor, Sadiq Khan, is trying to keep his cost of living firmly on the agenda.
His critics and opponents will say this is nothing more than cynical election provocation.
Peak fares apply on both TfL and National Rail in London from 06:30 to 09:30 and from 16:00 to 19:00.
Hall said commuters “may change their habits a little bit” but the savings won’t be enough to make a big difference.
“If people work three days a week, [in the office]they just change the day, they don’t come on another day,” she said.
Kate Nicholls, chief executive of UKHospitality, said the trial was “exactly the kind of flexible approach we need to increase travel numbers and stimulate footfall”.
And Chris Hayward, chairman of the City of London’s policy committee, called it a “welcome blow for our business”.
Rob Blackie, Liberal Democrat member of the London Assembly, said: “It’s a great idea to reduce fares on Fridays, when the Tube is less crowded. But ‘dynamic pricing’ has to be about taking advantage of spare capacity.” .
“Dynamic models should only offer discounts for trips of short duration or in less crowded locations.”
Green Party candidate Zoe Garbett said she welcomed TfL’s fare cuts, but added: “But this feels more like a gimmick than something that will actually help many Londoners.”
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