TfL fare rises 2025

Bus and tram fares frozen for 2025 but tube and rail fares to rise in March

TfL is raising TfL-LU fares by as much as 15.8% in 2025, which is frankly obscene. Incomes are not rising by these staggering amounts.

Why is it always public transport users who must fully fund the bill when drivers are so heavily subsidised?

The largest fare increases affect fares within zones 2-6, which avoid zone 1. Arguably, this impacts those least able to afford it and the areas most likely to drive.

With bus fares fixed for next year, this may push more people onto buses. While this is better than driving, it is still not as carbon-friendly as rail and is not always a viable alternative.Rising prices by this much is not conducive to encouraging passengers into a modal shift towards public transport, which we so desperately need to achieve net zero.

The fare increases are also likely to cause people to reduce the number of times they go out and spend money in the capital, which will have a negative impact on leisure businesses in the area, reducing tax income from spending. This could result in job losses in the hospitality sector if businesses have to reduce their staffing due to decreased footfall.