Mayor Khan's first act to make buses cheaper gets mixed reaction

The new Mayor of London Sadiq Khan's first policy act to introduce a one-hour bus ticket eventually allowing unlimited bus travel within 60 minutes for one fare was greeted with a mixed reaction.

The Londonist website responded that the announcement by the Labour mayor that the 'hopper' ticket would be introduced for pay-as-you-go bus travellers in September was "great news for the many Londoners who rely on catching multiple buses every day. Many of those who use PAYG find the upfront fees for monthly or annual travelcards too expensive". The Independent hailed the "radical change" and said it was hoped it would save "millions of Londoners money".

But The Evening Standard and The Telegraph pointed out that the idea the Liberal Democrats have campaigned for since 2009 was dismissed by the previous mayor on the grounds that it would be too costly. The Conservative-leaning newspapers highlighted the cost of giving two journeys for the price of one - or more from 2018 - as they pointed to the estimated 86 million bus journeys TfL said were followed by another bus journey within an hour. 

Transport commissioner Mike Brown said: "For many people catching more than one bus is the only way they can get from A to B. This fare willl enable us to better meet the needs of Londoners who live or work in areas which aren't well served by the tube or trains." Lib Dem Assembly member and former transport committee chair Caroline Pidgeon responded: "I welcome our policy being adopted and hope the Mayor will go further and implement half-price travel for journeys on the transport network before 7.30am."

The announcement came as cyclists asked Khan to quickly act on his pledges to accelerate cycling schemes.