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Boris and Ken clash over Tube fare rises
Paul Waugh, Deputy Political Editor03.01.08
Boris Johnson and Ken Livingstone have clashed over Tube fare rises as both men sought to pitch themselves as the commuter's friend.
The Tory mayoral candidate seized on the fact that travelcards went up by an average of 3.8 per cent this month and accused Mr Livingstone of "serial dishonesty" over fares.
The Mayor hit back, blaming train operators for forcing up the cost of the travelcard and pointing out that single Tube and bus Oyster fares had been frozen for 2008.
Mr Johnson said the "freeze" masks the Mayor's record of increasing fares in virtually every year since his re-election in 2004.
He pointed out that when Mr Livingstone was last running for re-election, he promised to hold any future fare increases to "no more than the rate of inflation".
But in his second term, the Mayor increased Tube fares over three consecutive years - twice above inflation.
Mr Johnson also highlighted Transport for London figures showing London Underground received more than £130 million extra revenue over the past three years than they had anticipated.
"Why has he consistently increased fares on the Tube over the last three years, if he has consistently got more money in than he expected? And where has this extra money gone? All this amounts to serial dishonesty," he said.
A spokesman for Mr Livingstone said that the Mayor had decided to put up fares above inflation to raise money to repay interest on billions borrowed from the City for investment in the Tube network.
He added that when fare revenues exceeded projections last year the Mayor cut single bus fares from £1 to 90p and froze all fares he controls this year - a cut in real terms.
Reader views (17)
As a daily user of public transport throughout London I can confidently say that Ken Livingstone is the best thing to have happened to Transport in London since the war. Congestion Charge, More Bus routes, Oyster, newer buses, Underground regeneration, Crossrail, East London Line Extension, London Overground, co-ordinated river services, DLR extensions, a dedicated cycle network with more cycle lanes are just some of his achievements. Above all, in reducing car-ownership and car-use in London, Livingstone is unique in the developed world. So he has my vote as he has millions of others who live in London. All the detractors here can only be petrol heads who need to get out from behind the wheel.
- Andrew Wood, London, England
Ken Livingstone has done nothing but cause utter misery for Londoners since he has come to power. Scrapping the popular traditional London Routemasters, bringing in the extortionate CONgestion Charge (then extending it in the face of overwhelming opposition), relentlessly hiking up bus and tube fares whilst making no real improvements to Londoner's journeys, inviting the Taliban leader over as a guest of London, cosying up to Chavez, wasting millions of pounds of our taxes on pointless trips to Venezuela, Cuba, India etc.
The list could go on. Get out Ken asap!
- Daniel Howard, London,UK
Red Ken has no right to be mayor as he has made moving around in London a tragedy and way too expensive for paying customers and anyhow he is barely in London but mostly in Cuba or Venezula or India or...
- Steveo, Islington, London
I think Mr Livingstone has shown his true colours during his term in office and to quote Anne Robinson "you are the weakest link, goodbye".
- K Ensbad, London
Ken talks rubbish, if your in a minority life is good if your in the majority you pay.
- Konrad, London
Peter from Enfield should come to London and try the transport "system": it is a joke believe me not worth anything. The problem is there are not enough paying passengers anymore since Red Ken gave free bus passes to the "needy"...
- Jacqueline, Hampstead, London
Does anyone blowing the trumpet for Boris seriously believe that he will reduce fares or keep increases down? No chance.
- Colin, Barking Essex
I live in Rochester, Kent. Believe me Londoners have an absolutely fantastic deal both price wise and frequency of buses wise.
- Ray, London, England
London's public transport is the cheapest in the UK, yet Londoners moan constantly about its high cost! The cost of an all day bus pass or a one day travelcard offers fantastic value, compared to what people have to pay in rural areas. Boris is on a different planet, the costs of running the transport system increase substantially each year, cost of fuel and staff wages etc. New buses don't come cheap at around £140,000 a time give or take. I personally am happy to pay these increases as I get numerous buses to all destinations. And these buses are often less than 5 years old. Go to where I come from originally (Suffolk) and you get little or no evening services, little or no Sunday services, rural frequencies of maybe one bus every 2 hours and hugely expensive fares. Stop moaning about the cheap and excellent transport system we have in London. Or perhaps you'd prefer 15 year old cold slow buses on a frequency of maybe 3 an hour per route?
- Peter, Enfield
You've got to love Ken. So he's frozen single fares? Wow wee. I wonder what proportion of Londoners pay single fares, considering that he has put single fares up to such a ridiculous figure? My educated guess is it would be minimal and most Londoners returning to work this week would, like me, have been paying an extra six quid or so for the usual delayed and packed carriages. I'm not a Tory or anything, but what a pity the Tories have only managed to pit an oaf against the stoat, otherwise "Red" Ken would get the kicking he deserves in the polls. As it is my vote is going to the Greens. Neither of those fools deserve to run this brilliant City.
- Mathieu Riches, London
Oh let's stop the hypocritical moaning. I can't recall a (pre-Ken) New Year without the message of fare increases - often above the rate of inflation.
- Natalia Grant, London, UK
I know I just paid my monthly ticket and I know I pay far more than I should already in council tax to Ken Livingstone the man is a joke!
- Jonathan B, London, NW1
Red Ken would not have to increase fares like that year after year if he would not give away so many free tickets. I am always amazed when I pass through ticket gates and the majority of the people have an orange "freepass". I am tired of paying for these guys. My vote goes to Mr. Johnson!
- Georgie, Islington, London
Another example of what everybody's saying that Ken Livingstone is past his "sell-by date". No good him quoting Oyster, when the chaos over Oyster card use on the mainline trains, so important in south London where there are so few tube trains, further proves the man has lost it. It's time for a change, and Boris Johnson has the new ideas and the energy to improve things in the Capital.
- Richard Tracey, Wandsworth, England
Mention the word "Socialism" to the majority of intelligent people in this country and we think of incompetence, stupidity and lies. Boris you have my vote, you may not talk sense, but you think and write it.
- Frederick, London, UK
Where has the money gone? Need one ask? How about some of the LDA supported projects you've been reporting on recently? Or is this all 'ring-fenced' money?
- Chuck Unsworth, London
The Mayor of London has increased, year after year, the Underground fares for the vast majority who use travel cards by about 4% each year. The people of London have just come to expect this astronomical increase every New Year. What other goods or service goes up this annual amount year after year? I for one am sick and tired of Ken Livingstone and his fare increases. Boris has my vote.
- Phil Jones, London UK
