Khan considers surging midweek Tube prices

SADIQ KHAN is considering surge pricing on midweek Tube travel to make up lost revenue following the rise in the trend of working from home.

The Mayor of London has confirmed so-called dynamic pricing, where fares rise and fall in line with demand, is being considered by Transport for London (TFL) to boost the operator’s recovery from the pandemic.

It comes as another round of fare rises are set to be announced by City Hall before March, on top of a 5.9 per cent increase last year.

Mr Khan told members of the London Assembly’s budget and performance committee yesterday he had “held meetings” with TFL chiefs about introducing peak fare prices that could go beyond increased prices during the morning and evening rush hours.

He said that pay-as-you-go travel enabled TFL to “play around” with daily caps on how much passengers are charged to use the transport network.

Asked if he was going to bring in dynamic pricing as soon as this year, Mr Khan said it was among “some of the options” TFL was looking at, but that he had “not made a decision”. Surge pricing could see the cost of travel rising on select days throughout the week.

Peak pricing on London’s transport is already in place at the busiest times of the day, with fares on the Tube going up 10 per cent in Zone One during rush hour. Since the coronavirus pandemic workers have increasingly opted for spending only three days a week in the office, causing TFL revenues to dip on Mondays and Fridays.

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