London commuters feeling pain of biggest rail fares rise in a decade

Commuters were worried about the impact the rise in fares would have in their finances

Rising rail fares will push some people to work from home, use cars more or walk home in the dark, commuters have said. From Sunday, fares in England and Wales rose by up to 5.9% on average, causing the cost of some annual season tickets to increase by hundreds of pounds. It is the biggest rise for more than a decade and has left commuters worrying about their finances. Speaking at London Waterloo station, Tina West, 46, from Leigh-on-Sea, Essex, said: “At the moment I travel to work by train at least twice a week, from Leigh to Dorchester. “The increase in fare prices means that, overall, it’s going to become cheaper for me to drive, which defeats the object of trying to cut down pollution. “With delays too, we end up paying more money only to get to where we need to be later, so it ends up being quicker to drive. My journey can take six hours by train, but it’s only three hours by car. “There is already a financial crisis, and people can’t afford to do most things, or in some cases even afford to eat. “The Government needs to step in and see what they can do to help, because people still need to get to work.”

Hassaan Ansari, 40, who lives in Canary Wharf and commutes to Surrey five days a week, said: “The whole country is currently in a bad financial situation, so I understand the increase in fares. “Everyone has to do their part to help the country recover from the lockdown, but rising prices will definitely be hard for some people to cope with. “I have tried driving, but it takes me almost double the time. I can’t move closer to the office because my wife works in Essex. “I would definitely work from home if my workplace allowed it. It would save me money and time.” A 23-year-old international student from India, who moved to London in February and gave her name as Preethi, said: “Prices are really high, and students are really struggling. “I’m travelling today because I wanted to go and see my sister, who lives in Basildon. It was very expensive – it cost me around £40 to get there and back, which is a lot for a student. “Spending time with my sister is very important to me, so I would definitely consider cutting back in other places and socialising less so that I can afford to keep travelling to see her. “Most students are studying from home instead of going to the library or going to lectures in person, because even bus passes are getting too expensive. “Most of us walk, I walk around 5km (three miles) to get to university. “It’s very cold right now, and it doesn’t feel safe at all to walk home at night, but we are still doing it because things just cost too much.”

How will the fare rise affect Londoners?

• Which fares changed?

All pay as you go and paper single fares on Tube, DLR, London Overground and Elizabeth line Bus and tram fares Daily and weekly caps Daily, weekly and other Travelcards River Bus services IFS Cloud Cable Car

• Tube, DLR, London Overground and Elizabeth line

Most adult pay as you go fares increased by between 10p and 30p The adult peak pay as you go fare for a journey in Zone 1 is £2.80 The new adult off-peak pay as you go fare for a journey in Zone 1 is £2.70 The adult off-peak pay as you go fare in a single zone (not Zone 1) is £1.80 Cash fares, also known as paper single and return tickets, for Zones 1-6 increased by 40p to £6.70

• Bus and tram

The adult pay as you go fare increased by 10p to £1.75The daily cap increased by 30p to £5.25The 16+ daily cap increased by 15p to £2.55

Britain’s railways have been disrupted by a series of issues such as staff shortages and sickness, industrial action, severe weather and infrastructure failures.

Annual increases in fares were traditionally implemented on the first working day of each year, but they have been postponed by several months since 2021.

Rail minister Huw Merriman said the national increase is “well below inflation and delayed”, but Labour described it as “savage” and public transport groups claimed passengers are not getting value for money.

Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know