Part-time travelcards will put cash in the pocket of commuters from January 2015

Posted by GLA Conservatives in Opinion   Share2014

Jan
29

At the beginning of last year I published a report called Home Works. In it, I argued that Transport for London should introduce part-time Travelcards and annual rebates for those who underuse their full-time tickets. As well as encouraging flexible working, the introduction of part-time Travelcards would help to make part-time work pay and reduce demand on London’s overcrowded public transport.

Unfortunately the Mayor is somewhat sceptical of home working, so he was not initially keen on my proposal. However I have continued to plug away at building support for a measure that will improve the lives of a great many Londoners. My report has been downloaded hundreds of times and the weight of numbers in favour of my proposal has increased.

Today, in response to my persistent campaigning, the Mayor has announced that TfL will be introducing flexible ticketing from January 2015. This will put cash back into the pockets of millions of part-time workers across London. This is real progress and a vindication of the approach that the GLA Conservatives have taken.

I’ll now be working hard over the rest of this year to ensure that my specific recommendations of a part-time Travelcard and a system of annual rebates for underused full-time tickets will be delivered. It will mean that people working three days a week will no longer have to pay for a full week’s travel. After persistent campaigning on this issue, I’m grateful to the Mayor for this funding.

If you want to read my initial report, it can be downloaded here: https://glaconservatives.co.uk/hw