TfL fare increases: How much a bus, tube or train ride will rise in 2023
Mayor Sadiq Khan has confirmed that Transport for London fares will rise in March of this year – meaning Londoners and visitors will be paying more to get around the capital.
Fares on the tube, buses, and rail will go up by just shy of 6 per cent, whilst a temporary move to make over-60s pay for their travel in rush hour will become permanent.
Daily ‘caps’ will increase, too, as will the hopper fare which allows Londoners to take more than one bus in the course of an hour.
It marks the end of a TfL fare ‘freeze’ across the capital, with the Mayor obliged to hike fares as part of a long-term funding settlement deal with the government.
Transport for London’s finances were battered by the pandemic and ongoing lack of demand as restrictions were lifted, and is unique among global cities in raising so much of its operating budget from fares.
Proposed Bus and tram fares
| Current | March 2023 | Increase | |
| PAYG – single | £1.65 | £1.75 | 6.1% |
| PAYG – daily cap | £4.95 | £5.25 | 6.1% |
| 7 Day Bus & Tram Pass | £23.30 | £24.70 | 6.0% |
Zonal – Proposed Daily and weekly caps
| Current | 2023 | Increase | ||||
| Zones | Daily | Weekly | Daily | Weekly | Daily | Weekly |
| 12 | £7.70 | £38.50 | £8.10 | £40.50 | 5.2% | 5.2% |
| 123 | £9.00 | £45.00 | £9.60 | £48.00 | 6.7% | 6.7% |
| 1234 | £11.00 | £55.00 | £11.70 | £58.50 | 6.4% | 6.4% |
| 12345 | £13.10 | £65.50 | £13.90 | £69.50 | 6.1% | 6.1% |
| 123456 | £14.10 | £70.50 | £14.90 | £74.50 | 5.7% | 5.7% |
A pay as you go bus journey will soon cost £1.75.
“I froze TfL fares for five years from 2016 to make transport more affordable for millions of Londoners. But my hands have been tied since the pandemic by the strict conditions set by the Government in the recent emergency funding agreement for TfL, which means fares have to be increase in London by the same amount as national rail fares – 5.9 per cent,” Khan said this morning.
The fare increases come alongside a £20 per household top-up to Council Tax to pay for TfL, another effective condition of the government bailout deal.
Londoners are enjoying the recently built Elizabeth Line but TfL has indicated it is unlikely to be able to deliver any additional new projects for some time.