But one campaign group claims that the Mayor could and should axe these charges altogether, making the capital’s public transport system entirely free.
Fare Free London admits that abolishing train and bus tickets in London would be “drastic”, but claims it is necessary to “tackle climate change globally and air pollution locally”.
The group has said it recognises that the “whole basis” of how Transport for London (TfL) is funded would have to change for its goal to be realised.
Last year, fares income was around 70 per cent of the cash TfL spent on day-to-day operating costs.
But London is the outlier and not the norm in this regard. Most other major cities across the world rely far less on fares to fund day-to-day spending.
Fares cover just one-third of operating costs in Paris, and just a quarter in New York.
The remaining funding is sourced elsewhere, including from local and national taxes.
In Paris, businesses with 11 or more employees are subject to a payroll tax which helps to fund public transport in the city.
Public transport is already entirely free for residents in the French city of Montpellier – which shows such a policy is possible, Fare Free London claims.
Campaign group founder Simon Pirani said: “What we know from cities like Montpellier is that free public transport helps to reduce the number of cars on the road.
“To meet the Mayor’s climate goals you have to start getting people out of their cars and there’s no better way to do it than focusing on giving people something like free public transport.”
Pirani, from Woolwich, added that he had noticed that in the morning, some people stay on the 53 bus route while others get off to board the Elizabeth line into central London.
“People are actually spending an hour-and-a-half on the bus instead of half-an-hour on the Tube because it’s a bit cheaper,” he explained.
“So, this a social justice thing as well as a climate thing.”
The London Mayor and TfL did not respond after being approached for comment.
Tube, Elizabeth line and Overground fares rose by 4.6 per cent in March, while bus fares were frozen.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan said at the time: “Following the Government’s budget, ministers made clear that to secure national funding for key transport projects in the future, TfL Tube and rail fares would need to increase in line with national rail fares.”
