Off-peak All Day Fridays To Be Trialed on Tube and Rail
New fare structure to be introduced on 8 March
Friday is currently the quietest day of the working week on public transport. Picture: TfL
March 1, 2024
Off peak fares all day are to be introduced all day on Fridays across the whole of the tube and rail network in London.
The new lower fares will begin on Friday 8 March and will initially be on a trial basis until 31 May.
Pay as you go with contactless and Oyster fares will be off-peak all day and 60+ and Freedom Pass holders will also benefit as passes will be valid all day.
TfL says the aim of the move is to support a further return to the office and provide a further boost to the city’s economy. It will also enable it to learn more about how targeted initiatives involving changes to fares affect usage. The move has attracted criticism from opposition figures at City Hall who have described it as a voter bribe ahead of the May Mayoral elections.
The trial follows the previous announcement that the Mayor has frozen TfL fares until March 2025.
Peak pay as you go fares apply between 6:30am and 9:30am and between 4:00pm and 7:00pm on both TfL and National Rail services. Making pay as you go journeys on Fridays off-peak all day will make it cheaper for people to travel on a day that is currently quieter than other weekdays.
TfL and the train companies have now agreed a trial whereby all pay as you go journeys made using contactless and Oyster (with the exception of journeys to/from Heathrow airport via Zone 1) will be off-peak on Fridays. The daily cap will also be amended during the trial to cap at an off-peak rate on Friday, helping those who make multiple journeys through the day save more. Bus and Tram fares across London will not change during the trial as they are set at a flat rate of £1.75 regardless of the time of travel.
To fund the trial, £24m has been allocated from the Mayor of London’s recently approved budget, which will be used to compensate TfL and rail operators for lower fares revenue during the trial and cover the costs for running it.
The Mayor hopes that having off-peak fares on Fridays could help encourage more people into the city to support the hospitality sectors.
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan said, “Encouraging more people back into the city on Fridays could give a much-needed boost to the hospitality, business and leisure sectors, supporting London’s wider economic growth as we continue to build a fairer, greener and more prosperous London for everyone. So, I’m making a call to all Londoners: to help London keep roaring back - Let’s Do Fridays!”
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