It’s horribly cold, nobody has any cash and most struggling companies – and one or two who are just tight – are not giving out any pay rises this year. Still, at least we can rest in the knowledge TfL are going to be ok.
If you hadn’t noticed, the fare-setters at London Underground have decided to twist the knife that little deeper by making commuters pay even more for their unreliable trek across London every day.
A morning rush-hour journey from Victoria to Hounslow Central will now set you back a whopping £2.80 (up from an already extortionate £2.50).
But that’s OK, apparently we’re not being ripped off as some people will be better off after the changes. There will now be cheaper fares at off-peak times (9.30am-4pm weekdays).
Who is going to benefit exactly? People working nights, tourists and the unemployed. Certainly not your average worker.
Not only are people paying less at off-peak times, they are also getting a far better service. They have a much better chance of getting a seat and often have a spare one for their shopping too.
Compare this to the neon-lit hell of the Piccadilly Line at 8.30am, when oxygen is at a premium and if you have full movement of one limb you’re doing incredibly well. Shouldn’t the crushed commuter be the one paying less?
If you share a taxi with four people you pay less each than if you’re on your own, so how come on a tube if you travel at the times when the carriages are full, you pay more? We are simply funding the system to run at full strength at less cost-effective times of the day.
Not only that, it seems the poor down-trodden commuter is paying to fill the void left by the abolition of the western zone of the congestion charge. Another defeat for those who can’t afford to drive around the capital.
It’s no shock it was abolished of course – if you ask anyone if they want to pay a bill or not – they’ll say no.
Let’s hope they don’t hold a referendum on whether certain boroughs want to pay council tax or not. I’d hate to have to pick up the tab for that too.
