Fare rises hit Lambeth & Southwark commuters - Londoners have a clear choice in 2012

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Lambeth and Southwark residents were today hit hard by a fourth year of inflation-busting fare increases from Boris Johnson, as new research shows that fares in London are now costing over a quarter of minimum wage take home pay. 

Today is the first working day back under the new high fares package. It hits South Londoners hard at a time when people are facing a squeeze on their quality of life and the London economy continues to struggle under George Osborne’s failed policies. As campaigners hit their local tube and rail stations across Lambeth and Southwark today to hand out leaflets to commuters, local Assembly Member Labour's Val Shawcross and Streatham MP Chuka Umunna visited Brixton underground station to speak with commuters about the fare rises. 

Ken’s Fare Deal would wipe out Boris Johnson’s planned increases for 2012 and saving the average Lambeth and Southwark commuter £1000 over the next four years. 

Under the Tory mayor the cost of a single bus ticket has risen by a massive 50 per cent since 2008, whilst the price of a monthly zone 1-2 Travelcard is up 21% costing £230.40 per year more, and the price of a zones 1-6 Travelcard is up a fifth. 

New figures from the House of Commons library show that this means an office manager in central London earning £25,600 living in zone 1 or 2 would have to work for three weeks and three days before the cost of their travel was covered. A cleaner on the minimum wage (£11,730) would have to spend 27 per cent of their take home pay in order to pay for a weekly zones 1-6 Travelcard. A newly qualified nurse working in inner London (£25,411) and living in Zone 4 would have to have to work for 5 weeks and a day before they'd paid for their travel, whilst a shop assistant earning the London Living Wage (£16,013) would have to spend 21 per cent of their take home pay to be able to afford to pay for a weekly zones 1-6 travelcard. 

Val Shawcross AM, Assembly Member for Lambeth & Southwark said: 

“Before my constituents even arrive at work this morning they will have felt the pain of a fourth year of above inflation bus, tube and train fare hikes under Boris Johnson. I'm really pleased that campaigners have been out at all of Lambeth and Southwark's stations today to highlight this important issue.

“This is the wrong fare rise at the wrong time, taking money out of people’s pockets when the London economy is struggling and when people are very hard pressed. 

“The impact applies across London and across ages and income brackets. Yet every year the Mayor rakes in more income from fares than his budgets and business plans says he will. '

Ken Livingstone said, 

“It’s time for change. Exactly four months today Londoners will face a very clear choice – a Labour mayor who will cut the fares, or a Tory mayor who raises fares, forcing many to spend a quarter of their wages merely getting to and from work. In elected in May I'll cut the fares saving the average Londoners £1000 over four years." 

ENDS. 

Notes to editors: 

1.        Boris Johnson’s fare increases for 2012: http://www.london.gov.uk/sites/default/files/MD918%20fare%20revision%20Jan%202012%20(signed)%20PDF.pdf 

2.        Ken Livingstone has pledged to cut fares by 7% and reduce the price of a single bus journey from £1.35 to £1.20 as part of his ‘Fare Deal’. More information:  http://www.kenlivingstone.com/kens-1000-fares-pledge---ill-wipe-out-januarys-fare-rise-next-ye 

3.        Research commissioned from the House of Commons library shows: 
·        A cleaner on the minimum wage (£11,730) would have to pay 27% of their take home pay in order to pay for a weekly zones 1-6 travelcard. That would mean that they would have to work for more than 14 weeks of the year just to be able to pay for their travel. If they only took the bus they would still have to work for 5 weeks and a day just to meet their transport costs. 
·        A newly qualified nurse working in inner London (£25,411) and living in Zone 4 would have to pay 10% of their take home pay - and have to work for 5 weeks and a day before they'd paid for their travel. 
·        A shop assistant earning the London Living Wage (£16,013) would have to pay 21% of their take home pay to be able to afford to pay for a weekly zones 1-6 travelcard. That would mean that they would have to work for almost 11 weeks of the year just to be able to pay for their travel. 
·        An office manager in central London (£25,600) living in zone 1 or 2 would have to work for 3 weeks and 3 days before the cost of their travel was covered. 

Costs for 2012 Travelcards and bus passes from: 
http://www.tfl.gov.uk/corporate/media/newscentre/archive/21005.aspx 

Sources for gross wages 
Minimum wage: - 
Uses rate of £6.08, which is the Minimum Wage rate from Oct 2011 for workers aged 21 or over.   
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Employment/Employees/TheNationalMinimumWage/DG_10027201 
London living wage:- 
Uses 2011 London Living Wage rate of £8.30. 
http://www.london.gov.uk/sites/default/files/living-wage-2011.pdf 
Starting nurse:- 
Uses rates for Band 5 from April 2011. Includes inner London high cost area supplement of 20% of basic salary. 
http://www.nhscareers.nhs.uk/details/default.aspx?id=4 
Starting teacher:- 
Uses rate from Sept 2011 for new teacher in inner London 
http://www.teachers.org.uk/files/pay-and-conditions--7748-.pdf 
Office manager:- 
Estimate for April 2011 for a full-time administrative occupation in London.  Based on uprating figures for median gross weekly earnings for a full-time administrative occupation in London from the ONS' Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings 2010 by the overall increase in total earnings between the three months to April 2010 and the three months to April 2011 from the ONS' Monthly Wages & Salaries Survey.