Mayor spends 20m to encourage more bus trips

"We will be tasking TfL to look into ways we can encourage more people to use, in particular, buses. We're a city with a remarkable public transport system which is getting better all the time. Innovation is particularly important in the outer boroughs, where buses were a lifeline, but more Londoners generally needed to be incentivised to ride them once again."

"Times are tough with the cost of living crisis, and we have to keep public transport affordable wherever we can. The news that at least some of the funding is going to be put towards innovation around buses and bus fares is incredibly welcome. London's buses catered to people who don't have any options, including older people, disabled people, and low income Londoners."

London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan announced a £20 million investment to increase bus usage through Transport for London's "fares innovation" initiatives, which may include reduced fares at certain times and free services for new routes. Bus passenger numbers declined for the first time since the pandemic, dropping from 1.869 billion to 1.842 billion journeys, attributed to slow bus speeds. The mayor emphasized that innovation requires funding and pledged focus on increasing ridership and revenues, particularly in outer boroughs where buses serve as essential transport. The investment addresses the cost of living crisis while recognizing buses as vital for older people, disabled individuals, and low-income Londoners. Bus usage has declined from a 2014 peak of 2.4 billion journeys.

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