The increase will also affect passengers using concession cards and those who reach the daily fare cap. London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan had previously extended the freeze from July until November as a temporary measure to help residents facing higher living costs. Other transport fare caps, including those for the Tube and rail services, will remain unchanged until March 2027.
New Bus and Tram Fares Will Affect Single Journeys and Daily Travel Caps
According to The Independent, the standard adult single fare for London buses and trams will increase from £1.75 to £1.85 on 1 November. Passengers holding eligible concession cards will face a smaller increase of 5p.
The changes will also apply to the Hopper fare, which allows passengers to make unlimited journeys on London buses and trams within one hour for the price of a single fare. TfL confirmed the arrangement in an email to customers explaining the revised charges.
The daily bus and tram fare cap will rise by 30p, from £5.25 to £5.55. This means passengers making several journeys throughout the day will also face a higher maximum charge. The Sun reports that concession card holders affected by the increase include passengers using 16+ Zip Oyster cards and Jobcentre Plus cards.
The increases follow a series of fare freezes introduced under Khan’s administration. The most recent extension, announced during the summer, delayed a planned July increase until November. At the time, TfL described the extension as an “emergency cost-of-living measure to support Londoners on the lowest incomes“.
Despite the forthcoming changes, price caps covering Tube journeys, rail travel and Travelcards will remain frozen until next March, TfL has confirmed.
TfL Defends Fare Increases As London Prepares Changes to Bus Operations
According to BirminghamLive, TfL has defended the revised fares, saying that revenue collected from passengers will be reinvested in improving public transport services across London. A TfL spokesperson said the authority remained committed to keeping public transport “affordable and accessible for all”.
The organisation also pointed to the longer-term history of bus fares. November’s increase will leave single bus and tram tickets 35p more expensive than they were ten years ago. TfL said this would represent only the third increase in bus fares over the past decade. It added that fares remained 17% lower than they would have been if prices had risen in line with inflation throughout that period.
The announcement comes as London prepares to introduce a publicly owned bus operator, Buses for London, with its first service scheduled for late 2027. Route 6, connecting Willesden and Victoria station, will become the first route operated by the new company.
TfL currently contracts eight private companies to operate services across almost 700 routes in the capital. The authority says the new operator will give it greater control over service delivery. For passengers, the immediate change remains the November fare increase, bringing an end to more than three years of unchanged single bus and tram prices.
