A trial in London offering off-peak fares on Fridays failed to increase passenger numbers on the transport network. Transport for London (TfL) attributes the lack of increase to changes in commuting patterns since the pandemic.
A £24 million trial to make all Friday fares off-peak did not increase the number of passengers using the network last year, Transport for London (TfL) has said. The Off-Peak Friday fares trial ran between 8 March and 31 May and saw fares on London Underground and Overground, Elizabeth line and DLR, as well as some National Rail services, set at off-peak levels throughout the day.
The trial, which has only just been made public, it said during the trial 'there was no noticeable difference in the number of pay as you go journeys made at peak times during the trial compared to pre-trial.'Passenger numbers on Fridays have not recovered since the pandemic, with many commuters choosing to work from home and avoid central London. At the start of the trial, the Conservatives on the London Assembly called it 'a pre-election bribe'.TfL said: 'While it was positively received by customers and supported by stakeholders including London's hospitality industry, ultimately the trial showed that a temporary discount to peak fares on a Friday did not result in a significant increase in travel.'Speaking in front of the Assembly's budget committee, the mayor said he had told TfL to look at other ways to entice people into using the network at quieter times. These include working with the private sector to give away free coffees as part of a scheme similar to supermarket points loyalty schemes.London Overground fares were off-peak throughout Fridays Professor Nick Tyler, director of the Centre for Transport Studies at University College London, said it was good that TfL had trialled off-peak Fridays but it seemed savings did not change behaviour. 'The result is interesting because it suggests that the reduced numbers are about behaviour and lifestyle rather than money – people realise they can work more flexibly and not travelling into the centre of London, for example, on a Friday is one element of that,' he sai
London Transport Off-Peak Fares Friday Travel Commuting Patterns Pandemic Impact
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