HUGHES PROPOSES TUBE FARE CUT FOR EARLY BIRD COMMUTERS

11.15.59am UTC (GMT +0000) Wed 12th May 2004

Simon has put forward plans to cut early morning Tube fares

Liberal Democrat London Mayoral candidate, Simon Hughes, today unveils his new proposals to cut fares by up to 15% for Tube passengers who arrive before 7.30am, in bold proposals to reduce peak time congestion and improve performance on the underground.

Mr Hughes will also put forward a series of policies for the Tube including:-

· Week long shutdowns of entire lines during August to speed up maintenance on the crumbling infrastructure of the Tube and improve medium term reliability

· Extending Tube running hours until 2am on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights

· Monitoring and publishing 5 key performance indicators of Tube service to be easily understandable and available for all Tube users on a regular basis

Simon Hughes said:-

"Reducing the chronic overcrowding on London's Tubes must be a high priority for the new Mayor of London. Mr Livingstone has failed to find new and innovative ways of persuading Tube passengers to travel at less crowded times.

"These proposals are designed to help some of the poorest paid in London. Many people who use the Tube in the early hours are those key workers who are coming off the nightshift or start early.

"Cutting fares for those who arrive at their destination before 7.30am would make sure there are real incentives for Londoners to travel into work in the morning before the rush hour gets going.

"Spreading the load of the peak time rush hour on the Tube would make the journey to work a more pleasant and easier experience and would reduce the all too frequent frustration of stations closed by overcrowding."

ENDS

Notes to editor

Mr Hughes will be launching his proposals from outside Victoria Station at 13.00hrs, Wednesday 12th May 2004

His proposals include

Reduce Overcrowding We will start work to reduce overcrowding, through changes to the fare structure to encourage travel outside peak times. This would involve up to 15% reduction on Tube fares for those arriving at their destination before 07.30hrs. The cost would be £22million and would be met from the existing LU budget which was underspent by £82million in 2003/04

· Late Night Tube We will extend the running times of the Tube network until 2 am on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights, allowing Londoners to enjoy a longer night out without worrying how to get home safely. This will give a much-needed boost to London's entertainment and hospitality industry.

· Tube Delivery Pledge We will monitor and publish 5 key performance indicators on the Tube - overcrowding, safety, trains per hour (peak and off-peak), waiting times and cleanliness - and make them available to Tube users in stations and online.

· Travel Information We plan to provide consistent display of travel information across the Tube network. Tube drivers and other London Underground staff will inform passengers about problems on all ongoing public transport connections.

· Increased Reliability We will immediately start plans with all interested parties to work out the best ways of speeding up track and signalling renewal and repair by extended maintenance, at times which cause least disruption such as in the August holiday period.

The fare reduction scheme has been implemented with success on the C2C train service between London and Tilbury.