Tom Brake Pledges a 'Ticket to Ride'

9.51.52am BST (GMT +0100) Wed 22nd Apr 2009

Local MP Tom Brake is backing a London-wide campaign to allow Pay As You Go Oystercard users to hop on to any number of buses for just a £1, providing they do so within one hour.

This would give bus passengers the chance to switch from bus to bus without paying an extra fare.

At present, bus passengers are penalised for using more than one bus on any journey. This is both unfair and in some cases a deterrent to people even using the bus.

Similar schemes already exists in other European cities.

Tom Brake MP said:

"It really is ridiculous that local people have to pay a new fare every time they change bus. On some quite short journeys you need to change buses, so you're paying £2 or more just to travel a couple of miles.

"One hour bus tickets already operate successfully in Paris, Rome and Brussels. It is time London caught up and gave bus users a fair deal."

Tom will launch the campaign on Friday at 10am at the bus stop in Carshalton High Street near the Oxfam shop.

Local people can support the campaign by signing our petition on http://www.ourcampaign.org.uk/1hourbusticket.