One hour bus ticket is the name given to a transport campaign in London, U.K. Backed by the opposition Liberal Democrat party on the London Assembly, it seeks to persuade Transport for London to introduce a time-limited bus ticket.[1] Currently users of pre-paid Oyster Cards have to pay for each individual bus ticket that they purchase, at a cost of £1. Under the proposed scheme users will pay £1 for the first bus ticket that they purchase and then no further charge for any additional bus journeys within a fixed time, which is suggested as an hour.
This would mean a single journey from Walworth Rd, Southwark, to Oval Station, changing at Camberwell Green would cost £1.20. Under the present system this would cost £1.20 from Walworth Rd to Camberwell Green and then a further £1.20 to Oval Station, a total of £2.40 for a 20 minute journey.
Opponents include London Mayor Boris Johnson, who claims that the system would be "complex and expensive" to introduce.[2] However, Caroline Pidgeon who chairs the London Assembly supports the move, saying that "It really is unfair that people who use Oyster pay-as-you-go have to pay a new fare every time they change buses.”[3]
The Environmental Transport Agency has commented on the scheme, saying "Public transport needs to be as easy to use as possible if it is to offer an attractive alternative to the estimated one million car journeys every day in London are less than one mile in length."[4]