TfL Day Travelcards: Surrey County Council passes motion demanding Sadiq Khan retains scheme

London mayor Sadiq Khan is facing further pressure over his plans to ditch the Day Travelcards, as Surrey County Council vows to raise the “discriminatory” move with government.

The scheme enables those outside of London to journey into the capital and use Transport for London (TfL) services, all via a single ticket.

It was up for consultation earlier this year as TfL sought to generate a further £0.5-£1 billion a year in revenue, as required by government funding agreed during Covid.

Concerns about its potential removal were raised by groups such as London TravelWatch, due to its anticipated impact on those on low incomes, families, the elderly, and people with disabilities.

Mr Khan however signed a decision notice in July, giving the scheme a six month notice period unless alternative funding is found.

Earlier today (October 10), Surrey County Council unanimously agreed a cross-party motion to call on the mayor of London to roll back the decision and retain the Day Travelcards.

The council will also write to the transport secretary, Mark Harper, informing him of the “discriminatory nature” of the proposal, and request a joint meeting with TfL and the Department for Transport (DfT) to negotiate extending zone 6 to areas of Surrey bordering London.

The original motion, proposed by Conservative councillor Matt Furniss, was amended by the Green and Labour party members to add the call for the expansion of the zone.

Tabling the amended motion this morning, Cllr Furniss said there is an “invisible wall being drawn around London at this time”, which is affecting families both inside and outside the capital.

“I think we can all agree…that ensuring public transport is affordable and accessible to all has rightly been outlined as a priority,” he added, and that the additional costs associated with the removal of the Day Travelcards will be “too much to bear for many”.

Green Party leader Jonathan Essex told councillors that while agreeing a clear statement needed to be sent to Mr Khan, “this could also be an opportunity to make things better by opening up tripartite talks between the mayor’s office, TfL, the government and DfT, and councils around London to not only keep the travel card, but set this as part of wider reforms to make transport more affordable for all around, as well as in, London”.

Cllr Essex said the background to the mayor’s decision is however important to note, namely that TfL receives less than any comparable world city transport system.

This was echoed by the Liberal Democrat leader Will Forster, who, while backing the motion, said: “TfL is being asked to do a lot with very little.”

A TfL spokesperson said the decision remains reversible, and that the authority “is keen to work collaboratively with the DfT and Rail Delivery Group to discuss options that would allow Day Travelcards to continue to be provided, while ensuring TfL can meet the requirements of the funding settlement with government. 

“Active discussions are continuing to happen and the existing daily pay as you go caps on contactless or Oyster, which are used by the overwhelming majority of those travelling, will not be affected by this.”

A spokesperson for the mayor said Mr Khan was "forced to consider the withdrawal of the Day Travelcards" to meet the government funding settlement.

"The mayor’s team is actively discussing all options with train operating companies, and is working with them to try to find a financially acceptable alternative that would allow Day Travelcards to remain available," they added.

The DfT said the responsibility of transport in London is devolved to the mayor and TfL, and that it has committed more than £6bn to support services since March 2020.