One ticket for London as Oyster pay as you go accepted on National Rail from 2 January

New TfL 2010 fares to come in to effect on the same day. Oyster now accepted on all commuter rail services plus Tube, bus, Docklands Light Railway (DLR), tram and river.

The new year will see the start of a new age of travel in London – the Oyster age

Mayor of London, Boris Johnson

Transport for London (TfL) today issued a reminder that from 2 January 2010, Oyster pay as you go will be accepted on all commuter rail services in Greater London, the same day as new 2010 TfL fares come in to effect.

Oyster pay as you go will be accepted on all Greater London services operated by Chiltern, National Express East Anglia, London Midland, First Great Western, First Capital Connect, Southern, Southeastern and South West Trains as well as c2c services in Greater London and at Grays, Chafford Hundred, Purfleet and Ockendon stations in Essex.

The extension of the ticketing system will particularly benefit commuters living across south and north east London, where Oyster pay as you go is not currently accepted on the vast majority of rail services.

New 2010 fares for all TfL services will also come into effect on 2 January.

Sustaining investment

The Mayor today reiterated that, while a difficult decision to raise fares was necessary to help sustain investment in vital transport improvements and to protect frontline services, he has also protected free and concessionary fares for London’s older and young people, as well as those on low incomes.

Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said: ‘The new year will see the start of a new age of travel in London – the Oyster age.

‘From January 2nd your card will be valid underground, overground, on the bus, tram, and river.

‘It will also be a year when our transport system sees dramatic improvements – new trains on the Victoria line and on the Metropolitan line complete with air conditioning, the opening of the East London line, a cycling revolution, and the start of full works on Crossrail.

Vital improvements

‘I know the fares rises will be hard but believe me – without them these huge improvements in our quality of life, and the retention of the standing of our city, would not be possible.’

‘This package means that the vital improvements continue, and that we ensure that free and concessionary fares for London’s elderly, young people and those on low incomes is protected.’

A total of 40 per cent of bus passengers will continue to travel free or at a substantial concessionary rate and the Freedom Pass will continue to be valid for travel 24 hours a day on all TfL services.

On average bus fares will rise by 12.7 per cent and Tube fares by 3.9 per cent.

Fares package

These increases are similar to fare rises introduced in 2005 and 2006, when bus fares increased by 12.7 per cent, and then by 12.9 per cent respectively and Tube fares by 4.0 per cent and 3.9 per cent respectively.

The main elements of the 2010 fares package are:

* Oyster pay as you go bus fare – from £1.00 to £1.20

* A seven-day Bus & Tram pass – from £13.80 to £16.60

* On the Tube, the Zone 1 Oyster pay as you go fare – from £1.60 to £1.80

* Most other Oyster pay as you go fares on the Tube also increase by 20p, with larger increases in some longer-distance Peak fares

* The vast majority of Travelcard prices will be frozen across the network

* By using Oyster, Londoners will continue to receive best value single-journey and daily prices across the TfL network, including the daily price cap

The need to raise fares resulted from the huge financial pressures on TfL caused by the collapse of former Tube maintenance company Metronet, a recession-linked fall in Tube ridership and the fares policy of the former administration.

Billions of pounds are being invested in the Capital’s transport system including in the upgrade of eight Tube lines, Crossrail, a cycling revolution and efforts to smooth traffic flow across the city – many of which will be delivered ahead of the London 2012 Games.

Click HERE to find the cheapest ticket for your next UK train journey.