London bus fare freeze extended but journey cost could rise in November 2026

London bus fares have been frozen until November – but they are likely to rise at the end of this period.

Londoners faced with the spiralling cost of living will be relieved to hear that bus fares are not going up for now.

While Tube fares have seen annual rises, bus journeys have been frozen since March 2023 at £1.75.

Now Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has announced the bus and tram ticket freeze will continue for four more months until November.

How much will bus tickets cost after the freeze ends?

After November 1, though, single adult bus and tram fares are expected to rise by 10p, to £1.85.

Under the freeze, the daily bus cap is set at £5.25.

But after it ends, the cap will rise by 30p to £5.55, which TfL says is in line with Tube fare increases.

The seven-day bus and tram pass will rise to £26.10 after November 1.

Transport for London said that if bus fares had risen in line with inflation in the past decade, a single journey would now cost £2.35.

Currently, bus passengers can make unlimited journeys for one hour for £1.75 under the hopper fare system.

During the summer holidays and festivities, Saturday and Sunday travel on buses and trams will cost only £1.75 for the entire day during a hopper fare offer from July 25 until the end of August.

The mayor said: ‘I’m pleased to extend the freeze on bus and tram fares for another four months, and will continue doing everything in my power to keep TfL services as affordable as possible, as I know the cost-of-living crisis is still hitting many Londoners hard.

‘My Hopper fare has enabled millions of people to save money on bus and tram travel over the past decade, and now the exciting new Weekend Hopper will make it even cheaper and easier for Londoners and visitors to enjoy all that our great city has to offer this summer.’

Passenger watchdog London TravelWatch welcomed the four-month extension and commitments to improve bus travel.

A spokesperson said: ‘The inflation-busting increase in bus fares due in November – if it happens – will be hard to take for passengers on lower incomes who depend on this form of transport, particularly when they are seeing the slowest ever bus speeds across the network or, in some cases, reduced service frequencies on their routes.’

London’s iconic red buses, which carry around five million people a day, have come under fire due to falling speeds.

On average, London buses trundle at speeds of just 7mph, slightly above a jogger going at an easy pace, The Standard reports, citing figures from the Confederation of Passenger Transport.

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