Fare Free London’s first meeting with the Greater London Authority, on Wednesday 30th April, was “a positive start”, the campaign group says.
A delegation from Fare Free London met Claire Hamilton, Head of Transport at the Greater London Authority (GLA), to seek “a commitment from the GLA to set up a commission about free public transport in London”.
Such a commission would assess the feasibility of free public transport in London, identify barriers to its implementation, and issue a report explaining how it could be achieved.
Pearl Ahrens, a member of the delegation, said at the meeting: “We hope that the Mayor and other political leaders in London will embrace the principle of free public transport, even if the means of implementation are not yet clear.”
Public transport is already free for the youngest and oldest people in the city. Fare Free London support these concessions. We “would just like this policy extended to cover everyone else in between.
“There is a precedent for this in providing other public goods for free at the point of use, such as roads, parks and healthcare.
“We welcomed the Mayor’s commitment last year to free meals for primary school children. Similar principles of free provision should apply to transport too. Free public transport is a rational political choice for social justice and climate reasons.”
In response, Claire explained the Mayor’s commitment to shifting people from private vehicles to walking, cycling and public transport, as set out in his 2018 Transport Strategy.
Claire also stated that she will report back on our meeting to Seb Dance, the deputy mayor for transport. Mr Dance set up the meeting, after Fare Free London wrote to him, arguing that a funding shake-up is needed to make free public transport possible.
Putting resources into a commission to assess the feasibility of free public transport in London would be a political decision. Fare Free London is committed to raising the political pressure to make that happen.
After the meeting, Pearl Ahrens of Fare Free London said: “The meeting was a positive start to a discussion. We agreed on the need to continue the dialogue.
“We know that making public transport free means a wholesale shift in the way it is funded. Ultimately this would be a decision not only for the GLA but also for the UK government. So we need to build up some serious political pressure.
“In our first year, we have won the support of trade unions representing tens of thousands of people, including those who work for Transport for London. Now we need to go further.
“We urge all our supporters to lobby the political parties represented in the London Assembly, and to broaden our campaign to the national level.”
Press enquiries to info@farefreelondon.org.
More information at farefreelondon.org.
Read the full press release in PDF here.
Published: 04th May 2025.
