Krupesh Hirani

Mayor of London makes call to Londoners as world-leading Friday off-peak fares trial begins: Let’s Do Fridays

  • The Mayor encourages Londoners back into the city as groundbreaking three-month off-peak Fridays trial launches
  • Starting today, pay as you go with contactless and Oyster fares on Tube and rail across London and parts of the Southeast will be off-peak all day on Fridays
  • Restaurants, museums, landmark attractions and theatres announce exciting offers to encourage Londoners to make the most of the city’s great offering – with more expected over the coming weeks
  • Trial will also benefit 60+ and Freedom Pass holders who will be able to use their passes all day on Fridays

The Mayor of London has today announced that the pioneering three-month trial of Off-peak travel on Fridays is live, as he makes the call to Londoners: “Let’s do Fridays”. From today, Tube and rail fares on pay as you go with contactless and Oyster will be off-peak all day on Fridays until the end of May.

The trial follows the announcement that the Mayor has again frozen TfL fares until March 2025, which is providing more support to Londoners struggling with the cost of living, and aiding London’s recovery from the pandemic.

London & Partners, London’s business growth and destination agency, has created a new webpage – https://www.visitlondon.com/fridays – where Londoners can see a range of exciting offers from restaurants, museums, theatres and landmark attractions available on Fridays during the trial, to encourage Londoners back into the city. More exclusive offers will be announced as the trial progresses, with different offers each Friday of the trial.

Examples of these Friday offers include:

·       20% off your bill at Gaucho restaurants on Fridays (until 31 March)

·       Off-peak Friday prices to see hit musical Wicked

·       Half-price tickets on Fridays for ‘‘Turn It Up’ exhibition at the Science Museum

TfL and London & Partners have also been working with local businesses across London and key stakeholders to help promote a range of activities to further encourage people to make the most of their Fridays.

Peak pay as you go fares ordinarily apply between 06:30 and 09:30 and between 16:00 and 19:00 on both TfL and National Rail services. Making pay as you go journeys on Fridays off-peak all day will make it cheaper for people to travel throughout the day. This could potentially support economic growth by encouraging more people back onto public transport and into the office, and the city, on a day that is currently quieter than other weekdays.

TfL and the Train companies have agreed to the trial, making all pay as you go journeys made using contactless and Oyster (with the exception of journeys to/from Heathrow airport via Zone 1) off-peak on Fridays. The daily cap will also be amended during the trial to cap at an off-peak rate on Friday, helping those who make multiple journeys through the day save even more. Bus and Tram fares across London will not change during the trial as they are set at a flat rate of £1.75 regardless of the time of travel.

The trial will also see 60+ London Oyster photocard and Older Persons’ Freedom Passes allowed to be used on TfL and National Rail services before 9am, helping Londoners with these passes to travel for free all day on Fridays.

To fund the trial, £24m has been allocated from the Mayor of London’s recently approved budget, which will be used to compensate TfL and rail operators for lower fares revenue during the trial and cover the costs for running it.

Off-peak Friday fares could give a much-needed boost to London’s businesses and commuters as the cost-of-living continues to bite. As an example, someone commuting in from Romford (Zone 6) into Bond Street (Zone 1) would have paid £5.60 for travelling on the Elizabeth line during peak hours. Under the trial, this fare will be reduced to £3.60 – saving £2.  Someone commuting from Morden (Zone 4) to Vauxhall (Zone 2) in peak hours would have paid £2.80 for the trip. This fare will now be reduced down to £1.90 – saving 90p. On National Rail, someone commuting using pay as you go with contactless from St Albans City to London Blackfriars would pay £12.90 midweek, but will pay £9.50 on Fridays during the trial – saving £3.40. These savings will be doubled if the return journey is also made during evening peak hours.

The Mayor hopes that having off-peak fares on Fridays could help encourage more people into the city to make the most of London’s offering of bars, restaurants, live music venues and theatres. 

Krupesh Hirani

89,018 children to now breathing clean air at school thanks to London’s Ultra-Low Emissions Zone

Almost 90,000 children across London will now be breathing clean air on the playground thanks to the new Ultra-Low Emission Zone (ULEZ), new data shows.

The expansion of the ULEZ means that the air surrounding 144 schools with a total of more than 89,000 students will meet the World Health Organisation (WHO) target for the amount nitrogen dioxide particles.

ULEZ is taking the most polluting vehicles off the streets, bringing cleaner air to five million more people and is also expected to reduce carbon emissions in outer London by a further 27,000 tonnes.

Since 29 August, all of Greater London has become covered by the scheme. This expansion will result in 144 schools with a combined total of 89,018 students facing a drop in their exposure to nitrogen dioxide so substantial the air will reach the standards advised by the WHO.

Toxic air is leading to children growing up with stunted lungs and an increased risk of asthma, with older Londoners facing greater risk of cancer and dementia. These factors contribute to around 4,000 premature deaths every year in London.

To help transition to the new scheme, all Londoners with non-compliant vehicles can now get £2,000 for scrapping a car or £1,000 for scrapping a motorcycle. Small businesses and charities can now receive increased grant payments of between £6,000 and £11,500. Eligible charities, businesses and sole traders can now apply for up to three vans or minibuses to be scrapped or retrofitted in total. And the payment for wheelchair accessible vehicles has increased from £5,000 to £10,000, with grants of £6,000 available to retrofit a van to ULEZ standards.

A number of mitigations have also been made for different groups, including exemptions for disabled people and wheelchair accessible vehicles until October 2027 – and new six-month grace periods also recognise that small businesses and charities are doing the right thing and adapting to the ULEZ but may face a delay with receiving their new vehicle or retrofit appointment.

The total amount the Mayor has invested in the scrappage scheme for the ULEZ expansion is £160m, the most generous scrappage scheme in the UK which has been funded without any support from central Government.

The ULEZ has already proven to be transformational in inner London, where it has cut harmful nitrogen dioxide by nearly half in central London and by a fifth in inner London, helping to reduce the number of air pollution-related asthma admissions for children by a third, and saving 800,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions since 2019 (the equivalent of 1.1 million flights from London to New York).

Any net revenue raised through the ULEZ will be reinvested back into public transport, including on the expansion of bus services in outer London.  The ULEZ is expected not to raise any net revenue by the 2026/2027 financial year as the percentage of compliant vehicles continues to rise.

Every child has the right to clean air when they’re travelling to school, learning in the classroom or having fun on the playground. For too long they have been exposed to higher risks of stunted lung growth and chronic illnesses, such as asthma, lung and heart disease.

The ULEZ expansion means almost 90,000 of London’s children will no longer have to breathe poisonous air during their school days.

Krupesh Hirani

ULEZ scrappage scheme expanded to cover all impacted Londoners

Having listened to the concerns of Londoners over recent months, particularly as a result of the impact of the cost-of-living crisis, eligibility for the scrappage scheme will massively widen and grants will increase for vans, minibuses, wheelchair accessible vehicles and retrofits.  

The Mayor plans to use £50 million of City Hall’s reserves to fund these changes – taking the total fund to £160 million.  

From today, Friday 4th August, the below changes will be made to the scheme:  

  • Grants for scrapping a non-compliant van will increase from £5,000 to £7,000
  • Grants for wheelchair accessible vehicles will increase from £5,000 to £10,000
  • Grants for scrapping minibuses will increase from £7,000 to £9,000
  • Grants to replace a non-compliant van with electric van increase from £7,500 to £9,500
  • Grants to replace a non-compliant minibus with an electric minibus increase from £9,500 to £11,500
  • Retrofit grants increase from £5k to £6k, typically enough to cover the whole cost of retrofitting

From Monday 21st August, the following changes will be made to the scheme: 

  • Every single Londoner with a non ULEZ-compliant car or motorcycle will be eligible for a £2,000 grant (or £1,000 for a motorcycle), or a higher value package of up to two bus and tram passes plus a lower grant 
  • Small businesses and sole traders will be able to apply to scrap up to three vehicles (from one)

Already, 9 in 10 cars seen driving in outer London on an average day are compliant with the ULEZ standards, meaning their drivers won’t need to pay the daily charge when the ULEZ expands. 

The Mayor and TfL are encouraging everyone to check if their vehicle is compliant online: https://tfl.gov.uk/modes/driving/check-your-vehicle/. Those with non-compliant vehicles will be able to access funding through the scrappage scheme as listed above. More information is available on the TfL website: https://tfl.gov.uk/modes/driving/ultra-low-emission-zone/scrappage-schemes.   

Krupesh Hirani, Uncategorized

Local stations identified as step-free targets

Transport for London (TfL) has outlined ten stations it will assess for viability for step-free access work. Local London Assembly Member Krupesh Hirani has welcomed the inclusion of Alperton and Rayners Lane stations in this list. This is part of TfL’s yearly £20 million commitment to making the transport network in London more accessible to all passengers.

Accessibility is vital to our transport network, ensuring all passengers are able to get around the capital for work, for school, for leisure and more. Since 2016, the number of step-free stations in London has increased by 20%, with over 200 stations step-free across the network.

This latest step will see stations across North West London prioritised for works that would make them accessible to all. However, funding is key to this as these projects can be costly due to the scale and difficulty of installing lifts and other measures to increase accessibility. This is why TfL will work with all partners and stakeholders including central Government, local boroughs and development partners to identify investment opportunities.

Local London Assembly Member Krupesh Hirani AM said:

“It’s great to see Alperton and Rayners Lane on this list of stations. Following the recent successful completions of step-free access at Sudbury Hill and Harrow on the Hill stations, I hope to see these and other stations across Brent and Harrow become accessible to everyone.

“Making these stations accessible would make a huge difference to disabled passengers in my constituency, making it easier for them to access the transport network, and allowing them to travel safely and with dignity.

“Step-free access will also benefit other passengers, including parents with pushchairs, anyone travelling with luggage, or anyone who just needs an easier journey.

“I look forward to working with TfL and local councils to advocate for these stations to become step-free.”

Information on TfL’s prioritised stations can be found here 

Red London Bus
Krupesh Hirani

Bus consultation of relevance to Brent residents

A consultation is underway on multiple bus routes which hope to connect existing routes to new infrastructure and areas where there has been recent housing developments. The main areas impacted in Brent are around Alperton, Staples Corner by the new Brent Cross West Thameslink station and Stonebridge. The routes where changes are proposed in Brent are 79, 83 and 316.  

79 and 83 Buses

The 79 Bus is proposed to terminate at Stonebridge Park station which is on the Bakerloo Line and Overground instead of the Alperton Sainsbury’s. 

Instead the 83 will be extended from its current termination point at Alperton tube station to the Alperton Sainsbury’s. 

The main change from these proposals are that residents in Stonebridge and Monks Park will have the additional bus option with the changes proposed with the 79 and residents in Alperton that want to use the Bakerloo Line or Overground will be able to take the 79 bus to do this at Stonebridge Park instead of Wembley Central. 

316 Bus

The 316 bus is proposed to extend to the new Brent Cross West station and stretch beyond Cricklewood Bus Garage which is where it currently terminates. 

There are other changes also aimed at improving bus route access to the station from the Barnet side as well. This will also benefit residents on the Staples Corner entrance of the station as well as people will be able to walk or wheel through the station to get to the other side.  

This LINK take you through to a page which allows you to click on all TfL bus projects and has the proposals and consultation links if you wish to respond. 
Krupesh Hirani

New report reveals the transformational impact of the expanded Ultra Low Emission Zone so far

  • Major new report shows that harmful pollution emissions have reduced by 26 per cent within the expanded ULEZ area – compared with what they would have been without the ULEZ coming into force.
  • Report shows that the ULEZ has reduced harmful pollution levels in central London by nearly half compared to what they would have been without the ULEZ.
  • In inner London, pollution levels are 21 per cent lower than they would have been without the ULEZ
  • Each day, 74,000 fewer polluting vehicles are seen driving in the zone, a cut of 60 per cent since expansion in October 2021.
  • Thanks to the ULEZ expansion to inner London, over four million people now breathe cleaner air, including children in 1,362 schools.

The first year of the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) expansion to inner London has achieved a dramatic reduction in emissions and air pollution, and a huge increase in the share of vehicles that meet the ULEZ standards, according to a major new report from City Hall and peer reviewed by Dr Gary Fuller at Imperial College London.

Despite huge progress, the whole of London still exceeds the World Health Organization’s guidelines for air quality, and over half of deaths attributable to air pollution are in outer London.

Around 4,000 Londoners die prematurely every year due to toxic air, and the report published today shows that the Mayor’s air quality policies, in particular the ULEZ and LEZ schemes, are having a transformative impact – cutting the number of older, more polluting vehicles seen driving in London and reducing the levels of harmful air pollution.  

The ULEZ was introduced in central London in 2019 and expanded to inner London in October 2021. The central London ULEZ had a clear impact – in its first 10 months of operation, it helped reduce road transport nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions by 35 per cent and CO2 emissions by 6 percent in the zone.  Today’s landmark report shows that the ULEZ expansion has built on these benefits, with harmful nitrogen dioxide (NO2) levels 46 per cent lower in central London and 21 per cent lower in inner London than they would have been without the scheme. Thanks to the expansion of the ULEZ in inner London, NOx emissions have reduced by 23 per cent (13,500 tonnes) across London cumulatively since 2019 compared with what they would have been without the ULEZ. Within the existing ULEZ area, emissions have dropped by 26 per cent (5,000 tonnes) over the same four-year period, compared with what they would have been.

The number of older, more polluting vehicles in the zone has also continued to reduce significantly, dropping by 60 per cent since the inner London expansion came into operation in October 2021– an average reduction of 74,000 polluting vehicles every day seen driving in the zone. Overall, there were nearly 50,000 fewer vehicles seen in the zone on an average day – a reduction of almost five per cent compared to the month prior to the expansion.

The Mayor announced last November that the ULEZ will be expanded across all London boroughs in August 2023 to help bring the air quality and associated health benefits to the five million people living in outer London.

Today’s new report shows how vital further action is as average pollution concentrations at background monitoring sites in outer London have remained constant since 2021, with over half of deaths attributable to air pollution in outer London. The whole of London still exceeds the World Health Organization’s guidelines for air quality and there is no safe level of exposure.

Other key findings in the report include –

  • Harmful nitrogen dioxide (NO2) concentrations are revealed to have reduced further than originally predicted, and are estimated to be 21 per cent lower in inner London and 46 per cent lower in central London than they would have been without the ULEZ. This is a reduction of 34 µgm-3 in central London and 8 µgm-3 in inner London, compared to the modelled scenario for the same month without ULEZ.
  • Crucially, NO2 levels have not returned to pre-pandemic levels, indicating that even as traffic levels have risen, cleaner vehicles have had such positive impacts on emissions that air pollution levels continue to be far below what they would have been without the ULEZ and other policies that the Mayor has implemented.
  • The boundary roads have seen a reduction in NO2 concentrations of between 19 per cent and 27 per cent compared to without the ULEZ
  • Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) levels have also continued to reduce across London with a 41 per cent reduction in average concentrations in central and inner London since 2017.
  • Alongside the air quality benefits, the ULEZ has also had carbon reduction benefits. Cumulatively since 2019 it is estimated the ULEZ has led to a reduction of around 800,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions from vehicles across London over the four-year period compared to without the ULEZ, a saving of three per cent. Within the ULEZ area this is a saving of 290,000 tonnes, a reduction of four per cent over the same period. The reduction in emissions is a vital step closer to achieving the Mayor’s aim of reaching Net Zero by 2030.
  • The ULEZ has had an enormous positive effect on the share of compliant vehicles seen driving in the zone, jumping from just 39 per cent when the scheme was announced in 2017, to 94.4 per cent in October 2022.   

The Mayor has launched a further scrappage scheme worth £110m to support businesses, charities, Londoners on lower incomes and disabled Londoners to replace their old, heavily polluting vehicles with greener options. This is on top of the £61m scrappage scheme launched in 2019.

Londoners receiving certain means-tested benefits and non-means-tested disability benefits can now apply for cash grants of up to £2,000 to scrap their non-compliant cars or motorcycles. Alternatively, for the first time ever, applicants can also choose to receive up to two bus and tram passes, instead of a grant to scrap or retrofit their vehicle. Charities, sole traders and businesses with 10 or fewer employees can also apply to scrap or retrofit their vans and minibuses, with an option to receive up to £9,500 to help cover the cost of a replacement vehicle. 

About the report

  • This report is an evaluation of the impacts of the ULEZ and the LEZ schemes, focusing on one year following the ULEZ expansion to inner London and for the LEZ, over a year and a half on from the enforcement of tighter LEZ standards for buses, coaches and lorries. The report, including the methodology for assessing impacts on air pollutant concentrations, underwent independent peer review.  
  • Emissions are the amount of pollution directly emitted from a particular source, e.g vehicles. Concentration is the amount of pollution in the air at a certain location. Improving health by reducing air pollution concentrations is a key aim of expanding the ULEZ. The policy does this by disincentivising the use of older, more polluting vehicles within the zone which in turn reduces the emissions of pollutants in the area. This leads to a reduction in pollution concentration within the zone. As most vehicles do not drive solely within the zone this positive impact will also benefit those outside the zone.

The ‘central London zone’ constitutes the Congestion Charge area and ‘inner London zone’ extends to the North and South Circulars.

Read the report here

New Scotland Yard Rotating Triangle sign
Krupesh Hirani

New £14million investment proposed by Mayor to accelerate cultural reform of the Met Police

  • New City Hall funded Leadership Academy to be funded for all Met leaders and line managers to raise standards across the Met Police service
  • Additional resources to boost Met call handling and improve the service provided to Londoners who call 999 and help the force out of HMICFRS Special Measures
  • New investment to support the Met Commissioner’s plans to reform and turn key recommendations from Casey review in action

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has today set out proposals for £14.2million of new funding to raise standards, improve performance and rebuild the trust and confidence of all of London’s communities in the Met Police service.

The funding – part of the Mayor’s 2023/2024 budget proposals – would be used to support the Met’s ‘Turnaround Plan’ which sets out how the force will achieve its mission to rebuild trust, reduce crime and improve standards over the next two years.

Nearly £12million of the proposed new investment1 from City Hall would be used to support the Commissioner’s drive for higher standards in the Met, including the creation of a new Met Leadership Academy.

The Leadership Academy would provide enhanced training for Met leaders and line managers, strengthening their capability to ensure the high standards expected by policing and the public are achieved. This action is a key part of the Met’s recently announced Turnaround Plan and the renewed focus on modernising training and developing a strong cohort of leaders in every policing department across the capital.

The Leadership Academy will also empower Met leaders to identify officers whose performance is not meeting the high standards set and give them the training to tackle issues around discipline and performance more effectively. This includes improving the working environment for all officers and staff and taking action against officers with “repeated or patterns of unacceptable behaviour” in support of key recommendations from the interim Baroness Casey review.*

The investment will also include increase the number HR staff within the Met to better support Met leaders and line managers to tackle performance and standards issues at source, accelerating the work the Commissioner is leading on to make the Met a workplace where everyone is supported and proud to be a part of.

A further £2.5million from City Hall would be used to improve the training and resilience of the Met’s Command and Control Centre (MetCC), which handles more than six million emergency calls and online queries from the public each year. This action follows the findings of the HMICFRS PEEL inspection3, which found that the Met needed to improve how it responds to calls from the public.

The Mayor’s funding proposals are part of a package of measures designed to support the Met to exit Special Measures as quickly as possible and to accelerate the root and branch reforms and systemic change to the Met’s performance and culture. 

Krupesh Hirani

Bond Street Elizabeth line station to open on 24 October

Bond Street’s Elizabeth line station will open on Monday 24 October, subject to final approvals. The opening of the station will further transform travel across London and the South East by providing a new link to one of the busiest shopping districts in Europe ahead of the busy festive period. It means that using the Elizabeth Line will become a more practical option for constituents living near Jubilee Line stations in Brent and Harrow.

The station will soon be transferred to London Underground, who will operate this station in the heart of the West End. London Underground will conclude their familiarisation and final trials before welcoming the first Elizabeth line customers in just four weeks. 

From 24 October, two brand new spacious ticket halls, with an abundance of natural light, will lead passengers to the 255-metre long Elizabeth line platforms.

The new station is step free from street to train with two lifts, further enhancing accessibility on the Elizabeth line and across the TfL network.  The station will accommodate nearly 140,000 Elizabeth line passengers daily, contributing to an overall station capacity of 225,000 across the Jubilee, Central and Elizabeth lines. Bond Street will start with a train service every five minutes. There will be no service on Sunday 30 October, but from Sunday 6 November, trains will be every three to four minutes, seven days a week.