With the local election period over and Sadiq Khan marking 10 years as the Mayor of London, he has released a surprise announcement regarding transport fares.
Press release by the Greater London Authority:
- Pay a single fare on Saturdays and/or Sundays for unlimited bus and tram journeys across London throughout that day
- Londoners and visitors can make the most of everything London has to offer this summer with cheaper, easier bus fares between 25 July and 31 August
- New offer builds on the Mayor’s popular Hopper fare, which has seen more than a billion ‘hops’ made over the past decade
- Having frozen bus fares a record seven times as Mayor, Sadiq intends to extend the current freeze over the summer to retain £1.75 single fare on buses and trams, further supporting Londoners with the cost of living
The new Weekend Hopper offer means, for the first time ever, anyone travelling on buses and trams at the weekend on a Saturday or a Sunday between 25 July and 31 August will only pay one single fare for unlimited journeys across London that day – making it easier for Londoners and visitors to make the most of everything the capital has to offer during the summer holidays.
Earlier this year, the Mayor froze bus and tram fares for the seventh time since 2016 - keeping them among the lowest in the UK, at just £1.75 - showing his continued commitment to doing everything in his power to keep TfL fares as affordable as possible. The Mayor is now exploring available options for bus and tram fares following the current freeze, with the intention of extending it throughout the summer to make the Weekend Hopper an even better deal for Londoners.
Sadiq introduced the Hopper when he took office in 2016, which enables people to pay a single fare for unlimited journeys within an hour on London’s buses and trams. In the decade since, TfL customers have made more than a billion Hopper journeys, meaning anyone making just two hops a week over that time cumulatively saved £1,500 [1]. Sadiq is also committed to ensuring that, for as long as he is Mayor, children under 18 can travel for free on London buses and trams [2].
Part of the Mayor’s ongoing work to improve public transport and support Londoners with the cost of living, the new Weekend Hopper will mean that people will be able to travel across the city on buses and trams for the whole day on Saturdays and Sundays for the price of just a single fare. This innovative fare will run for six weekends throughout the school summer holidays, from 25 July to the end of August – including the Bank Holiday Monday, when millions travel across the capital to enjoy Notting Hill Carnival.
To help raise awareness of the Weekend Hopper offer, three buses on routes 23, 49 and 295 have been wrapped as hopping frogs, with Londoners and visitors encouraged to see if they can spot them all as they travel around the capital over the summer. These three routes offer TfL customers the chance to visit landmarks including world-class museums, the Royal Albert Hall, Piccadilly Circus and Trafalgar Square – as well as connecting with a range of other routes, including London’s growing Superloop network, making it easier to travel across the city to visit family and friends.
The Weekend Hopper will help Londoners enjoy an unforgettable summer, with an exceptional programme of events and experiences across the capital. There is something for everyone, from major sporting moments like the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup and the Novuna London Athletics Meet, to landmark live music including Harry Styles’ record‑breaking 12 nights at Wembley Stadium as well as performances by Olivia Dean and Ariana Grande at The O2 Arena. London’s world‑class museums, theatres and galleries are also hosting a fantastic array of exhibitions, such as V&A East’s inaugural show ‘The Music is Black’, Lucian Freud’s ‘Drawing into Painting’ at the National Portrait Gallery and the Zurbarán exhibition at the National Gallery. Theatre‑goers can enjoy a standout season too, with The Devil Wears Prada at the Dominion Theatre, Hercules at Theatre Royal Drury Lane and Wicked at the Apollo Victoria Theatre.
The return of the Mayor’s £400,000 Summer Streets fund aims to create the biggest ever summer of al fresco dining in the capital [3], as bold plans move forward to transform Oxford Street into a pedestrian plaza that can host world-class events and leisure experiences [4]. The Weekend Hopper fare will make it even easier to enjoy everything London has to offer in the coming months. For example, a family of two adults and two under-16s making three or more bus journeys in a day could save up to £7 a day or £14 over a weekend.
Buses are the most inclusive form of public transport in London, with 96 per cent of households within 400 metres of a bus stop and more than 90 per cent served by high-frequency routes [5]. Buses and trams also offer the most accessible and affordable way to travel sustainably in the capital, with fares among the lowest in the UK and all bus routes served by low-floor vehicles with a dedicated wheelchair space, providing a vital lifeline for vulnerable Londoners and lower income households.
I refer to my previous article regarding the geopolitical situation in the Middle East, which has sparked an increase in fuel prices and a potential shortage of fuel to run nearly everything. I hope that the staff at Transport for London and the Greater London Authority have been reading my articles and social media posts.
🇦🇺🆓 In Australia, Victoria will offer free public transport from 31 March to end April to ease rising fuel costs. Trains, trams and buses will be free, with no tap-on required. The temporary move aims to cut expenses, reduce traffic and support households across the state during this period.
— CLondoner92 (@clondoner92.bsky.social) March 29, 2026 at 7:05 AM
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What else can you buy for £1.75?
Roughly one litre of unleaded petrol (depending on the fuel station, and this is expected to increase).
A bottled drink.
A snack.
Compared to other areas in the UK—where some residents pay a £3 single adult fare or more for a bus journey—it is clear that public transport has long been fragmented.
This is fantastic news for London. It is the first of its kind, seeing London manage such an achievement by reducing fares for specific days of the week.
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| Pre-1970 London Passenger Transport Area |
Most importantly, encouraging public transport travel is not just about keeping fares low; it is also about running and improving services. This includes high-capacity and accessible buses (such as articulated "bendy" buses or long tri-axle buses similar to those in Singapore) and adequate bus routes to ensure short walking distances for residents (such as restoring the W12 to residents of Walthamstow Village). We also need express routes and, crucially, cross-boundary bus routes. For example, the 375 currently terminates at Passingford Bridge—essentially the middle of nowhere without a connecting service. It should continue to Ongar to connect with other bus services, including the Epping Ongar heritage railway.
Not everyone is able to drive a car due to age, disability, or being disqualified on medical grounds or through criminal conviction. This highlights why public transport is vital to both the economy and society.
It is seriously time for transport services to be improved once again. I have posted many ideas on how to achieve this, and it is time to make them happen, as this is history in the making. If we want the economy to progress, we must improve the infrastructure.
I have also suggested that the Travelcard Agreement be reformed to provide different ticketing options and an alternative to pay-as-you-go (PAYG) Oyster and Contactless cards to avoid the issue of maximum fares. As Contactless PAYG expands to more stations in the South East of England, there is a clear need to integrate transport services with other areas, rather than remaining isolated within one zone.
Once the trial ends, I will be interested to see the total expenditure of the scheme alongside the usage stats for the new Hopper fare.
While some are concerned about the money spent subsidising transport, these lower fares mean people have more money to spend. By visiting businesses to purchase products or services, they are indirectly supporting transport: a portion of that spend goes to VAT, and the companies pay corporation tax and business rates. This revenue flows through the local or national treasury, allowing decision-makers to fund public transport.
I understand that transport fares in London are currently in a mess; they require a thorough review and reform to make them simple and affordable.
It has been long overdue.
Cheaper than a One Day Bus Pass at 1996/1997 prices.
— CLondoner92 (@clondoner92.bsky.social) May 11, 2026 at 10:57 AM
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