On the 16th March 2020, it was forecasted that passenger income alone of Transport for London would reduce by 500 million. This major fall in income has motivated the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, to expand the congestion zone, after the charge already increased from £11.50 to £15 and the number of hours that it lasts for also increased. However, it was also reported that ministers could give half of the 2 billion cash Transport for London is asking for or could reduce the free travel given to pensioners and children.
Within the current congestion zone, there is an adult population of about 170,000 and around 54,400 daily vehicle journeys, however, in the newly proposed zone there is a population of about 3 million and around 540,000 vehicle journeys daily. This would affect half a million more journeys a day. This expansion could lead to a £15 charge for a trip to the nearby hospital, the school run or for businesses that need to travel.
Lots of businesses in the London area rely on drivers being able to commute in and out of London, providing various business services as well as transporting goods to and from shops or restaurants. The extra charge on drivers will increase the cost that businesses have to pay and will reduce their overall profit by a significant amount. This new levy will also deter lots of the public from travelling to London, especially in the circumstances of the pandemic since many people are now reluctant to use public transport. Before the pandemic, a YouGov RealTime survey revealed that less than half of Britons have a favourable opinion of travelling by bus, whilst 81% expressed a positive view of being in the car. This extra loss of customers could have devastating effects on local businesses after the lockdown where companies have already lost a lot of revenue. This could result in the closure of many shops, restaurants and department stores, which will potentially lead to thousands becoming unemployed.
This is also a major blow for the disabled and vulnerable members of the public as travelling via trains and buses can be extremely challenging for some elderly and disabled people who wish to visit the capital.
