Sarah Olney accuses Tories of using transport body's financial woes to score a 'political point'
A London Liberal Democrat has said she would support a hike in TfL fares to help fill the transport body's financial blackhole amid the ongoing bailout war with the government.
London mayor Sadiq Khan has been urging the Department for Transport (DfT) to grant TfL £4.9bn rescue package for the next 18 months to help it through the pandemic, which has hit the network hard due to a sharp decline in passenger numbers.
The majority of TfL's income - approximately 80 per cent - is made up of fares, making it particularly vulnerable to the coronavirus restrictions imposed by the government.In May the government gave TfL a £1.6bn package to last it six months until mid-October, which included the condition that TfL increase fares and reduce free travel for over-60s.
However, transport secretary Grant Shapps warned that the mayor would have to accept a package of unpopular measures in return for any further bailout, including an increase in council tax, an expanded congestion charge zone to the North and South Circular roads, and higher tube and bus fares.
The ultimatum has alarmed a number of MPs across London, including in the Tory party.Richmond Park MP Sarah Olney said that while the conditions attached the bailout were "outrageous", an increase in Tube fares would be "a reasonable thing" for TfL to consider.
Sarah Olney is the Liberal Democrat candidate for Richmond Park and North Kingston
Asked whether it would be unacceptable for fares to increase, Ms Olney replied: "I think what is reasonable is for the government to say, well, if we're going to give you a bailout, we are going to ask you to examine other avenues for raising funds.
"I don't think a fare increase is unreasonable to make up some of the gap... and I dare say there are others, perhaps some limits on the concessionary travel at weekends for young people, perhaps, wait till after nine o'clock for older people - I think there is probably moves that could be made there. "
She added: "I don't think it's unreasonable of the DfT to ask TfL to propose options to boost their income in order to get this bailout - but imposing them, and the sorts of things they're asking for, are completely ridiculous."
The MP also accused the Tories of using TfL's financial woes to score a "political point".
"A lot of people are talking about how the government are actually trying to stage a bit of a coup here - because they're putting all of these conditions on TfL, it's effectively bringing it back under the control of central government and taking it away from the mayor, because if they're going to be making all of these demands, then actually they're in control," she said.
"These need to be decisions for the mayor as far as I'm concerned."