Day travelcards will be phased out as Transport for London (TfL) attempts to generate more income, the deputy mayor of London has confirmed.
In a letter to the transport secretary Huw Merriman on Friday, Seb Dance said that TfL “can no longer afford” to fund the £40m Travelcard Agreement “which represents a subsidy by Londoners”.
The daily paper ticket, which is rarely used by Londoners, offers unlimited travel on TfL services including the Tube, bus, rail, tram and London Overground. They are significantly more expensive than using “pay as you go” Oyster cards or contactless payments.
TfL estimates it can bring in as much as £40 million if pay as you go is used instead.
A total of 12 million day travelcards were sold last year. It is nearly double the amount sold during the Covid-19 pandemic but down from 27 million in 2018.
Weekly and annual travelcards will still be available, despite a similar decline in sales from 185,000 in 2018 to 20,000 last year.
TfL is likely to cease the sale of day travelcards by January 2024, as part of the terms of a decision notice signed by Mayor Sadiq Khan.
In the letter to Mr Merriman, seen by BBC News, Mr Dance said “the current price paid to TfL for these tickets is well below the price paid for the same tickets sold within London”.
A consultation document states that the decision is necessary because of “conditions of Government funding settlements that have been necessary due to the devastating impact of the pandemic on TfL’s finances”.
“Our funding agreement with government requires TfL to develop and implement changes that will generate between £0.5-£1.0bn per year of additional revenue from 2023.
“Meeting this requirement necessitated TfL developing an option to withdraw from the Travelcard Agreement.”
It adds: “We anticipate that, if TfL ceases to accept day travelcards, rail operators will also stop selling Zone 1-6 travelcards.”
A spokesperson for the mayor of London told the broadcaster: “The mayor is only considering the withdrawal of day travelcards in order to meet the requirements of TfL's funding settlement with government - a deal that was required solely because of the impact of the pandemic.
“He has been clear he does not want to do so but feels that he has been left with no viable alternative.”
A Department for Transport spokesperson said: “We have provided TfL with more than £6bn in funding support to keep public transport moving.
“Transport in London is devolved, and any decision to withdraw from the travelcard agreement is a matter for the mayor.”
