London Assembly criticises cable car fares

The London Assembly criticised ticket fares and public funding for the new Thames cable car on Wednesday.

The Emirates Air Line, which opened to the public last month, was the subject of a motion agreed by the Assembly Members at City Hall.

Running from the Royal Docks to North Greenwich between ExCeL London and the 02 Arena, fares cost �3.20 for a single journey with an Oyster card but travel cards, freedom passes, and the Oyster cap are exempt.

The London Assembly motion states the authority welcomes the new transport link but “the Mayor has missed an opportunity to integrate fully the cable car into the public transport ticketing system”.

Also questioning the funding of the project, the motion states the Assembly “regrets that some �25 million worth of public money has been spent on it being built when the Mayor had promised that it would be fully funded from the private sector.”

In reponse to criticism, a spokesman for Transport for London (TfL) pointed out that Thames Clipper services and Barclays Cycle Hire bikes also operate outside the Travelcard, adding the “fares package has been designed to make it affordable for local people.”

TfL added that Emirates Air Line covered 80 per cent of the expenditure and they are currently trying to pursue an alternate funding strategy from a range of sources to cover the rest of the costs.