Sussex families could see the cost of train tickets to London jump by more than a third under plans announced by Transport For London.
Day travelcards, which allows unlimited journeys on public transport in London, including Tube, buses, overground services and the Docklands Light Railway, could be scrapped, with campaigners warning of higher prices for commuters and those visiting the capital.
The travelcards would be scrapped from January under plans by London Mayor Sadiq Khan in a bid to raise an extra £40 million a year for Transport For London.
However, campaigners warn that journeys to London would become more expensive if the one-day travelcards are axed.
The Campaign For Better Transport revealed that a family of four from Worthing would end up paying 38 per cent more for a trip to London if the day travelcards are scrapped, a jump from £73 to £100.50.
Families in Brighton face a similar price hike, with a ten per cent increase forecast in train fares as a result of the change.
People commuting from Lewes or Eastbourne to London would also face a seven per cent rise in travel costs should the plans go ahead, with those travelling from Worthing and Littlehampton to the capital set to see an 11 per cent rise in fares.
READ MORE: MP urges Mayor of London not to scrap travelcard
The campaign group is calling on the mayor of London, the Department for Transport and the train operating companies to come together and find a way to keep the travelcard to prevent people being “priced out of the capital”.
Norman Baker, former MP for Lewes and director of external affairs at the Campaign For Better Transport, said: “Withdrawing the day travelcard will not only remove access to integrated, seamless ticketing for millions of people but also make it much more expensive to visit the capital.
“At a time when we should be doing all we can to encourage people to use green public transport to access London’s shops and attractions, this move is going in entirely the wrong direction.
“Public transport works best when you can use one ticket for your whole journey so we need more, not less, integrated ticketing.
“Transport For London must work with the Department for Transport and the train companies to come up with a way to keep the day travelcard so that people can continue to visit the capital easily and affordably.”
A spokesman for Transport For London said: “Due to requirements of the government’s funding settlements for TfL to save money and generate additional amounts of revenue, we have had to consider proposals to stop accepting day travelcards on the TfL network.
“The decision remains reversible and does not therefore mean that day travelcards will be withdrawn.
“TfL is keen to work collaboratively with the Department for Transport and the Rail Delivery Group to discuss options that would allow day travelcards to continue to be provided, while ensuring TfL can meet the requirements of the funding settlement with the government.”
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