Congestion Charge to increase by £1.50

Price hike aimed at deterring traffic from the capital, with revenues from the increase invested in public transport

London’s Congestion Charge will increase by £1.50 from next month in order to ensure it “remains effective” at managing traffic in the capital, according to Transport for London (TfL).

From June 16, it will cost motorists £11.50 a day to travel in the central London Congestion Charge zone when paid in advance, although the price will be £14 if paid the next charging day.

The Congestion Charge will increase by £1.50 from June 16 2014

However, CC Auto Pay and fleet customers will continue to receive a £1 reduction on the full fare, reducing their charge to £10.50.

The Charge has been set at £10 per day since the last price hike in 2011, and the changes announced this week (May 28) follow a public consultation on Congestion Charge pricing earlier this year.

According to TfL, the increase will ‘ensure the Charge remains a relative deterrent to all but the most essential journeys into the centre of London’.

And, it said increasing the Charge by £1.50 would contribute an income of £82.7 million over the next five years, which will be reinvested into London’s transport network through the modernisation of roads in the capital.

TfL said: ‘Since the Charge was introduced in 2003, more than £1.2 billion of revenue has been re-invested in transport, including £960 million on improvements to the bus network, £102 million on roads and bridges, £70m on road safety, £51m on local transport/borough plans and £36m on sustainable transport and the environment.’

Garrett Emmerson, TfL’s chief operating officer for surface transport, said: “These changes will ensure the Congestion Charge remains effective in managing congestion in central London.

“We have listened to our customers and are making a number of changes to make paying the Congestion Charge and applying for discounts easier and simpler.”

From October 2015, Capita will be responsible for the day-to-day operation of the Congestion Charging and Low Emission schemes, when the current contract with IBM expires. The firm will provide the IT, back office systems and customer contact centre for both the Congestion Charge and Low Emission Zone schemes.