In his first policy act as new mayor of London, Sadiq Khan is introducing a one-hour "hopper-fare" for bus users as promised in his election manifesto.

The fare system allows bus passengers to make an extra journey within an hour of touching in when using an Oyster card or contactless payment.

Previously, customers were obliged to pay £1.50 each time they boarded a bus.

The hopper-fare will "help ensure everyone will be able to afford to travel around the city," Mr Khan said.
It is scheduled to be introduced in September.

Mr Khan said: "My dad drove the number 44 bus and transport in London has always been a big part of my life.

"The cost of a fare in London has risen for eight years in a row and now that I'm mayor I am determined to prevent the cost of travel from becoming a barrier to work."

Transport for London said it did not have the technology to allow passengers to enjoy unlimited bus transfers within one hour but it was hoping to upgrade its ticketing technology in 2017 and possibly introduce unlimited timed fares by the end of 2018.

A single journey costs £1.50. London buses stopped accepting cash payments for fares in 2014 and it is only possible to buy a single ticket - or use a travelcard which covers multiple journeys in the same day.

London bus use in 2015

• 2.5bn - bus journeys made in the capital
• 600m - were pay as you go fares
• 86m people estimated to have made more than one trip per hour
• Fare rises increased eight years in a row under Boris Johnson

London mayor's office