Sadiq Khan yesterday denied he had misled Londoners after a backlash over his fares freeze policy.
The mayor rejected claims that his election promise that commuters would not “pay a penny more for their travel” over the next four years was disingenuous.
He has admitted hundreds of thousands of Londoners would miss out on the freeze, which will only apply to single tickets and pay-as-you-go fares.
However, he denied that the outcry over the announcement — which has led to him being accused of breaking his word — would dent trust in him.
He said: “I was quite clear in my promise to Londoners of freezing TfL fares over the next four years. Promise made, promise delivered.”
A poll for the Standard on Wednesday found that the mayor had overtaken David Cameron, Boris Johnson and even Bank of England governor Mark Carney as the figure most trusted to tell the truth about the EU.
Khan has admitted the freeze would not cover daily or weekly travel cards or contactless caps — used by half a million Londoners — claiming that they were not under his control. Up to 11mn passengers will still benefit.
In his election manifesto, Khan promised that Londoners “won’t pay a penny more for their travel in 2020 than they do today”. The fares freeze pledge was a key battleground in the mayoral election contest, with Khan’s team accusing Tory candidate Zac Goldsmith of a “secret plan to hike fares for all Londoners”.
Caroline Pidgeon, a Liberal Democrat London Assembly member, said: “Khan’s manifesto specifically said that Londoners won’t pay a penny more for their travel in 2020 than they do today. There were no ifs, or buts, in that statement.
“The reality is that many Londoners will see their travelcards rise over the next few years. What we have found out feels like a very early broken promise from London’s new mayor.”