TfL cleaning and security staff to get free travel, Sadiq Khan announces

Thousands of cleaners, security guards and other contract workers who work for London’s transport system will be given free travel on the network.

The Mayor of London Sadiq Khan hopes this scheme will support 5,000 low-wage workers hit hard by the cost of living crisis.

Currently only workers employed directly by Transport for London (TfL) are eligible for free travel.

Now third party workers that work for the network will receive the same perk from April 2023.

The Mayor has also asked TfL to look into whether sick-pay standards for the lowest paid workers could be improved in future, and to conduct work early next year to assess TfL’s ability to bring cleaning services in house.

Mayor Khan said: “I’m deeply concerned about the fact that the spiralling cost of living is hitting those on lower incomes the hardest.

“That’s why I’m taking unprecedented action to support London’s lowest paid transport workers by removing the cost of using public transport.

“I will continue to do everything I can to help Londoners with spiralling costs, including providing targeted support directly to those on lower incomes, and to prevent financial inequalities widening further so we can continue to build a better, fairer and more prosperous city for all Londoners.”

The policy is estimated to cost £10m in foregone fares, which will be funded out of Mr Khan’s City Hall budget.

RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said: “We warmly welcome this news, which is a victory for our campaigning and a big step forward in our campaign to win justice for London’s tube cleaners.

“For years, we’ve been pointing to the rank injustices in the way these heroic cleaners are treated and we’ve fought to get them a better deal.”

He added: “What Sadiq Khan has done here is exactly what a Labour mayor should do.

“We’ll be redoubling our efforts now to make sure we finally put an end to the scourge of outsourced Tube cleaning and get cleaners brought in-house in April.”