Lowest-paid Londoners ‘spending 10 per cent of their wages on travel costs’

The capital’s lowest paid workers are spending 10p in every £1 they earn on getting to work in central London, a report claimed today.

People with cleaning jobs and other manual work in hotels and offices in Zone 1 are disproportionately affected by rising transport costs and often already struggle with high housing and living costs.

The report, Living on the Edge, by London Councils, London TravelWatch and the Trust for London, found that high travel costs were a problem for all workers in the capital.

Londoners spend an average of seven per cent of their monthly income on travel — around £100 — while one in five said they went to work via the cheapest route rather than the shortest or most convenient.

The report said Londoners need to work for an average of 44 minutes a day to cover daily commuting costs, rising to 54 minutes for those earning £200 to £599 a month and one hour and 56 minutes for those earning less than £200 a month.

The report suggested concessionary fares for low-income workers, reintroducing off-peak travelcards for people on flexible working hours and making it easier to get season ticket loans.

Julian Bell, chairman of London Councils’ transport committee, said: “People have no choice but to put up with high travel costs if they want to access the jobs available in central London, but the cost of travel is the same if you’re earning £15,000 or £50,000 a year.”

Stephen Locke, chairman of London TravelWatch, said: “Many low-paid workers are commuting long distances and spending a high proportion of their incomes.”