The bus ‘Hopper’ ticket will come into effect in September. Pic: David Cartwright

London’s new mayor, Sadiq Khan has made good on his promise to radically change bus travel in London, just three days after his City Hall triumph.

Khan’s new “Hopper” fare,  set to be implemented in September, will allow commuters to get two bus journeys for the price of one within a one-hour period.

Khan said: “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.

“This is just the start of my plan to ensure that travelling around London is affordable for everyone.”  He added: “A commitment that includes a freeze on Transport for London (TfL) fares for four years – benefiting millions of people.”

Currently Oyster and contactless payment users are required to pay for each bus they take, whilst Tube and Overground services operate on Zone basis. This new policy is set to save bus commuters in the capital millions.

Government statistics show that in 2015, 51 per cent of all 4.65 billion bus journeys taken in England were taken in London. Around 600 million journeys were pay as you go, of which around 86 million went on to make another journey.

The idea of a Hopper fare was initially proposed in the Liberal Democrats 2012 Mayoral manifesto, but was rejected by Boris Johnson, as Transport for London suggested a one-hour bus ticket would cost £50 million a year.