Cut price bus fare for unemployed

Tram and bus travel will both be offered at cut rates

Job seekers in London will be given half-price travel on buses and trams beginning in April, the mayor's office has announced.

The move is part of Mayor Boris Johnson's plan to help the city cope with the economic downturn.

The extension of the benefit already available to people on income support means 150,000 more people will be able to take advantage.

The new benefit will cost the city about £3m in forgone revenue.

People on Job Seeker's Allowance or Employment and Support Allowance, the scheme for new applicants who previously would have claimed incapacity benefit, are eligible for the half-price adult fare benefit.

The discounts, effective 1 April, apply to Oyster card "pay as you go" fares and seven day bus and tram passes.

A photograph identification card will be required to take part in the discount. To be eligible, residents of London boroughs will have to have been claiming Job Seeker's Allowance for 13 weeks.

Mr Johnson said: "I want to help the thousands of Londoners who, during these tough times, will find themselves looking for work, by making it easier for them to get around the city when travelling to interviews and accessing other amenities that will help them find jobs."