Fund Bakerloo extension through pay-per-mile scheme, mayor told

Benali Hamdache told a Green Party conference event that motorists should pay for the new tube line reports Kumail Jaffer, Local Democracy Reporter

A man sitting down at a desk signing papers, with a man and a woman standing either side of him — Benali Hamdache becoming a member of the London Assembly, 11th May 2026 – (Credit – GLA)

London’s motorists should fund the Bakerloo Line extension through a “smart” pay-per-mile scheme, a Green Party assembly member has said.

Benali Hamdache claimed that the current system for charging drivers was “not entirely fair” and that City Hall should reform it to ensure people who take “non-work related” car journeys are charged the most.

The Mayor of London, Sir Sadiq Khan has repeatedly ruled out any plans to charge drivers for every mile they drive on the capital’s roads – though Transport for London (TfL) did previously model the implementation internally.

However, he has now faced fresh calls to fund the Bakerloo Line extension – a major infrastructure project held up by a shortfall in funding – through a pay-per-mile scheme.

“There is a looming crisis in transport funding that none of us are really talking about,” Hamdache told a fringe event hosted by Central London Forward at Green Party ocnference last week.

“Fuel duty, which has been frozen for too long because it’s the politically easy thing to do, has not adequately funded the [public] transport that we need.

“But how might people who are driving pay their fair share for the transport improvements that this city needs to see?”

He claimed that “smart user-based charging” will both incentivise Londoners to drive less and ensure only those who do opt for private car ownership pay for the project.

This would be far more “fair” than the current flat rate Congestion Charge currently in place for those who drive into central London, Hamdache claimed.

He said the Green Party would introduce exceptions for disabled people and those who need to use their cars for work.

“The idea of a charging system that is proportionate, that asks people who drive the most for non-work-related reasons to contribute the most, would be a fresh approach to making sure that we actually have the money that London needs to be able to afford the transport that we need,” he added.

He also said that, thanks to ULEZ cameras being installed, a lot of the needed technology is already there.

In 2023 Sir Sadiq admitted that the “government, TfL and transport officials around the country have been looking at the pay-per-mile concept for some time.”

“TfL has been looking at new road charging options for the best part of two decades and it is completely normal for officers to plan for different scenarios including future mayoralties and government policies,” he told the London Assembly.

“As long as I am Mayor, we are not going to have pay-per-mile. What is important is to reassure Londoners – because they need the reassurance because we have the biggest clean air zone now in the world – that those goalposts are not going to be moved.”

TfL says it is considering proposals to extend the Bakerloo Line to Lewisham via the Old Kent Road and New Cross Gate. However, officials have said that a “viable funding package” is still needed to build the Bakerloo line extension and discussions with government are ongoing.

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