TfL to charge 40p a minute for travel information

Bosses at Transport for London are facing a public backlash over plans to make passengers pay more for travel information by phone.

The company wants to change its telephone information line to a higher rate number which means it will receive part of the money from the cost of the call.

Currently passengers call an 020 7 number but this is to be changed to an 0843 number - against the advice of telephone regulator Ofcom.

Callers from pre pay mobiles will now be charged 40p per minute rather than 20p. On a land line it will cost 3-5p, similar to its current level.

Passenger watchdog London Travelwatch condemned the moveand said it was preparing a report.

A spokeswoman said: "Passengers should be able to call on a low cost number and not have to pay any more."

Members of the London Assembly's transport committee also criticised the number change as "outrageous" that would hurt the poorest the most.

Labour member Val Shawcross said: "People logged onto a computer will normally be able to find the information they need free of charge, but if you think about the poor pensioners who want to make a trip - it could cost them quite a lot of money."

TfL has also switched the number used by buskers to book pitches to an 084 number which is said to cost up to £20 a week.

A spokesman for TfL defended the move, saying that it was being made so an automated service could be implemented.

He claimed that some customers would pay less as TfL would be able to handle a greater volume of calls.

TfL's public affairs manager Graham Orr said in an email: "Through the percentage of the call income we receive, TfL will only cover the cost of providing our services - we are not making a 'profit'."