People sit on a London Underground tube train as it waits at a underground station on October 24, ... [+] 2023 in London, England. With an array of notable tourist attractions, London, the capital city of England, is one of the world's most visited cities attracting millions of visitors every year. (Photo by Matt Cardy/Getty Images)Getty ImagesTransport for London (TfL) can exclusively reveal that 1.40 isn't enough to get Londoners out of their flats and into offices on a Friday.The transport authority for the British capital ran an intriguing experiment from the beginning of March to the end of May last year, dropping peak fare pricing for Fridays across London's Underground network, as well as the Overground and Elizabeth Line.The aim was to boost commuter figures, which are down since home working took off during pandemic lockdowns. According to TfL, ridership across the network remains at 90% of pre-pandemic levels such a decrease may not be entirely unwelcome for the commuters who remain, given overcrowding caused frequent delays.According to a report assessing the trial, Mondays in 2019 saw an average 1.18 million rail journeys during peak times versus 850,000 in 2023; Tuesdays through Thursdays saw 1.21 million in 2019 versus 990,000 in 2023; and Fridays fell from 1.1 million in 2019 to just 700,000.TfL fare discountsIn an attempt to persuade people back into central London on Fridays, TfL didn't charge pay-as-you-go users the extra fare for travelling at peak times, advertising the fact with a campaign it believed reached half of Londoners. On weekdays, TfL increases fares between 630am and 930am, and again between 4pm and 7pm, in an attempt to encourage people to travel at less busy times.MORE FOR YOUOn Fridays last spring, travellers didn't pay that peak travel charge. For anyone commuting from Zone 3 to the central district, that would result in their cards being charged 3 instead of 3.70 for a one-way trip.People pass through a ticket barrier at Tottenham Court Road underground station on November 18, ... [+] 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images)Getty ImagesSavings would be more significant for those commuting from further out: Chesham residents, out in Zone 9, would have paid 4.80 rather than 7.90, for example while that's a nice chunk of money to keep in your pocket, it's hardly on par with the free public transport offered in some countries.Of course, there's more to fares than one-way journeys. Anyone travelling most days of the week is likely to get a weekly pass, meaning that the savings weren't of any use.Plus, the aim of encouraging people to go out in London in the evenings means anyone who travels to work at peak times but then hits the pub after with colleagues only really benefits one direction, as staying out past 7pm means they would have saved that cash regardless.And any small savings even the pounds saved for those travelling from out in Chesham are quickly obliterated by the rising costs of going out, with a Pret cappuccino rising to 4.05 now from 2.45 in 2019 and the average price of a pint in the UK topping 4.70 last year versus 3.67 in 2019 (and likely higher in London).The price of a coffee at Pret has leapt considerably in the last five years. (Photo by Robert ... [+] Alexander/Getty Images)Getty ImagesStaying home saves not only the full price of a commute but also the cost of going out with coworkers, though TfL also teamed up with local businesses to offer discounts under the "Let's do Fridays!" marketing slogan.Lower fares didn't cut itEither way, it seems Londonders weren't convinced, and the peak-fare discount had no impact."This trial has shown that a temporary discount to peak fares on a Friday does not result in a significant increase in travel, suggesting that there are factors other than price that influence our customers when deciding on which weekdays to travel," the report noted. "The relative affordability of our fares means the discount may not have been perceived as significant enough to warrant people changing their flexible working patterns."The report included a quote from Professor Nick Tyler, the Director of the Centre for Transport Studies at University College London."It is good that Transport for London took the initiative to test the idea of off-peak Fridays by doing it, rather than just asking people about it," he was quoted as saying. "The result is interesting because it suggests that the reduced numbers are about behaviour and lifestyle rather than money people realise they can work more flexibly and not travelling into the centre of London, for example, on a Friday is one element of that."Fixing London with TfL fare discountsWhy is TfL spending as much as 24 million on a trial to encourage Londoners to travel into town? TfL says its own research suggested businesses wanted them to do more to help out.But it's curious that there's no effort to encourage Londoners to simply go out closer to home on Friday evenings, a move that could help spread some of the revenue from central districts further across the city, perhaps helping pubs out in the suburbs though TfL said via email it is indeed looking at how to support suburban high streets and "the benefits of people staying local", pointing to the "Superloop" network of buses that link outer districts of the city.Of course, one motivation behind the trial could also perhaps be that TfL needs to keep collecting more fares, as the agency receives much less government funding than other metro networks.People are alighting from a London Underground train in London, England, on February 4, 2024. (Photo ... [+] by Alberto Pezzali/NurPhoto via Getty Images)NurPhoto via Getty ImagesA TfL spokesperson said: "Like many transport authorities across the world, we are always looking at ways to innovate and grow ridership on our services. The Off Peak Friday fares trial formed part of a wider approach to make fares and ticketing more flexible and innovative, and looked at whether reducing fares on Fridays would impact ridership and revenue, as well as Londons wider economy. While it was positively received by customers and supported by stakeholders including Londons hospitality industry, ultimately the trial showed that a temporary discount to peak fares on a Friday did not result in a significant increase in travel."Fridays is now the weekend?Instead of being dissuaded by the results, TfL should consider keeping the off-peak pricing anyway after all, Fridays are clearly not peak travel times anymore, hence the trial. Or TfL could simply declare Friday a weekend, as it may well one day become, if four-day work week campaigns prove successful.TfL said it was continuing to consult on the issue of fares, saying the trial has helped inform the agency's understanding of how fares impact ridership. "This will be supported by ongoing analysis of customer behaviour, as well as discussions with stakeholders and business groups," TfL said in a statement via email."We will continue to work with the Mayor to review our fares and ticketing system to ensure it continues to be world-leading and can meet the evolving needs of passengers," the statement added. "This includes working with stakeholder groups to ensure disadvantaged Londoners can benefit from our wide range of concessionary fares to make travel across the capital more affordable, as well as undertaking a study to better understand how cost affects the travel of people with protected characteristics, to inform our investment priorities."Anything to simplify fares is welcome even if it's not enough to drag Londoners back to the office on Fridays.