TfL volunteer army steps up to support the Capital during unnecessary Tube strike
  • No Tube services running today due to strike action
  • Hundreds of travel ambassadors available across the Capital to help Londoners, visitors and tourists get to their destinations
  • Extra bus and river services running to help people get around, and all public transport and roads are expected to be much busier than usual, especially during peak hours
  • Buses do not accept cash so customers will need to use contactless payment, Oyster or a bus pass
  • Additional Santander Cycles hubs are in place at key central London locations to make cycling an easy option
  • Customers are advised to check before they travel at tfl.gov.uk/tube-strike and by following @TfLTravelAlerts, @TfLTrafficNews and @TfLBusAlerts on Twitter

Transport for London (TfL) has today deployed a volunteer army to help people get around the Capital following strike action by the trade unions, which means no Tube services are running. Tube services are expected to run as normal tomorrow.

Staff on the DLR, London Overground, the bus network, tram and TfL Rail services are not on strike. These services are running as normal, but they will be much busier than usual and customers are strongly advised, if possible, to travel outside of the morning and evening peaks.

Many locations in central London are easily accessible from mainline rail stations, and TfL will have more than 600 travel ambassadors on hand to help Londoners, visitors and tourists get to their destinations on foot, by bus, by Santander Cycles or by other means. Around 250 extra buses are being provided to boost capacity on the main commuter corridors and to and from mainline stations and additional Santander Cycles hubs will mean more bikes will be available at the busiest locations. Extra river services are also being provided during peak hours today. These services will be very busy and customers are asked to bear with the transport staff who are at work and trying to help them get around.

London Underground (LU) has tried everything possible to engage the unions over the last six months to try to reach an agreement on pay and the introduction of the Night Tube 24-hour Underground services at weekends from September. We have listened to their concerns over work-life balance and put forward an extremely fair revised offer with the following guarantees:

  • No-one will be asked to work more hours than they do today to run the Night Tube
  • Every driver on the Night Tube will have the same, if not more, weekends off as they do now during the transition year
  • After that, they will have a choice about whether or not they work Night Tube shifts or not
  • Everybody will remain entitled to two days off in seven
  • Annual leave for staff will remain significantly above the national average - 43 days for a train operator, 52 days for a member of our station staff.

In addition, staff will continue to be able to exercise choice, swapping shifts to get the type of work-life balance they want. LU has also offered an above-inflation pay rise this year and guaranteed rises for the next two years, as well as a Night Tube bonus and £200 per shift for drivers working Night Tube shifts during the transition period.

Steve Griffiths, London Underground's Chief Operating Officer, said:

'I am sorry that the unions have rejected our extremely fair offer outright and that the journeys of our customers will be disrupted today. We have a volunteer army of hundreds on hand to help London's workers, residents and visitors get around during the strike. I thank customers for their patience as they make their journeys today.

"We have made every effort to reach agreement with the unions and avoid this unnecessary strike action. We have employed 137 new drivers and 345 new station staff for the Night Tube service. We've made work-life balance guarantees that no-one will work extra hours and that drivers will have the same number of weekends off as now and will be able to choose whether they work Night Tube shifts in future.'

Latest travel advice to customers (06:45):

Tube
There is no Tube service running today and all other public transport services and roads will be much busier than usual.

Staff on the DLR, London Overground, the bus network, tram and TfL Rail services are not on strike. These services are running as normal, but they will be much busier than usual and customers are strongly advised, if possible, to travel outside of the morning and evening peaks today.

Hundreds of travel ambassadors are available to help Londoners, visitors and tourists get to their destinations. TfL urges all customers to plan ahead and to check before they travel at www.tfl.gov.uk/tube-strike and by following @TfLTravelAlerts, @TfLTrafficNews and @TfLBusAlerts on Twitter.

National Rail

  • National Rail routes are largely operating as normal but services are expected to be much busier than usual, so please check before you travel.

DLR

  • A normal service is operating but trains will be much busier than usual. Some stations where there is an interchange with London Underground may be affected.
  • Entry and exit to the DLR at Bank will be through Monument station only.

London Overground

  • A normal service is operating but trains will be much busier than usual. Some stations where there is an interchange with London Underground may be affected.

Tramlink

  • A peak frequency service will operate throughout the day.

TfL Rail

  • A normal service is operating but trains will be much busier than usual. Some stations where there is an interchange with London Underground may be affected;
  • TfL is working with Network Rail and the train operators to ensure that customers have the latest information on how best to get around.

Buses

  • Services are being boosted with around 250 extra buses on key routes but will be much busier than usual;
  • TfL Ambassadors and volunteers are being deployed to bus stations and hubs to provide customers with travel information and advice on the ground.
  • Buses do not accept cash. Please use contactless payment or Oyster. Contactless is the same fare as Oyster. Top up your Oyster pay as you go credit or buy Travelcards and One Day Bus and Tram passes at around 4,000 Oyster Ticket Stops across London. For the locations of these, please visit tfl.gov.uk/ticketstopfinder

Coaches

  • Coaches will run more regularly on some London routes today;
  • Several coach operators, including National Express and Green Line, offer services that stop in a number of locations throughout London. Some of the core coach routes are as follows:
  • Golders Green - Finchley Road - Baker Street - Marble Arch - Victoria Coach Station (National Express);
  • Brent Cross - Finchley Road - Baker Street - Marble Arch - Victoria (Green Line);
  • Hillingdon - Shepherd's Bush/Baker Street - Marble Arch - Victoria (Oxford Tube & X90);
  • Hammersmith - Kensington - Hyde Park Corner - Victoria (Green Line);
  • Stratford - Bow - Aldgate - Victoria Coach Station (National Express);
  • Bexley - Canary Wharf - Aldgate - Embankment - Victoria Street (Commuter Services);
  • Sutton - Streatham - Stockwell - Victoria Coach Station (National Express);
  • Eltham - Lewisham - Walworth - Elephant & Castle - Victoria Coach Station (National Express);
  • There is also a half hourly service to Heathrow Central Bus Station and Terminals 4 and 5.
  • For up to date information on coach services go to: http://coachtracker.nationalexpress.com;
  • Tickets can be purchased in advance from the Victoria Coach Station ticket hall, or on the operators' websites.

Emirates Air Line

  • The Emirates Air Line will remain open until 23:00 today. Travelcards will be accepted.

Cycling

  • TfL is putting on extra cycle hubs from 07:00-11:00 and 16:00-20:00 today at:
  • Abbey Orchard Street (Victoria)
  • Soho Square (Soho)
  • Houghton Street (Strand)
  • Finsbury Square (Moorgate)
  • Waterloo Place (St James)
  • Chapel Place (Marylebone)
  • Concert Hall Approach (Waterloo)
  • Existing cycle hubs at Waterloo, Stonecutter Street (near Holborn and the City), Newgate Street (Bank/Cheapside/St. Paul's) and Belgrove Street (Kings Cross) will have more cycles than usual.
  • The Santander Cycles App provides up to the minute information on the nearest docking station and bike availability.
  • Londoners who own a bike are encouraged to cycle to work.

River Services

  • TfL is operating extra river services during peak hours on RB1 and RB6 routes today between central London and Canary Wharf, and central London and Putney.

Taxis & Private Hire

  • During peak times a marshalled taxi service will operate at major London rail stations. The marshals will manage taxi and passenger queues and provide advice and assistance to taxi passengers and other members of the public;
  • Taxi and private hire services will be running as normal. Details for licensed taxi and private hire operators in London are available at www.tfl.gov.uk/cabwise.

Walking

  • Walking maps are available online and at transport hubs in central London, with TfL Ambassadors and volunteers helping people plan their routes around the city;
  • People are urged to walk for short journeys, where possible.

Roads and the Congestion Charge

  • To help keep traffic flowing, the Congestion Charge will remain in operation throughout the strike;
  • TfL will be delaying or curtailing road works on major London roads wherever possible and has encouraged all London boroughs to take similar measures on their network. TfL will also work with the Metropolitan Police to minimise the impact of congestion;
  • TfL will be working to keep traffic flowing around major transport hubs;
  • Londoners and commuters are encouraged to keep journeys by car to a minimum to enable public transport to move freely;
  • For up to date information follow @TfLTrafficNews.

 

Notes to Editors:

  • The Night Tube is part of LU's work to modernise the service offered to customers.
  • It is widely supported by Londoners and businesses and will transform night time journeys across London.
  • Journey times will be cut by an average of 20 minutes, with some cut by more than an hour.
  • London's night-time economy will be opened up to a host of new opportunities, with the Night Tube supporting around 2,000 permanent jobs and boosting the economy by £360 million.