86-611: London Buses is the subsidiary of Transport for London (TfL) that manages most bus services in London , England . It was formed following the Greater London Authority Act 1999 that transferred control of London Regional Transport (LRT) bus services to TfL, controlled by the Mayor of London . Transport for London's key areas of direct responsibility through London Buses are the following: All bus operations are undertaken under
172-462: A DPFP. Some boroughs additionally issue discretionary Freedom Passes to disabled people who do not meet the statutory eligibility criteria. People with statutory disabilities entitling them to a DPFP are: The Freedom Pass is normally valid at most times on London Underground , London Overground , Elizabeth line , London Buses , Tram , and Docklands Light Railway services, including stops within and outside Greater London . Until January 2009
258-471: A Disabled Person's Freedom Pass (DPFP); the former has a blue right hand edge band and the latter a yellow one to enable transport operators to quickly identify which concessions are applicable. They originally provided identical facilities, but the OPFP later had restriction on some use at busy times. Greater London residents aged 60 before 6 April 2010 were eligible for an OPFP, increasing progressively in line with
344-644: A TfL application for government funding to upgrade the Piccadilly Line was rejected by the Treasury. That same month, TfL head Mike Brown publicly criticised the government's decision to impose borrowing limits upon the organisation, and there was little long term certainty in terms of funding, necessitating pauses on multiple upgrade programmes. On 22 April 2020, amid the COVID-19 pandemic , London mayor Sadiq Khan warned that TfL could run out of money to pay staff by
430-634: A disability, to travel free at any time on buses and TfL's rail services. People who have concessionary bus passes issued by English local authorities travel free on TfL bus services at any time. Bus services in London are operated by Each company has its own operating code, and every bus garage in London has its own garage code. As of March 2024, the London Buses fleet total of 8,776 buses includes 3,826 hybrid buses , 1,397 battery electric buses , and 20 hydrogen fuel cell buses . The zero emission fleet
516-473: A disabled person's pass. In early 2010 the responsibility for judging the degree of disability passed to local councils, and there were complaints of people who had been assessed as needing a pass for many years not having their passes renewed although their condition had not improved. DPFPs are not available for carers . London Residents with specified disabilities are entitled by the Transport Act 2000 to
602-488: A funding shortfall for its upgrades, was denied a request to TfL for an additional £1.75 billion; the matter was instead referred to the PPP arbiter , who stated that £400 million should be provided. On 7 May 2010, Transport for London agreed to buy out Bechtel and Amey ( Ferrovial ), the shareholders of Tube Lines for £310 million, formally ending the PPP. TfL was heavily impacted by multiple bombings on
688-445: A large scale network of Network Traffic Controllers to help with any traffic issues that may occur. Operators provide staff to drive the buses, provide the buses to operate and also adhere to set TfL guidelines. Operators are then in return paid per mile that each bus runs, the pricing is announced on new tenders. London Buses publishes a variety of bus maps. In 2002, TfL introduced the first spider maps . Rather than attempting to cover
774-401: A police crime reference number has been obtained, and refundable if the pass is returned and found on examination to be faulty rather than damaged. A faulty or damaged Freedom Pass that does not function as a contactless Oyster card remains valid for travel until replaced; it must be presented for manual inspection. The Freedom Pass website warns that the transport operator's staff will inspect
860-469: A reduction in capital investment by 39% from £1.3 billion to £808 million along with cuts to maintenance and renewal spending by 38% to £201 million. In November 2021, the then Transport Secretary Grant Shapps criticised reports that senior TfL officials would be offered bonuses potentially in excess of £12 million per year in return for efforts to help break-even . By December 2021, the British government and
946-461: A safer and more pleasant experience for passengers. There were "Last Round on the Underground" parties on the night before the ban came into force. Passengers refusing to observe the ban may be refused travel and asked to leave the premises. The GLA reported in 2011 that assaults on London Underground staff had fallen by 15% since the introduction of the ban. Between 2008 and 2022, TfL was engaged in
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#17328487139261032-508: A service of any distance using buses or coaches providing local services ) or in substitution of a railway service on which the Freedom Pass would be valid. They are not valid for any travel purposes in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland. A lost, stolen, damaged, or faulty pass can be replaced on application. There is a charge of £12 for loss or damage, not applicable if the pass is stolen and
1118-620: A set of daily maximum charges that are the same as buying the nearest equivalent Day Travelcard. In addition to Oyster card, TfL also operates a contactless payment system in London and surrounding areas, which is codenamed CPAY . Almost all contactless Visa, Maestro, MasterCard and American Express debit and credit cards issued in the UK, and also most international cards supporting contactless payment, are accepted for travel on London Underground, London Overground, Docklands Light Railway, most National Rail, London Tramlink and Bus services. This works in
1204-486: A tendering system in which operators bid for routes in return for a set price per route operated. Until April 2022, contracts were normally for five years, with two-year extensions available if performance criteria were met. From April 2022, contracts will be for seven years with a performance based two year optional extension. Routes are set up, controlled and tendered out by Transport for London (TfL) and they provide day to day assistance via CentreComm which coordinates
1290-430: A ticket. Children aged 11 to 15 travel free on buses with an 11–15 Oyster photocard; without an Oyster card or Travelcard, they have to pay the full adult fare. Visitors can have a special discount added to an ordinary Oyster card at TfL's Travel Information Centres. There are also concessions for London residents aged 16 to 18. The Freedom Pass scheme allows Greater London residents over state pension age, and those with
1376-405: Is a concessionary travel scheme, which began in 1973, to provide free travel to residents of Greater London , England, for people with a disability or over the progressively increasing state pension age (60 for women in 2010, increased to 66 for everybody until about 2026, then increasing further). The scheme is funded by local authorities and coordinated by London Councils . Originally the pass
1462-464: Is able to trigger priority at traffic junctions. The system was on trial in 2006, and was extended to all bus routes by 2009. Transport for London Sadiq Khan ( L ) Statutory Deputy Mayor Joanne McCartney ( L/Co ) London Assembly Lord Mayor Peter Estlin London boroughs ( list ) Vacant Transport for London ( TfL ) is a local government body responsible for most of
1548-560: Is available on the TfL and the Association of London Councils websites. The Freedom Pass is not valid for travel on many longer-distance train services even if they stop within Greater London (many such journeys are prohibited for all passengers by "stops for picking up/setting down only" restrictions) or for non-TfL trains to Heathrow airport . Routes and times of validity of Freedom Passes on
1634-449: Is normally necessary to buy a ticket only for the section not covered by the Pass, i.e. a ticket from the Freedom Pass boundary, or from a named station within the zone of validity. In the latter case where multiple operators exist but only one calls at the boundary station, it can sometimes be cheaper to buy a ticket for the cheaper operator from the last station at which their trains call before
1720-480: Is not possible (such as bus receipts, where a logo is a blank roundel with the name "London Buses" to the right). The same range of colours is also used extensively in publicity and on the TfL website. Transport for London has always mounted advertising campaigns to encourage use of the Underground. For example, in 1999, they commissioned artist Stephen Whatley to paint an interior – 'The Grand Staircase' – which he did on location inside Buckingham Palace. This painting
1806-419: Is responsible for London Overground and Elizabeth line services. The underlying services are provided by a mixture of wholly owned subsidiary companies (principally London Underground), by private sector franchisees (the remaining rail services, trams and most buses) and by licensees (some buses, taxis and river services). Fares are controlled by TfL, rail services fares calculated using numbered zones across
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#17328487139261892-526: Is the second largest in Europe, behind Moscow . All buses have been accessible and low floor since 2006, one of the first major cities in the world to achieve this. The various bus operators providing services under contract to London Buses operate a wide variety of vehicles, about the only immediately obvious common feature being their use of a largely red livery, mandatory since 1997, as well as white-painted roofs featuring aerial roof markings to help cool down
1978-671: The Crossrail programme to construct a new high-frequency hybrid urban – suburban rail service across London and into its suburbs. TfL Rail took over Heathrow Connect services from Paddington to Heathrow in May 2018. In August 2018, four months before the scheduled opening of the core section of the Elizabeth Line , it was announced that completion had been delayed and that the line would not open before autumn 2019. Further postponements ensued. Having an initial budget of £14.8 billion,
2064-551: The London Metropolitan Archives . On 17 February 2003, the London congestion charge was introduced, covering the approximate area of the London Inner Ring Road . The congestion charge had been a manifesto promise by Ken Livingstone during the 2000 London Mayoral election . It was introduced to reduce congestion in the centre of the capital as well as to make London more attractive to business investment;
2150-769: The Metropolitan line . The majority of TfL's funding is provided by the GLA and the Mayor of London. Traditionally, the British government via the Department for Transport (DfT) also used to contribute considerably; however, throughout the 2010s, there was a concerted drive by the Conservative government to reduce central government expenditure on TfL, and that the organisation ought to pursue self-sufficiency and make greater efforts to generate its own revenue to supplement its grants. Accordingly,
2236-506: The Northern line extension and other projects such as step-free schemes at tube stations could be delayed. On 7 May, it was reported that TfL had requested £2 billion in state aid to keep services running until September 2020. On 12 May, TfL documents warned it expected to lose £4 billion due to the pandemic and said it needed £3.2bn to balance a proposed emergency budget for 2021, having lost 90% of its overall income. Without an agreement with
2322-464: The Waterloo & City line , were suspended from 20 March, while 40 tube stations were closed on the same day. The Mayor of London and TfL urged people to only use public transport if absolutely essential so that it could be used by critical workers. The London Underground brought in new measures on 25 March to combat the spread of the virus; these included slowing the flow of passengers onto platforms via
2408-835: The transport network in London , United Kingdom . TfL is the successor organization of the London Passenger Transport Board , which was established in 1933, and several other bodies in the intervening years. Since the current organization's creation in 2000 as part of the Greater London Authority (GLA), TfL has been responsible for operating multiple urban rail networks, including the London Underground and Docklands Light Railway , as well as London's buses , taxis , principal road routes, cycling provision, trams , and river services . It does not control all National Rail services in London, although it
2494-478: The Elizabeth line. In addition to the GLA, the central British government used to provide regular funding for TfL. However, this was tapered off during the 2010s with the aim of the organisation becoming self-sufficient. Direct central government funding for operations ceased during 2018. During 2019–2020, TfL had a budget of £10.3 billion, 47% of which came from fares; the remainder came from grants, mainly from
2580-455: The Freedom Pass during an interview where he was questioned about a pensioner having to ride the bus all day to save on heating costs during the 2021–2022 global energy crisis . As Mayor of London , he was responsible for the 2012 changes, but the pass itself predates his term by several decades. It was also pointed out that one of the conditions of his government's TfL bailout during the COVID-19 pandemic involved new restrictions imposed on
2666-465: The GLA (33%), borrowing (8%), congestion charging and other income (12%). In 2020, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic , fare revenues dropped by 90% and TfL obtained multiple rounds of support from the British government. It also responded with various cutbacks, including a proposal for a 40% reduction in capital expenditure. London's transportation system was unified in 1933, with the creation of
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2752-473: The GLA's future financial flexibility. During late 2023, TfL issued further urgent calls for long-term funding to support its operations; it claimed that the British government would need to provide one quarter of its capital investment plans for 2024. The Department of Transport's position has been that long term funding for TfL should be provided via the Mayor of London, and that in excess of £6 billion in extraordinary funding has already been provided. Most of
2838-694: The Internet from the TfL website. The legal identity of London Buses is London Bus Services Limited (LBSL), a wholly owned subsidiary of Transport for London . East Thames Buses was the trading name of another wholly owned subsidiary of TfL called, rather confusingly, London Buses Limited (LBL). LBL was formed on 1 April 1985 as part of the privatisation of London bus services , and acted as an arm's-length subsidiary of TfL's precursor organisation, London Regional Transport (LRT), holding twelve bus operating units (from late 1988) and other assets. The operating units were sold off in 1994/95, and their purchasers make up
2924-529: The London Buses network accept Travelcards , Oyster card products (including bus passes and Oyster pay as you go ) and contactless debit and credit cards . Cash fares have not been available since 6 July 2014, but Day Bus passes (issued either as a single use Oyster card, or on paper from station ticket machines) were re-introduced on 2 January 2015. Single journey fares used to be charged in relation to length of journey (fare stages), but are now charged as single flat fares for any length of journey. From 2000,
3010-549: The London Passenger Transport Board, which was succeeded by London Transport Executive, London Transport Board, London Transport Executive (GLC), and London Regional Transport. From 1933 until 2000, these bodies used the London Transport brand. Transport for London was created in 2000 as part of the Greater London Authority (GLA) by the Greater London Authority Act 1999 . The first Commissioner of TfL
3096-504: The Major of London had implemented three consecutive short-term funding agreements cumulatively costing in excess of £4b to avert closures of several bus routes and tube lines. In August 2022, additional British government support was granted to TfL; the organisation was still unable to meet all spending commitments. In response, a new facility was established to balance TfL's budget via the provision of up to £500 million; this facility restricted
3182-519: The OPFP and 60+ (but not DPFP) passes were only valid on weekdays from 9:00; the restriction was then dropped, but reinstated during the COVID-19 pandemic affecting the UK from 2020 on 15 June 2020, excluding use of the OPFP and 60+ pass from 4:30 to 9:00. This was intended to be temporary, but was made permanent on 18 January 2023. It is accepted at most times on all rail services in and outside Greater London that are within London fare zones 1–6, plus Dartford and Swanley. Outside Greater London
3268-739: The TETRA radio in February 2006, as it was the second smallest line and is a mix of surface and sub surface. That same year, it was rolled out to the District, Circle, Hammersmith & City, Metropolitan and Victoria lines, with the Bakerloo, Piccadilly, Jubilee, Waterloo & City and Central lines following during 2007. The final line, the Northern, was handed over in November 2008. The 2010 TfL investment programme included
3354-514: The Women's Transportation Seminar (WTS). The programme was a celebration of the significant role that women had played in transport over the previous 100 years, following the centennial anniversary of the First World War, when 100,000 women entered the transport industry to take on the responsibilities held by men who enlisted for military service. As early as 2014, an Ultra–Low Emission Zone (ULEZ)
3440-604: The accelerated implementation of underground radio connectivity. On 20 February 2006, the DfT announced that TfL would take over management of services then provided by Silverlink Metro . On 5 September 2006, the London Overground branding was announced, and it was confirmed that the extended East London line would be included. On 11 November 2007, TfL took over the North London Railway routes from Silverlink Metro. At
3526-546: The balance, regardless of how many buses are taken that day (from 04.30 to 04.29 the next day). Alternatively, weekly and monthly passes may also be purchased and loaded onto an Oyster card. Passengers using contactless payment cards are charged the same fares as on Oyster pay as you go. Unlike Oyster cards, contactless cards also have a 7-day fare cap though it currently only operates on a Monday-Sunday basis. Under 11s can travel free on London buses and trams at any time unaccompanied by an adult; they do not need an Oyster card or
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3612-406: The boundary rather than the boundary station (e.g. "Thameslink only" from East Croydon rather than "Any Operator" from Coulsdon South). The Freedom Pass is not valid on long-distance coach services which are not operating a long-term service with a majority of seats not requiring reservation; other restrictions apply on bus or coach services which are not operating as a stage carriage (in summary,
3698-463: The bus during the summer, first introduced during 2006. For each bus route, London Buses sets a specification for buses to be used, with the choice of particular vehicle that meets the specification left up to the operator. Particular examples of London Buses specification include the use of separate exit doors (increasingly unusual on buses in the United Kingdom outside London) and, on double-deckers,
3784-511: The capital. TfL has overseen various initiatives and infrastructure projects. Throughout the 2000s, a new radio communication system was implemented across its underground lines. Passenger convenience systems, such as the Oyster card and contactless payments , were also provisioned around this time. During 2008, the consumption of alcohol was banned on TfL services; this move has led to a decrease in anti-social behaviour. On 16 August 2016, TfL oversaw
3870-606: The card can be used for free travel on any local bus route in England (but not Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland) wherever and whenever the English National Concessionary Bus Travel Scheme applies. Travel on working days before 9:30 and after 23:00 is excluded, although some operators may extend hours of validity. Since 2015 OPFPs have been valid for five years, and could be renewed when expired. Up-to-date information, which changes from time to time,
3956-509: The centre of London. They are (in order): Superimposed on these mode-specific regimes is the Travelcard system, which provides zonal tickets with validities from one day to one year, and off-peak variants. These are accepted on the DLR, buses, railways, trams, and the Underground, and provide a discount on many river services fares. The Oyster card is a contactless smart card system introduced for
4042-448: The design, build and maintain contract was £2 billion over twenty years. Various subcontractors were used for the installation work, including Brookvex and Fentons. A key reasoning for the introduction of the system was in light of the King's Cross fire disaster, where efforts by the emergency services were hampered by a lack of radio coverage below ground. Work was due to be completed by
4128-409: The drinking of alcoholic beverages was banned on Tube and London Overground trains, buses, trams, Docklands Light Railway and all stations operated by TfL across London but not those operated by other rail companies. Carrying open containers of alcohol was also banned on public transport operated by TfL. The then-Mayor of London Boris Johnson and TfL announced the ban with the intention of providing
4214-568: The driver. TfL is controlled by a board whose members are appointed by the Mayor of London, a position held by Sadiq Khan since May 2016. The Commissioner of Transport for London reports to the Board and leads a management team with individual functional responsibilities. The body is organised in two main directorates and corporate services, each with responsibility for different aspects and modes of transport . The two main directorates are: TfL's Surface Transport and Traffic Operations Centre (STTOC)
4300-411: The emergency services. The system replaced various separate radio systems for each tube line, and was funded under a private finance initiative . The supply contract was signed in November 1999 with Motorola as the radio provider alongside Thales. Citylink's shareholders are Thales Group (33 per cent), Fluor Corporation (18%), Motorola (10%), Laing Investment (19.5%) and HSBC (19.5%). The cost of
4386-507: The end of 2002, although suffered delays due to the necessity of installing the required equipment on an ageing railway infrastructure with no disruption to the operational railway. On 5 June 2006, the London Assembly published the 7 July Review Committee report, which urged TfL to speed up implementation of the Connect system. The East London line was chosen as the first line to receive
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#17328487139264472-535: The end of the month unless the government stepped in. Two days later, TfL announced it was furloughing around 7,000 employees, about a quarter of its staff, to help mitigate a 90% reduction in fare revenues. Following the implementation of a lockdown in London on 23 March, Tube journeys had reportedly fallen by 95% and bus journeys by 85%, though TfL continued to operate limited services to allow "essential travel" for key workers. Without government financial support for TfL, London Assembly members warned that Crossrail ,
4558-527: The entire city, these maps are centred on a particular locality or bus station, and convey the route information in the schematic style of Harry Beck 's influential Tube map , capitalising on TfL's iconic style of information design . The arachnoid form of bus routes radiating from a centre earned them the nickname spider maps, although TfL refer to them on their website as route maps. The maps are displayed at most major bus stops, and can be downloaded in PDF format via
4644-457: The flat fare was higher for journeys in Zone 1 than in outer zones, although from 2004 this difference was eliminated, the change coinciding with the introduction of Oyster card flat fares. As of 2023, the single fare is £1.75. With Oyster pay as you go, users are charged a set amount for single journeys, although there is a "daily cap", which limits the maximum amount of money that will be deducted from
4730-546: The government, deputy mayor for transport Heidi Alexander said TfL might have to issue a Section 114 notice - the equivalent of a public body going bust. On 14 May, the UK Government agreed £1.6 billion in emergency funding to keep Tube and bus services running until September - a bailout condemned as "a sticking plaster" by Khan who called for agreement on a new longer-term funding model. On 1 June 2020, TfL released details of its emergency budget for 2020–2021; it involved
4816-417: The imposition of queuing at ticket gates and turning off some escalators. In April, TfL trialled changes encouraging passengers to board London buses by the middle doors to lessen the risks to drivers, after the deaths of 14 TfL workers including nine drivers. This measure was extended to all routes on 20 April, and passengers were no longer required to pay, so that they did not need to use the card reader near
4902-485: The last 200 years. It both explores the past, with a retrospective look at past days since 1800, and the present-day transport developments and upgrades. The museum also has an extensive depot, situated at Acton , that contains material impossible to display at the central London museum, including many additional road vehicles, trains, collections of signs and advertising materials. The depot has several open weekends each year. There are also occasional heritage train runs on
4988-587: The launch of the Night Tube scheme, which introduced through-the-night services on both the London Underground and London Overground. Perhaps the biggest undertaking it has been responsible for, in this case shared jointly with the national Department for Transport (DfT), was the commissioning of the Crossrail Project ; since its completion in 2022, TfL has been responsible for franchising its operation as
5074-464: The launch, TfL undertook to revamp the routes by improving service frequencies and station facilities, staffing all stations, introducing new rolling stock and allowing Oyster pay as you go throughout the network from the outset. This launch was accompanied by a marketing campaign entitled "London's new train set", with posters and leaflets carrying an image of model railway packaging containing new Overground trains, tracks and staff. On 1 June 2008,
5160-586: The majority of companies awarded bus operating tenders from the current London Buses (LBSL). After 1994/95, the LBL company lay dormant, passing from LRT to TfL. It was resurrected when East Thames Buses was formed, separated by a Chinese wall from LBSL, and acted as a London bus operator by proxy. The local bus network in London is one of the largest and most comprehensive in the world. As of March 2024, 8,776 buses operate on over 670 different routes . In 2019/20, 2.09 billion passenger journeys were made. Buses in
5246-477: The operational budget of almost £700 million per year provided by the DfT by 2015 was to be entirely eliminated by 2020. By February 2018, TfL was projecting a budget deficit of £1 billion, a roughly five-fold increase from 2013, which reportedly threatened its long-term investment plans. Revenue collected from fares was set to make up a greater proportion of TfL's budget, yet a £240 million downturn in ticket sales by mid-2018 had been recorded. In September 2019,
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#17328487139265332-410: The pass closely to confirm validity, and suggests carrying additional proof of identity; a pass whose validity is doubted may not be accepted. Since November 2012 Greater London residents aged 60 or over who do not qualify for a Freedom Pass are eligible for a 60+ Oyster card on payment of a £20 administration fee; this restores the entitlement to free (at the time of use) travel from the age of 60 that
5418-521: The police. In an effort to reduce sexual offences and increase reporting, TfL—in conjunction with the British Transport Police , Metropolitan Police Service, and City of London Police —launched Project Guardian . In 2014, TfL launched the 100 years of women in transport campaign in partnership with the Department for Transport , Crossrail , Network Rail , the Women's Engineering Society and
5504-540: The project "LU-PJ231 LU-managed Connect communications", which provided Connect with a new transmission and radio system comprising 290 cell sites with two to three base stations, 1,400 new train mobiles, 7,500 new telephone links and 180 CCTV links. TfL also owns and operates the London Transport Museum in Covent Garden , a museum that conserves, explores and explains London's transport system heritage over
5590-531: The public in 2003, which can be used to pay individual fares (pay as you go) or to carry various Travelcards and other passes. It is used by scanning the card at a yellow card reader. Such readers are found on ticket gates where otherwise a paper ticket could be fed through, allowing the gate to open and the passenger to walk through, and on stand-alone Oyster validators, which do not operate a barrier. Since 2010, Oyster Pay as you go has been available on all National Rail services within London. Oyster Pay as you go has
5676-502: The public sector, the infrastructure (track, trains, tunnels, signals, and stations) were to be leased to private firms for 30 years, during which these companies would implement various improvements. The two consortiums awarded contracts were Tube Lines and Metronet . In July 2007, following financial difficulties, Metronet was placed in administration and its responsibilities were transferred back into public ownership under TfL in May 2008. During 2009, Tube Lines, having encountered
5762-405: The rail network are published and updated as necessary. Freedom Pass validity for these services is less than that of Oyster cards. For travel through and beyond the Freedom Pass area, separate extension tickets starting at the Freedom Pass boundary may be bought. For travel which crosses the boundary of the area of validity of the Freedom Pass at a time and on a service where the Pass is valid, it
5848-405: The resulting revenue was to be invested in London's transport system. At the time of its implementation, the scheme was the largest ever undertaken by a capital city. During 2003, TfL took over responsibility for the London Underground, after terms for a controversial public-private partnership (PPP) maintenance contract had been agreed. While the Underground trains themselves were operated by
5934-448: The same way as contactless payment cards. The fares are the same as those charged on a debit or credit card, including the same daily capping. During 2020, one in five journeys were made using mobile devices instead of using contactless bank cards, and TfL had become the most popular Apple Pay merchant in the UK. TfL's expertise in contactless payments has led other cities such as New York , Sydney , Brisbane and Boston to license
6020-463: The same way for the passenger as an Oyster card , including the use of capping and reduced fares compared to paper tickets. The widespread use of contactless payment - around 25 million journeys each week - has meant that TfL is now one of Europe's largest contactless merchants, with one in 10 contactless transactions in the UK taking place on the TfL network. Mobile payments - such as Apple Pay , Google Pay and Samsung Pay - are also accepted in
6106-499: The security and smooth running of the 2012 Summer Olympics . The London Underground Network Operations Centre is now located on the fifth floor of Palestra and not within STTOC. The centre featured in the 2013 BBC Two documentary series The Route Masters: Running London's Roads . Transport for London introduced the "Connect" project for radio communications during the 2000s, to improve radio connections for London Underground staff and
6192-407: The technology from TfL and Cubic . Each of the main transport units has its own corporate identity, formed by differently coloured versions of the standard roundel logo and adding appropriate lettering across the horizontal bar. The roundel rendered in blue without any lettering represents TfL as a whole (see Transport for London logo), as well as used in situations where lettering on the roundel
6278-461: The total cost of Crossrail rose to £18.25 billion by November 2019, and increased further to £18.8 billion by December 2020. On 17 May 2022, the line was officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II in honour of her Platinum Jubilee . TfL commissioned a survey in 2013 which showed that 15% of women using public transport in London had been the subject of some form of unwanted sexual behaviour but that 90% of incidents were not reported to
6364-622: The transport modes that come under the control of TfL have their own charging and ticketing regimes for single fare. Buses and trams share a common fare and ticketing regime, and the DLR, Overground, Underground, and National Rail services another. Rail service fares in the capital are calculated by a zonal fare system. London is divided into eleven fare zones , with every station on the London Underground , London Overground , Docklands Light Railway and, since 2007, on National Rail services, being in one, or in some cases, two zones. The zones are mostly concentric rings of increasing size emanating from
6450-504: The travel concession is negotiated between London Councils and the local transport operator Transport for London (TfL). It is funded through a mixture of national grant and council tax. In 2007 there was a dispute between Mayor of London Ken Livingstone and London Councils on the negotiation process, in particular the ability for the Greater London Authority to impose a charge should no agreement be reached. There are two type of Freedom Passes: an Older Person's Freedom Pass (OPFP) and
6536-456: The underground and bus systems on 7 July 2005. Numerous TfL staff were recognised in the 2006 New Year honours list for the actions taken on that day, including aiding survivors, removing bodies, and restoring the transport system so that millions of commuters were able to depart London at the end of the workday. The incident was heavily scrutinised, leading to various long term changes being proposed by groups such as London Assembly , including
6622-432: The use of a straight staircase. Additionally, London Buses has previously specified that vehicles operating in London use traditional printed roller destination blinds, whereas in most other parts of the country, electronic dot matrix or LED displays are the norm on new buses. All of London's buses use the London iBus system , an Automatic Vehicle Location system that provides passengers with audio visual announcements and
6708-460: The women's state pension age to 66 from 2020 to about 2026. London residents over 60 but below Freedom Pass age are eligible for a 60+ Oyster card on payment of £20, with all the benefits of the Freedom Pass within Greater London, but not valid on buses outside Greater London. Disabled residents are, if they do not automatically qualify (e.g. by being already certified as blind), assessed to determine whether their degree of disability allows issue of
6794-537: Was Bob Kiley . The first chair was then- Mayor of London Ken Livingstone , and the first deputy chair was Dave Wetzel. Livingstone and Wetzel remained in office until the election of Boris Johnson as Mayor in 2008. Johnson took over as chairman, and in February 2009 fellow-Conservative Daniel Moylan was appointed as his deputy. Transport for London Corporate Archives holds business records for TfL and its predecessor bodies and transport companies. Some early records are also held on behalf of TfL Corporate Archives at
6880-512: Was a paper ticket, but since 2004 it has been encoded on to a contactless smartcard compatible with Oyster card readers, and since 2010, also ITSO card readers. The scheme was created in 1973 by the Greater London Council , although there had been concessionary bus fare schemes in London before that. When the council was abolished in 1986, responsibility for the scheme passed to the London borough councils. The cost of providing
6966-498: Was introduced ahead of schedule. On 29 August 2023, the ULEZ was expanded to cover all 32 London boroughs, bringing an additional five million people into the zone. During 2020, passenger numbers, along with associated revenue, went into a sharp downturn as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom . In response, TfL services were reduced; specifically, all Night Overground and Night Tube services, as well as all services on
7052-534: Was officially opened by Prince Andrew, Duke of York , in November 2009. The centre monitors and coordinates official responses to traffic congestion, incidents and major events in London. London Buses Command and Control Centre ( CentreComm ), London Streets Traffic Control Centre (LSTCC) and the Metropolitan Police Traffic Operation Control Centre (MetroComm) were brought together under STTOC. STTOC played an important part in
7138-451: Was removed when the general qualifying age for concessionary travel was tied by national legislation to the national retirement age in 2010. The 60+ Oyster card is valid on the same services within Greater London and some adjacent places, with the exception of West Drayton - Reading on Elizabeth line, as the Freedom Pass but is not valid for travel elsewhere in England. In 2022, Prime Minister Boris Johnson falsely claimed to have introduced
7224-610: Was reproduced on posters and displayed all over the London Underground. During 2010, TfL commissioned artist Mark Wallinger to assist them in celebrating the 150th anniversary of the Underground, by creating the Labyrinth Project, with one enamel plaque mounted permanently in each of the Tube's 270 stations. In 2015, in partnership with the London Transport Museum and sponsored by Exterion Media , TfL launched Transported by Design , an 18-month programme of activities. The intention
7310-488: Was to showcase the importance of both physical and service design across London's transport network. In October 2015, after two months of public voting, the black cab topped the list of favourite London transport icons, which also included the original Routemaster bus and the Tube map , among others. In 2016, the programme held exhibitions, walks and a festival at Regent Street on 3 July. Freedom Pass Freedom Pass
7396-621: Was under consideration since 2014 under London Mayor Boris Johnson . Johnson announced in 2015 that the zone covering the same areas as the congestion charge would come into operation in September 2020. Sadiq Khan , Johnson's successor, introduced an emissions surcharge, called the Toxicity Charge or "T-Charge", for non-compliant vehicles from 2017. The Toxicity Charge was replaced by the Ultra Low Emission Zone on 8 April 2019, which
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