112-578: London River Services Limited is a division of Transport for London (TfL), which manages passenger transport—leisure-oriented tourist services and commuter services—on the River Thames in London. It does not own or operate any boats itself, except those of the Woolwich Ferry , but licenses the services of operators. River service had been a common means of transport in London for centuries, but died off in
224-644: 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
336-488: 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
448-631: A grant of £ 7,177,000: The new piers were provided to improve previously neglected travel connections on the Thames and promote the river as an alternative means of public transport. Scheduled tourist and commuter services use the following piers, although no single service serves all the piers listed. The piers are listed in order going downstream: Unlike the underground and bus networks, boat operators have their own separate ticketing arrangements and charge separate fares which are generally higher than corresponding journeys by tube or bus. The only exception
560-476: A large fleet of 30 paddle-steamers. Frequent services operated from Hammersmith to Greenwich. The LCC river service was not a success; in the first year it ran up debts of £30,000. It was shut down in 1907 after only two years' service. Numerous proposals for "river bus" services were considered throughout the 20th century, although the few that were realised were cancelled after a short time in service. During World War II , from 13 September 1940 to 2 November 1940,
672-460: A licence to watermen that gave exclusive rights to carry passengers on the river, and in 1555 an Act of Parliament set up the Company of Watermen and Lightermen to control traffic on the Thames. For centuries the only bridge across the Thames was London Bridge . Crossing the river by wherry (small wooden rowing boat) was a common mode of transport. Passenger steamboats were introduced in 1815 and
784-656: A line of several sales desks, each owned by a different boat firm. Single tickets can often be bought on board the boat, but this is down to individual operator arrangements. Some operators offer their own season tickets and carnets of single tickets. Thames Clipper, for example, offer a one-day Roamer ticket which allows multiple journeys within off-peak hours. 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 )
896-568: A major restructuring of local government in London. This included the abolition of all existing local authorities with the exception of the City of London Corporation ; a Greater London Council was to be established along with 32 new lower-tier London boroughs with populations of 100,000 to 250,000 each. The new boroughs would split the responsibility for government functions with the Greater London Council. The Royal Commission's report led to
1008-659: A power administered by the City of London Corporation within the City. The LCC initially used the Spring Gardens headquarters inherited from the Metropolitan Board of Works. The building had been designed by Frederick Marrable , the MBW's superintending architect, and dated from 1860. Opinions on the merits of the building varied: the Survey of London described it as "well balanced" while
1120-411: A power that was vital to the systematic rehousing that began under the council's early Progressive leadership. The Totterdown Fields development at Tooting was the first large suburban-style development to be built under LCC authority, in 1903, and was quickly followed by developments at Roehampton , Bellingham , and Becontree . By 1938, 76,877 units of housing had been built under the auspices of
1232-469: 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
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#17328731999061344-461: 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
1456-620: 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
1568-463: A similar role to the mayor of a borough or city. The vice chairman performed these functions in his absence. The first chairman was the Earl of Rosebery , and the last chairman was Arthur Wicks . The chairmanship was a prestigious office, second only to that of lord lieutenant . The incumbent chairmen were honoured with knighthoods on the occasions of the coronations of Edward VII and Elizabeth II , and
1680-502: A temporary wartime river bus service was introduced, running every 20 minutes, between Westminster and Woolwich using converted pleasure cruisers provided by the Port of London Authority to replace train, tram and trolleybus services which were disrupted by the bombing of the Blitz . London Transport bus inspectors and conductors issued and checked the tickets on board the boats. With the move of
1792-582: A year with the new Greater London Council to ensure a seamless transition, and the LCC was finally abolished on 1 April 1965. The Royal Commission commented that "nobody studying London Government can fail to be deeply impressed with the achievements of the London County Council. It has given the Administrative County of London a strong and able form of government which makes its standing very high among
1904-635: Is a local government body responsible for most of 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
2016-477: Is narrow enough to allow it to be crossed by many bridges; further downstream however, the river widens and there are fewer bridge crossings. Two ferry services are still in operation: Two other ferry services operate upstream in west London: Hammerton's Ferry and the Hampton Ferry . These services are independent of London River Services as they do not serve LRS-managed piers. Leisure boats are aimed mainly at
2128-526: 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
2240-657: Is responsible for integrating river transport with the rest of the public transport network, such as the Tube and buses. It promotes boat services under the London River Services brand, issuing timetables and river maps. LRS is also responsible for directly managing eight piers on the river, and invested in LRS-branded signage and passenger information. LRS supports the Thames Clipper commuter service financially and increased
2352-431: Is the Woolwich Ferry , which is free of charge. Oyster card is valid on most Thames Clipper services for single fares, offering a ten percent discount. Most boat operators offer discounts to Travelcard holders, as well as to Freedom Pass holders and students. Ticket sales at piers are managed independently by the operators, and tickets are sold at separate kiosks with no facility for cross-ticketing. Many piers have
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#17328731999062464-470: The Princess Alice disaster at Woolwich in 1878. While the introduction of large steamboats and bridge construction had taken business from the Thames watermen, the growth of the railways took passengers away from the steamboat services and the use of the river for public transport began a steady decline. River service companies struggled financially, and in 1876 the five main boat companies merged to form
2576-547: The City of London Corporation covered only a small fraction of metropolitan London. From 1855, the Metropolitan Board of Works (MBW) had certain powers across the metropolis, but it was appointed rather than elected. Many powers remained in the hands of traditional bodies such as parishes and the counties of Middlesex , Surrey and Kent . The creation of the LCC in 1889, as part of the Local Government Act 1888 ,
2688-671: 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,
2800-551: 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;
2912-687: The London Steamboat Company . The company ran a half-hourly service from Chelsea to Greenwich for eight years until it went bankrupt in 1884. Nevertheless, river services continued under different management into the next century. Many of the Thames paddle steamers around this time were built by the Thames Ironworks at Bow Creek . In 1905 the London County Council (LCC) launched its own public river transport service to complement its new tram network , acquiring piers and investing in
3024-718: 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 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
3136-769: 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,
3248-454: The New Johnston typeface. LRS publishes diagrammatic river maps in the style of Harry Beck 's iconic Tube map . Tube maps published by TfL since 2000 denote river interchange stations with a boat symbol. The service patterns advertised by TfL can vary according to season. They are divided into three main types: Numbered River Bus services (abbreviated to RB ) run to a timetable through
3360-506: 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
3472-646: The Port of London Authority, and commission the construction of new piers. The result was the formation in 1999 of London River Services (LRS), a wholly owned subsidiary of Transport for London. Mayor Ken Livingstone 's Transport Strategy for London 2005 stated that: "The safe use of the Thames for passenger and freight services should be developed. Passenger services will be encouraged, particularly services that relate to its cultural and architectural excellence and tourism. Use of London's other navigable waterways for freight, consistent with their roles for leisure use and as ecosystems, will be encouraged." Today, LRS
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3584-602: The Port of London downstream in the 1960s, regular river transport was limited to a few sightseeing boats. In 1997 Secretary of State for Transport John Prescott launched Thames 2000, a £21-million project to regenerate the River Thames in time for the Millennium Celebrations and boost new passenger transport services on the Thames. The centrepiece of these celebrations was to be the Millennium Dome , but there
3696-566: The Representation of the People Act 1948 this was altered, to three each. Elections of all councillors were held every three years save that none were held in the First and Second World Wars . Complementing the elected councillors and of equal power but longer tenure the council appointed one county alderman for every six councillors. These were elected by halves (as to half of their number) by
3808-464: 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
3920-535: The operators on the system; in 2013 the Thames Clippers service had grown to 3.3 million, as it had become more integrated into the tube and bus ticketing network; in 2014 their figure was 3.8 million; in 2015 it was forecasted that their ridership would increase to 4.3 million by 2016, supported by the addition of new Clipper boats. By 2018, there were 21 different operators carrying daily commuter, leisure, charter, or sightseeing passengers to various combinations of
4032-520: The 33 piers on the system. Before the construction of London's bridges and the Underground , the River Thames had served as a major thoroughfare for centuries. Attempts to regulate the transport of passengers and goods began in 1197, when King Richard I sold the Crown's rights over the Thames to the City of London Corporation , which then attempted to license boats on the river. In 1510 Henry VIII granted
4144-534: The Bill for the London Government Act 1963 , and when this was introduced into Parliament it initially faced considerable opposition. The Bill passed into law with some minor amendments. An Inner London Education Authority was set up for education to be overseen on a broad county level. The first elections for the new Greater London Council were held on 9 April 1964. The London County Council ran concurrently for
4256-478: 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
4368-522: The Exchequer , Sir William Harcourt , offered the council a site at Parliament Street, Westminster for three-quarters of a million pounds. Another site subsequently became available between The Strand and The Embankment , when the Official Receiver took over the partially completed premises of the failed Liberator Building Society . The council's Establishment Committee recommended the purchase of
4480-465: 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
4592-473: 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
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4704-485: The LCC and shared others. The LCC provided very few services within the City of London, where the ancient Corporation monopolised local governance. The LCC inherited the powers of its predecessor the MBW, but had wider authority over matters such as education, city planning and council housing . It took over the functions of the London School Board in 1903, and Dr C W Kimmins was appointed chief inspector of
4816-432: The LCC in the city and its periphery, an astonishing number given the previous pace of development. Many of these new housing developments were genuinely working-class, though the poorest could rarely afford even subsidised rents. They relied on an expanding London Underground network that ferried workers en masse to places of employment in central London. These housing developments were broadly successful, and they resisted
4928-490: The LCC undertook between 1857 and 1945 to standardise and clarify street names across London. Many streets in different areas of the city had similar or identical names, and the rise of the car as a primary mode of transportation in the city sometimes made the duplication of names challenging. In an extreme case, there were over 60 streets called "Cross Street" spread across London when the LCC began its process of systematic renaming. These were given names from an approved list that
5040-619: 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
5152-504: 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
5264-635: The Moderate group. In 1906, the Moderates became known as the Municipal Reform Party . The LCC was elected every three years. The Progressives were in control continuously from 1889 until 1907, when they lost power to the Municipal Reformers. Municipal Reform control lasted until 1934 when Labour won power, which they kept until the LCC was abolished. Council composition: The post of leader of
5376-508: The Parliament Street lot, as it would be a prominent site opposite the Palace of Westminster and next to the principal government offices. Following a debate of the whole council, the committee's recommendation was rejected on financial grounds and as it was felt that the headquarters should not be in the privileged West End . The matter remained unresolved, and in 1900 a special committee
5488-739: 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
5600-514: 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)
5712-604: 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
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#17328731999065824-470: The architectural correspondent of The Times was less enthusiastic. He summarised the building as "of the Palladian type of four storeys with two orders, Ionic above and Corinthian below as if its designer had looked rather hastily at the banqueting house of Inigo Jones ." The most impressive feature was the curving or elliptical spiral staircase leading to the principal floor. The original board room
5936-511: 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
6048-509: 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
6160-417: The council was only officially recognised in 1933. This table gives the leaders of the majority parties on the council before this time. The county council was required by statute to appoint a chairman and a vice chairman at its annual meeting. Both of these positions were generally filled by members of the majority party. The chairman chaired meetings of the council, and was the county's civic leader, filling
6272-430: The council finally agreed to seek powers to buy three adjoining plots of land on the eastern side of Westminster Bridge as a site for a single headquarters. The debate in the council chamber was somewhat heated with one councillor objecting to the purchase as it was "on the wrong side of the river ... in a very squalid neighbourhood ... and quite unworthy of the dignity of a body like the council". Leading member of
6384-580: The council for a six-year term at the first meeting after each election. Initially, it had been hoped by many that elections to the LCC would be conducted on a non-partisan basis, but in the council two political groups formed. The majority group in 1889 was the Progressives , who were unofficially allied with the Liberal Party in national politics. Those who allied with the Conservative Party formed
6496-409: The council, John Burns countered that it "would brighten up a dull place, sweeten a sour spot and for the first time bring the south of London into a dignified and beautiful frontage on the River Thames." The necessary powers were obtained under the London County Council (Money) Act 1906, and a competition to design the new building was organised. There were approximately 100 entries, and the winner
6608-410: The day with more frequent services during peak rush hour times. Most services run seven days a week, although some do not operate at weekends. Many operators offer discounted fares to Travelcard holders. The main lines of operation are: The catamaran -hulled vessels have on-board coffee bars, airline-style seating, are wheelchair-accessible and have bicycle racks. In central London, the River Thames
6720-426: The design heritage of Frank Pick . The London River Services brand is a sub-brand of TfL which uses the familiar Tube roundel , originally devised for London Underground and now established as the corporate branding for all TfL services. The River Services roundel is a dark blue ( Pantone 072) bar on pale blue (Pantone 299) circle. The corporate signage, stationery and literature of TfL services, including LRS, use
6832-448: 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
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#17328731999066944-409: 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
7056-520: 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)
7168-470: The early 1900s, as transportation was enhanced (and river traffic somewhat blocked) with a proliferation of bridges and tunnels . With these numerous north–south crossings of the Thames, which is generally no more than 300m wide as it runs through central London, the revival of river boat services in London therefore mostly travel east or west along the Thames rather than across it; the only major cross-river ferry services are to be found further downstream where
7280-422: The education department in 1904. From 1899, the Council progressively acquired and operated the tramways in the county, which it electrified from 1903. By 1933, when the LCC Tramways were taken over by the London Passenger Transport Board , it was the largest tram operator in the United Kingdom, with more than 167 miles (269 km) of route and over 1,700 tramcars. One of the LCC's most important roles during
7392-411: 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
7504-400: 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
7616-535: 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 ,
7728-490: 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
7840-417: 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
7952-485: 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
8064-501: The late 19th and early 20th century, was in the management of the expanding city and the re-development of its growing slums. In the Victorian era, new housing had been intentionally urban and large-scale tenement buildings dominated. Beginning in the 1930s, the LCC incentivised an increase in more suburban housing styles. A less-dense style of development, focusing on single family homes, was popular among London housing developers because it
8176-587: 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
8288-464: 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,
8400-524: The laying of the foundation stone of County Hall. As part of the celebrations of the Silver Jubilee of George V in 1935 it was announced that the chairman would in future be entitled to use the style " right honourable ", an honour already enjoyed by the Lord Mayor of the City of London . The council's standing orders also provided for the post of deputy chairman. Until 1895, the holder of this office
8512-477: 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,
8624-548: The opposition party on the council. After World War II , it became evident that the London County Council was too small to cope with the greater demands being placed on local government by the new Welfare State . In 1957, a Royal Commission on Local Government in Greater London was set up under Sir Edwin Herbert to examine the issues and make recommendations. The Commission deliberated for three years and in 1960 it recommended
8736-404: The peak service frequency to a boat every 15 minutes. In April 2009 the signing of a "River Concordat " by London's pier owners, boat operators, borough councils and Transport for London was announced, committing the various parties to improving ticketing, piers and passenger information, and to closer integration into the transport network. London River Services is not responsible for maintaining
8848-521: 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
8960-540: 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
9072-531: 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
9184-502: 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
9296-405: 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
9408-477: The river are operated by a number of private companies, including: Charter services, usually catering for large parties, are also available from these and other operators. London River Services lists 24 piers on the River Thames in its publications, of which 8 are managed directly by LRS. In 2000, five new piers were opened with funding from the Millennium Commission under its Thames 2000 project, with
9520-497: The river is wider, and there are far fewer bridge/tunnel crossings. The decision to revive London's river service network moved forward in 1997 with the launch of "Thames", a £21-million project (£48 million today) to regenerate the River Thames and create new passenger transport services on the Thames. While the service is not as extensive as those of Hong Kong or Sydney , it has been growing: in 2007, more than 700,000 commuters travelled by river on Thames Clippers services, one of
9632-516: The river itself; the Port of London Authority takes care of river traffic control, security, navigational safety (including buoys , beacons, bridge lights and channel surveys), and the RNLI operates Thames lifeboat services . The public presentation of London River Services is visually associated with existing TfL design standards, using identical graphic design elements to those used on London Underground publicity, signage and other elements, drawing on
9744-448: 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
9856-463: 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
9968-499: 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
10080-684: The slummification that blighted so many Victorian tenement developments. The success of these commuter developments constructed by the LCC in the periphery of the city is, "one of the more remarkable achievements in London government, and contributed much to the marked improvement of conditions between the wars for the capital's working classes." The LCC also built overspill estates outside London (some after World War II) including Debden in Essex, Merstham and Sheerwater in Surrey, and Edenbridge in Kent. The MBW, and
10192-407: 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
10304-461: 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
10416-519: The tourist market; as they do not usually provide rush hour services, they are not normally suitable for commuting. Some boat companies run regular scheduled services, others may run twice daily, only on certain days of the week, or only during certain months of the year. Boats may also be chartered for private hire. Destinations are often tourist attractions such as the Tate Galleries or Hampton Court Palace . Scheduled tourist and commuter services on
10528-622: 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
10640-456: 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
10752-461: The use of the river as a means of public transport increased greatly. River services ran from Gravesend , Margate and Ramsgate via Greenwich and Woolwich into central London. By the mid-1850s about 15,000 people per day travelled to work on steamboat services – twice the number of passengers on the newly emerging railways. With increased congestion on the river, collisions and other accidents became correspondingly more frequent, most notably with
10864-537: 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
10976-534: Was also a plan to provide a longer-term legacy of public transport boat services and piers on the river. The Cross-River Partnership , a consortium of local authorities, private sector organisations and voluntary bodies, recommended the creation of a public body to co-ordinate and promote river services. This agency, provisionally titled the Thames Piers Agency, would integrate boat services into other modes of public transport, take control of Thames piers from
11088-540: Was believed that this would satisfy the working classes and provide insurance, "against Bolshevism," to quote one parliamentary secretary. The LCC set the standard for new construction at 12 houses per acre of land at a time when some London areas had as many as 80 housing units per acre. The passage of the Housing of the Working Classes Act in 1885 gave the LCC the power to compel the sale of land for housing development,
11200-521: Was established as a provisional council on 31 January 1889 and came into its powers on 21 March 1889. Shortly after its creation a Royal Commission on the Amalgamation of the City and County of London considered the means for amalgamation with the City of London . Although this was not achieved, it led to the creation of 28 metropolitan boroughs as lower tier authorities to replace the various local vestries and boards in 1900; they assumed some powers of
11312-462: Was forced by a succession of scandals involving the MBW, and was also prompted by a general desire to create a competent government for the city, capable of strategising and delivering services effectively. While the Conservative government of the day would have preferred not to create a single body covering the whole of London, their electoral pact with Liberal Unionists led them to this policy. It
11424-540: Was formed by the council to seek out a suitable site. In July 1902, they presented their report, recommending a 3.35-acre (13,600 m ) site in the Adelphi . Entry roads to the proposed county hall would be made from The Strand and The Embankment. The council rejected the recommendations in October 1902, and a suggestion was made that the committee seek a site south of the Thames, adjacent to Westminster Bridge . In April 1905,
11536-460: Was in charge of the organisation of the council's activities, and was paid a salary. This was seen as a conflict of interest by the Royal Commission on the Amalgamation of the City and County of London when they reported in 1894, and in 1895 a county clerk was added to the council staff to perform these duties. The deputy chairmanship then became purely ceremonial, and was filled by nominees of
11648-555: 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
11760-480: Was maintained by the LCC, containing only "suitably English" names. If street names were deemed un-English, they were also slated for change; Zulu Crescent in Battersea , for instance, became Rowena Crescent in 1912. By 1939, the council had the following powers and duties: Until 1933 the council provided a network of tramway services in the county. This passed to the London Passenger Transport Board . † Denotes
11872-534: 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
11984-563: 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
12096-422: Was the 29-year-old Ralph Knott . Construction began in 1911, and the first section was opened in 1922, with the original building completed in 1933. Extensions continued to be made throughout the council's existence. The county was divided into electoral divisions , co-terminous with parliamentary constituencies. Initially, each returned two councillors, save for the City of London , which returned four. Under
12208-525: Was the principal local government body for the County of London throughout its existence from 1889 to 1965, and the first London-wide general municipal authority to be directly elected. It covered the area today known as Inner London and was replaced by the Greater London Council . The LCC was the largest, most significant and most ambitious English municipal authority of its day. By the 19th century,
12320-519: 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. London County Council The London County Council ( LCC )
12432-547: Was too small to accommodate meetings of the new council, and it was soon replaced by a horseshoe-shaped council chamber. By 1893, it was clear that the Spring Gardens building was too small for the increased work of the LCC. Seven additional buildings within a quarter of a mile of the County Hall had been acquired, and it was estimated that they would need to take over an average of two more houses annually. The Chancellor of
12544-621: 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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