Mike Harris to cease production of printed Greater London Bus Maps

It is disappointing to see that Mike Harris has ceased the production of his printed bus maps. These maps provide comprehensive coverage of the Greater London bus network, including commercial routes that cross the Greater London boundary.

Here is the statement from his website:

Plane ✈️ vs. Train 🚄: A Detailed Comparison of Domestic Travel Across Great Britain

For journeys within Great Britain, the choice between air and rail travel is rarely as simple as looking at a flight time. While a domestic flight might promise a rapid one-hour transit, a closer look at the entire door-to-door experience often reveals that the seemingly slower train can be more competitive in terms of total time, cost, and stress.

From the "hidden" inconveniences of airport security to the city-centre ease of the railway, this article explores the friction points and benefits of how we move across the country in 2026.

Transport for London Quietly Withdraws the Paper 'One Day Bus & Tram Pass'

Last updated - 6th June 2025:

It has been revealed in the Staff Guide to Fares and Ticketing, March 2025, that Transport for London (TfL) has discontinued the sale of the paper One Day Bus & Tram Pass at Tube, DLR, Tram, and railway stations. This decision impacts people who are digitally excluded, as they will now have to buy the pass at Oyster Ticket Shops.

The text in the document Staff Guide 2 - Types of Tickets and Ways to Pay - Updated: March 2025 states:

Transport for London Publishes Most Common Station-to-Station Tube, Overground, DLR, and Elizabeth Line Journeys for 2024

Transport for London (TfL) reveals from a Freedom of Information request the most common journeys for the London Underground (LU) for the year 2024.

This is a follow-up to my previous articles from last year, where I listed the most common station-to-station journeys for National Rail, the Elizabeth Line, London Overground, the Underground, and Docklands Light Railway (DLR) for 2023.

The table lists the most frequent journeys on the Transport for London network in 2024, showing the origin station, destination station, and number of trips. The busiest route is between Bank and Waterloo LU, with over 1.2 million trips. Other popular routes include Liverpool Street to Tottenham Court Road, Oxford Circus to Victoria LU, and Canary Wharf to London Bridge LU, each with over 900,000 trips. Some routes, like London Bridge NR to Not Applicable, also see significant traffic. I’m not sure why TfL has listed 'Not Applicable' as a station in the spreadsheet, but I assume it could indicate a missing touch by a passenger when using their Oyster or contactless bank card to travel from their origin or destination station. The list features key lines across the Tube, Overground, DLR, and Elizabeth Line.

The top 20 most common journeys are as follows:

FOI Insights on London Underground Train Cancellations and Station Closures Due to Staff Shortages and the Status of CSA Recruitment

A Freedom of Information (FOI) request to Transport for London (TfL) has revealed the frequency and duration of closures at London Underground stations.

Request ID: FOI-3172-2425
Date published: 30 January 2025

Why Does London Have No Transport Services on Christmas Day?

Map of bus services in London and South East England during Christmas Day 2024.
Source: BusTimes.org

I’d like to start by wishing my readers and followers a Merry Christmas and sending my best wishes for the winter season.

In this article, I will review the Mayor's Question Time from previous years to explore why there are no transport services in London on Christmas Day.

While certain coach services and various bus services are running across the UK on Christmas Day, London does not have public transport available.

TfL Publishes More Information About Passenger Emergency Alarms Used by Wheelchair Users for Missed Assistance at Tube and Railway Stations

This is a follow-up to my previous article about Transport for London (TfL), in which a response to a Freedom of Information (FOI) request mentioned the use of Passenger Emergency Alarms (PEA) by wheelchair users in the event of missed assistance at Tube and railway stations.

The FOI response below provides detailed information, such as the height of the PEAs and the Call For Aid (CFA) help points inside some of their trains.

Request ID: FOI-2221-2425
Date published: 04 November 2024

Overview of Rail Passenger Compensation in the UK (2020-2024)

• Significant increase in rail passenger compensation payouts from 2020 to 2024, rising from £6.4 million to over £138.6 million.
• Growth driven by a rise in passenger journeys and heightened awareness of compensation rights.
• Implementation of Delay Repay schemes, with compensation available for delays of 15 minutes or more.
• Fluctuations in rail performance and adverse weather events led to higher compensation claims.
• Traditional charter compensation remains important for delays exceeding 60 minutes.

The Department for Transport has released data revealing how much compensation train operating companies (TOCs) in the UK have paid to passengers since 2016. This compensation, guided by each company's Passenger’s Charter, includes various schemes: delay repay compensation, traditional charter compensation, and discretionary payments. In this article, we'll take a closer look at compensation trends from 2020 to 2024, focusing on noteworthy changes and the factors at play.

TfL Accepts 5-10 and 11-15 Zip Oyster Photocards Until 31 December 2024 Amid Cyber Security Incident

Zip Oyster Card - TfL

Transport for London (TfL) has announced that children with expired 5-10 or 11-15 Zip Oyster photocards can continue to use their cards until 31 December 2024. This measure comes as TfL deals with a cyber security incident that has prompted an extensive investigation into the potential access of customer data.

Why is It Important for the London Borough Councils to Be Competent in Issuing Freedom Pass (a Free TfL Travel Concession) for the Disabled People?

Different types of Freedom Passes
Page from TfL's Staff Guide to Fares and Ticketing

I have been suggesting to myself on writing an article in the past several months about this because there has been a ‘postcode lottery’ when it comes to the disabled people applying for a Freedom Pass with the London Borough Council to travel on TfL services and various National Rail services in Greater London.

I've been researching through the Local Government Ombudsman (LGO) website, and I’m quite disappointed to see multiple cases where the London Borough Councils have been incompetent in issuing Freedom Passes to the disabled people.

Just to clarify that I am not an expert in this issue, and the purpose is to show my research into my article and comment about it.

Advice For Wheelchair Users In The Event of Missed Assistance (Staff With Wheelchair Ramp) At Railway Stations

Poster by Hong Kong PHAB Association

Yesterday (6th October 2024) I saw a post on X (formerly Twitter) where a wheelchair user was trying to board a train at Greenwich railway station but had to lift their chair up into the train, lost their glasses, and got hurt in the process. This is due to missed assistance at the station, despite booking passenger assistance with the train operating company.

Although I'm not a wheelchair user, I have volunteered to help in a small tweet thread instructing on what to do in the event of missed assistance (staff deploying a wheelchair ramp) at railway stations. I decided to share the instructions in my article because users who are not registered with X are unable to see other posts.

Transport for London Advises Wheelchair Users To Use The Emergency Passenger Alarm In The Event Of Missed Assistance At Underground, Overground and Elizabeth Line Stations — With Detailed Procedures

Graphic Standard for the Emergency Passenger Alarm used for Central line trains - © TfL

A Freedom of Information request to Transport for London (TfL) has advised wheelchair users to use the emergency passenger alarm at the station where they expect to depart where the staff failed to turn up with a wheelchair ramp to help them exit the train.

TfL has also posted detailed procedures when the wheelchair user activates the alarm at the station.

Here's the text published by TfL from a Freedom of Information request.

Request ID: FOI-1797-2425
Date published: 27 September 2024

Suggestion: Improvements To Wheelchair Accessibility At Railway Stations Should Include Allowing Other Staff To Use The Wheelchair Ramps

Poster by Hong Kong PHAB Association

Firstly, I'm not a wheelchair user, and I have no experience travelling on public transport using a wheelchair.

I've been seeing stories of wheelchair users getting trapped in the train after arriving at the station due to the absence of platform staff, which caused them delays and distress in their journeys.

The UK Government Launches Consultation to Give English Local Transport Authorities Control of Bus Services

As we are a couple of months into the new Government by the Labour Party administration. Their manifesto commitment is about improving bus services for England by giving powers back to the local authorities.

From UK Department for Transport press release

Transport Secretary sets the wheels in motion on "biggest overhaul to buses in a generation"

Transport for London Reveals The Top 10 Oldest Oyster Cards Still In Use, As Of Mid-2024

Cover of the Oyster card guide booklet from 2003

A Freedom of Information request to Transport for London (TfL) has revealed the top 10 Oyster cards that were first enabled are still in use.

Request ID: FOI-1011-2425
Date published: 15 July 2024

Question:

A prominent user on X (formerly Twitter) named 'CLondoner92' has posted a link to your FOI request about the oldest Oyster card still in use.

TfL Publishes the Most Common Station-to-Station Journeys for the National Rail, Elizabeth Line, London Overground, Underground and DLR for 2023

This is a follow-up to my previous article about the most common journeys on the London Underground for the year 2023.

I can reveal that Transport for London (TfL) has published the most common journeys for the other modes, including National Rail (NR), Elizabeth line (EL) and the Docklands Light Railway (DLR).

I can confirm that we hold the information you require, which is provided in the attached spreadsheet. This provides the total counts for origin destination pairs for all rail journeys we have data for in 2023. Note that these counts are derived from completed journeys where the customer tapped in and out using either an Oyster card or a contactless payment card. Journeys completed using a paper ticket, and incomplete journeys (i.e. where the passenger did not tap in or out for whatever reason) are not captured in the data.

List of London Underground Stations That Play Classical Music

Upminster Bridge tube station eastbound platform looking west

It has been revealed in a Freedom of Information request made to Transport for London (TfL), a list of London Underground stations that play classical music.

Request ID: FOI-0875-2425
Date published: 04 July 2024

Please find attached a list of the London Underground stations which are wired for classical music, based on a 2023/2024 survey of stations. Please note that classical music is not necessarily played at all these stations, due to other operational needs or current equipment faults.

Fact Check: Disabled And Older People's English Bus Pass (ENCTS) Users Are Valid On London Buses

Last updated - 24th July 2024

A page from the Big Red Book on the ENCTS passes.

In this article, I will mention the use of disabled and older person's English National Concessionary Travel Scheme (ENCTS) passes for bus services in London.

The purpose is to raise awareness that the ENCTS passes, which are issued by the English local authorities throughout England, are valid for travel on London's red buses despite the Electronic Ticket Machine (ETM) not reading them. Instead, the guidances below states that the user can show the ENCTS pass to the driver in London.

Here are the texts from the Transport for London (TfL) website:

Fact Check: Wheelchair Users ♿ Get Free Travel And Priority On London Buses

Clipping from London Transport News (No. 426 - January 27 1994)
The first of the low-floor wheelchair accessible single-deck buses for London

The purpose of this article is to raise awareness about accessibility for wheelchair users, especially for visitors and residents of London who use public transport occasionally and are not aware of this.

The fact is, wheelchair users can travel on London Buses without paying (touching in with their Oyster, Contactless bank cards, or concessionary pass), even if they don't hold a Freedom Pass or an English National Concessionary Travel Scheme (ENCTS) pass.

TfL Publishes The Most Common London Underground Journeys For 2023

Transport for London (TfL) reveals from a Freedom of Information request the most common journeys for the London Underground for the year 2023.

The top 20 most common journeys are as follows: