Given that London is enduring its second day of Tube strike grief this week it might seem a bit sadistic to report a bunch of recent public transport use figures. It isn’t really – just continuing to keep you informed about the state of ridership as we continue to inch our way out of the pandemic.
There’s lots more information on Transport for London’s network demand site, but On London has been tracking bus and London Underground use on consecutive Monday mornings to give a simple indication of the trend since 2022 got going.
The figures below are for the Tube and buses on Monday mornings up until the end of the peak travel period at 10.00. They show steadily rising numbers with a bit of a stall on 14 February, particularly for buses. That is because it was half-term for London’s schools (hence the italics).
The following Monday, 21 February, was also slightly down for both modes compared with Monday 7 February. TfL says that is because it was half term in some local authority areas adjacent to London whose schools are attended by London children.
The most important indicators of the overall trend are the numbers for 28 February, which are of course the most recent and after half-term. Both show a return to the consistent gradual upticks we saw throughout January and early February.
Underground
- 10 January: 0.92 million.
- 17 January: 1.00 million.
- 24 January: 1.06 million.
- 31 January: 1.15 million.
- 07 February: 1.20 million.
- 14 February: 1.05 million.
- 21 February: 1.19 million.
- 28 February: 1.27 million.
Buses
- 10 January: 1.1 million.
- 17 January: 1.15 million.
- 24 January: 1.17 million.
- 31 January: 1.21 million.
- 07 February: 1.24 million.
- 14 February: 0.84 million.
- 21 February: 1.22 million.
- 28 February: 1.26 million.
TfL says the most recent numbers represent about 54 per cent of normal, pre-pandemic demand in the case of the Underground and 73 per cent for the buses. It’s worth noting that Monday mornings are a bit quieter than other weekdays and that demand has picked up much more at weekends.
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