Goin’ underground: Tube journeys jump a third as lockdown ends
The number of Tube journeys jumped a third yesterday compared to last week as the national lockdown restrictions were finally lifted.
According to data from Transport for London (TfL), there were 2.64m taps in-and-out of Tube stations yesterday, 33 per cent higher than on the same day last week.
That’s roughly a third of the pre-pandemic levels – and almost exactly how many people were using the underground before November’s lockdown began.
The same pattern was in evidence on London’s bus network, which saw a total of 3.5m journeys yesterday.
The 18 per cent weekly rise took bus passenger levels to 56 per cent of levels recorded in February and early March.
As with the Tube, bus numbers have also been stuck around that figure for several months – other than over the last four weeks.
With shops, pubs, bars, and restaurants all reopening after a month of enforced closure, a surge in transport demand was anticipated.
Footfall in central London in particular surged as shoppers rushed to take advantage of some pre-Christmas retail therapy.
The reopening had been dubbed “Wild Wednesday” by some, and though spending did not breach Black Friday’s levels, London’s shopping districts saw flocks of people return.
Central London reported a 91.1 per cent jump in visitors by 5pm, compared with the same day last week as the city entered Tier 2 coronavirus restrictions.
And in the West End, footfall soared 110 per cent on last week’s levels, data from Springboard showed.