TfL Press Release - Improved ‘real-time’ status information for Tube stations added to TfL Go

Transport for London (TfL) has updated its free TfL Go travel app to provide real-time information on how busy London Underground stations are throughout the day. This will help customers choose quieter times to travel around the city and will further help build confidence as more people continue to return to public transport.

The innovative update, available on both the iOS and Android versions of the app, uses aggregated and depersonalised data from TfL’s WiFi network to provide customers with real-time information on how busy Tube stations are at any particular point of the day. Historically, TfL has used ticketing data to understand travel patterns on the network, with quiet times data in TfL Go based largely on data from TfL’s Oyster and contactless ticketing system which records entry and exits at stations. This innovative update now allows TfL to factor in how busy platforms and interchange points are to overall crowding within a station.

Launched in 2020, TfL Go provides real-time train times and information in a mobile-friendly way to enable customers travelling on Tube, bus and rail services across London, including the quieter times to travel. It also suggests alternative routes and walking and cycling options. The app has regularly updated accessibility information available through a ‘step-free’ mode which provides an easy to navigate view of all stations that are step-free to platform or train.

The app was designed and built in-house by TfL and uses the open data feeds freely provided to third party app developers and others, including the latest ‘real-time’ data showing the relative busyness of stations. The app has been downloaded more than 250,000 times with numbers set to increase as more people continue to return to public transport and Central London following the pandemic.

Ben Gammon, Head of Digital at TfL, said: “We are proud to be able to bring this latest update to our TfL Go app and help make it easier for people to find out in real-time how busy our stations are and to see the quieter times to travel. By providing up-to-date information on their journeys, as well as detailed accessibility information, we can help make it easier for customers to move around the city as more people return to public transport.”

Jace Tyrrell, Chief Executive of New West End Company, representing businesses in Bond Street, Oxford Street, Regent Street and Mayfair commented: "With visitors set to return to the capital's streets next months, it is vital that we do everything we can to make their trips as safe as possible. The updated TfL Go travel app will give our customers a greater insight into what they can expect travelling around London, ensuring that they feel as safe as possible when returning to the West End to enjoy the world-renowned retail and leisure that has been so missed during the pandemic. With one in ten Londoners employed in the West End, it is vital that all our visitors continue to support this key part of the UK’s economy as we set out on our road to recovery.”

A near-normal level of service continues to operate across the TfL public transport network and a wide range of active travel options are available, including Santander Cycles and protected cycling and walking routes, especially in central London and the West End.

With many customers already returning to the transport network since restrictions began to ease, TfL is encouraging customers to make journeys at quieter times to help spread demand across the day. These are currently between 08:15 and 16:00 and after 17:30 during the week, and before noon and after 18:00 at weekends. Passenger numbers across London continue to rise, with weekday Tube ridership now around 45 per cent of pre-pandemic levels and bus ridership across London now between 60-65 per cent of pre-pandemic levels.

Around 2.5 million people are using the network everyday, representing around 60 per cent of the number of people travelling before the pandemic. Ridership at weekends and off-peak is also recovering as Londoners again access the city’s bars, restaurants and other attractions in support of the Mayor's "Let's Do London" campaign to attract domestic visitors to our city and bring central London’s economy back to life, as well as Government lockdown measures gradually easing. Journey data from across all TfL modes will continue to be monitored so that TfL can communicate any changes to the quieter times to customers.

With pay as you go with contactless and Oyster, customers can travel flexibly at quieter times by simply touching in and out and only paying for the journeys they make, reducing the need to queue or buy tickets in the station. Pay as you go fares are also capped so customers don't have to buy a Travelcard in advance. TfL's enhanced cleaning regime also continues to ensure the network is cleaner than ever. Trains, trams, buses and stations are cleaned with hospital-grade cleaning substances that kill viruses and bacteria on contact and provide ongoing protection.

More than 1,100 hand sanitisers are installed across the network, and 200 UV light devices are continually sanitising escalator handrails. The transport network is also well ventilated with train and bus doors opening frequently to ensure a regular exchange of air across the public transport network, while the constant movement of trains draws fresh air into the system.

Customers are advised to continue to follow Government guidelines and extensive signage is in place on trains, platforms and stations, reminding everyone to remember to socially distance and wear a face covering over their nose and mouth while in a station or travelling on public transport, unless they are exempt.

To download the app - visit:  www.tfl.gov.uk/go