London Subway Journeys Rise as U.K. Begins to Ease Lockdown

(Bloomberg) -- London Underground recorded a small rise in the number of subway trips on Wednesday morning as most people stayed at home or found alternative routes to work after the government recommended avoiding public transport.

Ridership was up 7.3% from the same time last week, equating to about 5,700 extra journeys, according to transit operators Transport for London. That was broadly in line with increases in recent weeks, TfL said in an email.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has urged people who can’t work from home to return to work as he tries to balance protecting people’s health and the economy. He asked commuters to seek alternatives to public transport, such as cycling and driving, in order to maintain a healthy distance from others.

Footage on social media showed some packed buses on Wednesday, but the operator said it did not have numbers for those journeys at this stage.

• Tube journeys on Wednesday were about 94% lower than a year earlier.
• Subway capacity was operating at 65% to 70%, while 82% of buses ran across London.
• Next week 75% of tube services and 85% of bus services will run. The Circle line and some closed stations will reopen.

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