Hello fellow travelers - My husband & 18 year old son will be travelling to London next week. Their current itinerary relies heavily on the tube. As of right now, strikes are planned for two out of their six touring days... wondering about options! Locals or frequent travelers - any tips? Thank you :)
Posted by
Twin Cities of MN
8360 posts
Where is the hotel? There was striking when we visited London and we planned activities we could walk to for that day.
Posted by
UK
1154 posts
London has great buses, although they’ll be busy on strike days. It’s also extremely walkable. I’d suggest maybe looking closely at the itinerary and making sure that the attractions and locations they’re planning on strike days are as well grouped-together as possible.
Posted by
Chicago
1375 posts
Not a great answer, but note that while strikes may happen, the Tube will not be
shut down. There will be some level of service, but given that it's London, any
service reduction is likely to result in crowded trains and you'll want to be vigilant
about petty crime in tight quarters. Note that buses for the most part will run
normally, so perhaps boning up on the bus map is something that can be done
now before the trip.
I assume the website will provide more details as we head into next week.
Obviously, cabs will be harder to find if the strike does take place.
Posted by
Penzance
262 posts
Best solution would be to plan to do things that are walkable from the hotel on those dates. Failing that there are buses, trains, (there are 330 train stations in London in addition to the 272 tube stations). Then there is the Elizabeth Line and the river bus.
Posted by
Halifax, NS
483 posts
There are a couple of recent trip reports from people there in April when the strikes were on. Have a look in the trip report section.
Posted by
Los Angeles by way of Providence and Rome
708 posts
I was in London during the last set of strikes April 22-26. Some lines such as Picadilly were shut down completely while others had limited service. I used the buses (crowded) or walked. Google maps will give you alternatives. The buses are easy to use, just tap in with your card or phone. No need to tap out as you do on the Tube.
Posted by
Oxford, United Kingdom
5645 posts
Strike called off for tomorrow (19 May) & the rest of the week.
Should matters not be resolved, there would be one between Tuesday 2 June and Thursday 4 June.
Posted by
UK (London - Chelsea Harbour)
520 posts
Yay! Strike off!
That said… download the TFL app anyway. It gives point to point trip directions (via bus, tube, overground) plus a “buses near me” feature that shows you nearby bus stops with live arrival times for every bus at each stop. It also has a “service updates” feature that shows you - in real time - what’s up with diversions, delays, and service interruptions.
I know the buses in my area really well - but I still end up using the app every single day. It’s really good.
Posted by
Lake District, England
11824 posts
On 22 and 23 May there is a scheduled bus controllers strike across London.
The effects, if any, will only become apparent on the day.
Posted by
Washington, DC
210 posts
I was there for the April strikes and service on most lines was just delayed and crowded; I packed patience and also used the buses.
I wasn't planning to be in London for the early June strikes, but just booked a last-minute trip since Arsenal won the League yesterday and we decided a trip to watch Champs League final and go to the parade was a good idea. On June 2, I'll just do the same thing, plan extra time for the lines that will be running and take the bus. On the 3rd which is when we fly home, I'll book a car to take us to Heathrow.