Image source, EPA

Tube strikes have brought widespread disruption across London throughout Monday.

Buses have been packed with passengers and traffic has been at a standstill in parts of the city as little or no London Underground services were running.

The Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union are staging a walkout over pay and conditions, which is set to last until Friday morning.

For many, the commute was slower and certainly looked different - for one they were able to mostly stay above ground.

And, many opted to travel by bike. Popular e-bike providers Lime, Santander and Forest all saw increases in the number of trips taken by commuters today.

Meanwhile, Downing Street earlier called on RMT union and Transport for London to "get back around the table" to end the strikes.

We're now pausing our live coverage for today. If you're journeying across London this evening, you can plan your route and monitor disruptions on the TfL website. , external

We'll be back first thing on Tuesday, as Tube strikes continue.

For updates in the meantime: Londoners take bikes and buses during Tube strike

Abigail Millar-Todd is a freelance musician and gets a substantial amount of her income from private teaching at her student's homes.

“I rely heavily on public transport as I have a number of locations I have to attend each day," the 25-year-old says.

There have been “cancellations, confusion and stress” for her students, she explains.

It doesn’t help that it’s already a stressful period, as school returns.

“The price of cabs has risen which affects me as I rely on them to move my instrument,” she explains.

Ultimately, the strikes mean for her: “I am taking home less money this week than anticipated.”

But, she’s supportive nonetheless.

“I would gladly be momentarily worse off and endure the consequences of this than live in a country where the unions have no power.”

Image source, Abigail Millar-Todd/BBC

Image source, PA Media

London Mayor Sadiq Khan says the strike action causing massive travel disruption is "bad news for London".

"They're bad news for those patients desperately trying to reach hospital appointments. They're bad news for those parents trying to drop their children off at school and pick them up. Their bad news for those people who can't work from home," he says.

Khan says he has encouraged the RMT to negotiate a settlement with TfL to end the strike.

"TfL have made clear they can't afford its workers working fewer hours for more pay, but they are willing to talk to the RMT and other unions whenever there is a dispute and to try and resolve things amicably," he says.

Earlier today, a spokesperson for the Conservatives accused the London mayor of "going into hiding".

Imogen James
Reporting from Bond Street

I'm at Bond Street, where the Elizabeth line is thankfully still operating. It's busy, so busy that there are queues to get in the escalators.

People are even standing on the left. That's when you know it's bad.

As a train approaches travelling eastbound, people are scrambling to get on. Trains do seem to be departing regularly from here.

Not everyone is making it onto this service though, they'll have to wait a little longer.

Harry Craig
BBC London

As we've been reporting throughout the day, the Tube strikes have led many to use alternatives such as rental bikes.

On my commute home this evening, I saw a sea of 40 to 50 Lime bikes parked just off Oxford Street, some being loaded into a van.

I walk this way every evening and there's always a half a dozen or so bikes there, but never as many as this.

This morning, Lime says there was a 58% increase in the number of trips taken between 07:00 and 11:00 compared to last Monday.

For the other green (and blue) bikes, Forest, there was a 122% increase on the usual number of riders between the hours of 07:00 and 08:00.

And, as we mentioned earlier, Santander saw a 61% increase compared with last week.

All up, that's a lot of Londoners who turned to two wheels today.

Imogen James
Reporting from Oxford Circus

Sumaya, 30, is from north London. She tells me she had to get a bus to her workplace near to Oxford Circus.

She started her Journey before 07:00. Usually she leaves at 08:15.

“I started early to get ahead of it but obviously everyone else did. There’s a lot of traffic.”

The bus she took was the sixth that past her while she waited, as they were all full.

Then, it terminated early.

As we speak at a packed bus stop on Oxford Street, she comments on a bus driving past, full.

She left the office at 17:00, and already has been stood for 35 minutes.

She’s adds she's seen people get “aggravated".

“I don’t believe we should give into it” she says of the strike, and argues there should be a ban.

Imogen James
Reporting from Oxford Circus

I’ve just left the BBC's Broadcasting House in central London.

Walking down the short way to Oxford Circus, I can see signs of today’s travel mayhem already - and my journey has just begun.

The streets are backed up, horns blaring. Usually they’re busy, but not standstill like this.

Electric bikes are abandoned in much bigger piles than normal.

There’s a large crowd around the nearest bus stop.

Two tourists looking at their phone joke as they tell me: “We’ve been walking a lot.”

Transport for London has released today's travel figures so far, which covers up until 13:00 BST.

Let's take a look at what the numbers tell us:

• Oyster and Contactless cards use is down by a fifth when compared to the same day last year
• The number of people using their cards on London buses has gone up by 12% compared to the same Monday last year
• Demand for London Overground and Elizabeth line services went up by 31%, TfL says, noting that these lines have likely been absorbing displaced Tube passengers
• Central London bus stations have also seen a substantive increase in boarding taps compared to last year
• Demand for Santander bikes has increased by 61% compared to last Monday

One commuter tells BBC Radio London that her commute has cost both additional time and money.

“I’ve been quite badly impacted," she says.

"I live on the outskirts of London so I’ve had to get the Overground into central London and then it’s just been walking, Ubers, buses – a lot of money, a lot of time.”

She says her commute usually takes 40 minutes but today it took two hours to get to Euston station.

“I’ve been late to a lot of my appointments and had to reschedule a lot of them," she says. “They’re basically shutting down the whole of London.”

Matt Spivey
Live editor

For many in London the end of the working day is fast approaching, but the route home will no doubt be different.

The Tube strike means almost no Tube services are operating in the capital - we've taken a look at which services are currently affected by the strikes. Be warned, there's not a lot of good news on that front.

So, rather than filing into stations, standing on the right side of the escalators and standing behind the yellow line on platforms - commuters are having to find alternative routes home.

Other transport links such as the Elizabeth Line, Overground and DLR are still running, and we've compiled some top tips to try and make the journey smoother.

Making the most of the latest information on the TfL website, external is a handy way to keep one step ahead - though it's likely going to be busy out there.

So wherever you're travelling after work, stay with us for the latest updates as rush hour kicks in.

Imogen James
Live reporter

I have cold sweats thinking about rush hour, after my ordeal this morning. But it's okay, we're in this together.

Transport for London (TfL) says its services are the busiest between 16:30 and 18:45.

With that in mind, here are some tips for bracing the journey.

Leave early if you can, to try and beat the crowds at rush hour. If that fails, and you have some errands to run, stick around for a bit until the crowds start to ease.

Where possible, cover ground on foot. Walk at your own pace, rather than being stuck in traffic.

If home is too far away to walk, why not cycle? There are lots of bikes available to hire in London, do so safely, and you can pass a lot of standstill traffic.

Be aware of the alternative transport links. The Overground, DLR and Elizabeth line are running, as are London buses.

Keep up to date - find the latest travel information on the TfL website, so you can see how buses are running and if there are any changes you need to be aware of

Good luck!

Alex Emery
UGC Hub

“Hopping on a bike or walking are not options for me," Rachel Cooper, who has mobility issues, tells the BBC.

As the Tube strike continues to affect London, she adds that she doesn't want to be stuck standing on a platform or packed train as it can be "difficult and painful" for her.

"I'll be working from home all week. Luckily my employer is flexible."

Rachel laments that she will miss seeing her colleagues and "all the incidental office conversations that can be so useful”.

Harry Low
Reporting from Vauxhall Bus Station

Although the Tube station is closed, double-decker buses are still serving the large bus station here in Vauxhall, south London.

Extra Transport for London ambassadors in high visibility jackets have been offering advice to those trying to move around the capital from south of the River Thames.

Rush hour is fast approaching. As commuters in London turn their attention to how they're getting home during the Tube strikes, here's a look at the current status of services:

Suspended, no service on these entire lines:

Bakerloo

Circle

District

Hammersmith & City

Jubilee

Piccadilly

Victoria

Waterloo & City

Part suspended, with some services in operation on the following lines:

Central: Between West Ruislip/Ealing Broadway in west London and White City in Shepherd's Bush; and between Stratford and Epping/Hainault via Woodford in east London.

Metropolitan: Running from Amersham/Chesham and Rickmansworth; and between Watford/Uxbridge and Harrow-on-the-Hill in the north-west of the capital.

Northern: Between High Barnet/Mill Hill East at the northern-most end of the line and East Finchley in north-west London.

Good service on other transport networks:

The Docklands Light Railway (DLR): Covering routes to and from Bank, Lewisham, Woolwich Arsenal, Stratford International, Tower Gateway and Beckton.

Elizabeth Line: Covering Abbey Wood, London Paddington, London Liverpool Street, Shenfield, Reading and Heathrow Terminals.

London Overground lines: Liberty, Lioness, Mildmay, Suffragette, Weaver, Windrush lines.

London Trams: Covering Beckenham Junction, Wimbledon, Elmers End and New Addington.

• You can check your own journey, external on the TfL website

Rachel Clun
Business reporter

The Tube strike has certainly made buses busier than normal in Camden and other parts of north London.

Another factor affecting passengers is that some buses are ending their trips early.

I’ve been one of dozens of people waiting for severely delayed services along Camden High Street this afternoon.

People are sprinting to get on board any available bus - myself among them. Every bus heading into the city has been fully packed.

Alex Emery
UGC Hub

Sara Edwards, from London, has had to cancel plans due to the strike.

She tells me: “Yet again, another restaurant booking and long-planned event cancelled. The impact on hospitality will be immense."

Sara adds that her friend is a hairdresser who is also really struggling with cancellations this week.

Her partner is on jury service, due to the strikes he is needing to allow three hours to get there on various buses. "It will be horrendous," Sara says.

“Small businesses already struggling in such a challenging economic climate are being decimated by this action. Ordinary workers who have had little or no pay rises have to yet again endure the downright selfish actions of this strike.”

Image source, Getty Images

We've just heard from Downing Street, who have called on the RMT union and Transport for London to get back to the negotiating table and end the ongoing Tube strike.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer's official spokesman says Londoners "will rightly be fed up with the disruption from Tube strikes this morning".

They add the strike doesn't just impact commuters heading to work but also parents doing the school drop-off and those trying to get to hospital appointments.

"RMT and TfL need to get back around the table and work together to resolve this dispute in the interests of passengers," the spokesman adds.

Downing Street says the government's planned Employment Rights Bill "could reduce barriers to strike action" and that they want a more constructive relationship with the unions and "a more secure workforce".

• Read more on the Employment Rights Bill, and how the changes will affect you

James Kelly
BBC London

As we head towards lunchtime the traffic is noticeably busier than usual, including here on Camden Road in north London.

The only commuters that seem to be getting anywhere at pace are cyclists as others sit in a standstill in their cars or on packed buses.

The Tories have criticised Labour mayor Sadiq Khan's approach to the ongoing industrial action affecting transport in London.

Keith Prince, who is transport spokesman for City Hall Conservatives, says Khan has shown "a complete abdication of duty" during the ongoing dispute.

"Khan's refusal to engage publicly with this crisis, despite his willingness to grandstand on other issues, shows his priorities are completely wrong," Prince says.

The Tory spokesman says Khan should be "leading from the front, not hiding away while the city he's supposed to serve grinds to a halt".

Earlier, a spokesman for the London mayor said it was up to the RMT union and Transport for London to resolve the dispute.

Imogen James
Live reporter

I, like many others, used a Lime bike to finish my journey into work today. The company are one of a number in London who provide electric bikes that users unlock via an app and pay for based on the minutes of use.

On my way to work, I saw vans unloading the popular mode of transport early this morning.

Today has “definitely been busy”, Lime's UK and Ireland policy director Hal Stevenson tells me.

However, he says they didn’t put out extra provisions. Instead, they focussed on getting the bikes in the right places.

“We knew it was going to be a challenging week,” Stevenson says. For scale, last year they had 16 million commuting trips.

Stevenson says in the mornings this week, they are making sure their bikes are in the areas people will be commuting from.

He adds that they also have more people on the ground in central areas ensuring “everything is tidy and neat”.

If you’re wanting to secure a Lime, he says check the app for the location of your nearest one, and reserve it in the app so nobody else takes it. Make sure you park responsibly, he adds.