London Underground usage regularly reaches 50% of pre-Covid levels

Passengers are gradually returning to London's transport network

London Underground usage is regularly reaching at least half of pre-pandemic levels, Transport for London (TfL) says.

Demand for the Tube on weekdays is often at 50% of what it was before the coronavirus crisis, and is hitting more than 60% at weekends.

This is up from about 40% across the entire week in early May.

An average of more than 1.8 million journeys are being made on the Tube every weekday.

Last weekend, passenger numbers were at 58% of pre-pandemic levels on Saturday and 62% on Sunday.

Bus travel in the afternoon is also continuing to grow.

Overall demand is reaching about two-thirds of pre-pandemic levels on weekdays and hitting up to 75% at weekends.

About 3.5 million journeys are being made every weekday on London buses, which is likely to increase further once schools return from next week.

"We're welcoming customers back to a transport network that is cleaner than ever, with an enhanced cleaning regime, hospital-grade cleaning products, widely available hand sanitiser and UV light fittings on escalator handrails to kill viruses," said TfL's managing director for customers, communication and technology, Vernon Everitt.