Tube passenger numbers at 85% of pre-Covid levels, says TfL

The London Pride parade on 1 July saw 6.9 million entries and exits on the Tube - making it the busiest Saturday on the network since December 2019

London's summer of big events and a tourism surge has helped passenger numbers get closer to pre-pandemic levels on Tubes and buses, say Transport for London (TfL) bosses.

Latest stats show stations in the city centre are hitting pre-pandemic levels at weekends.

Currently, between three to four million Tube journeys are made every day, or about 85% of pre-Covid levels.

TfL says cultural events and a surge in tourism is driving the return.

Tube passenger numbers on Saturdays surpassed equivalent 2019 dates on several occasions this year, TfL said.

Wembley Park Tube station saw its biggest number of Saturday entries and exits on 17 June, as fans flocked to see Harry Styles perform the last London night of his 'Love on Tour' concert at Wembley Stadium.

Some 134,000 entries and exits were made at the Jubilee line station that day, compared with around 50,000 on a typical Saturday without an event.

About five million bus journeys are also being made on weekdays, which is about 80-85% of pre-pandemic levels.

The numbers come as TfL begins a new campaign "highlighting the value and benefits public transport offers people with all travel needs and budgets", the organisation said.

It hopes that its new publicity campaign will boost numbers further, with posters, videos and radio content designed to highlight features like daily capping, off-peak times and the bus and tram Hopper fare.

In March this year, fares for bus, Tube, rail and tram rose by an average of 5.9%.

The average single journey bus fare has increased by 10p and the average pay-as-you-go Tube fare has increased by 30p.

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