TfL providing real-time crowdedness information through app update

The update will provide passengers with better information and enable them to travel at quieter times

Transport for London (TfL) has updated its free TfL Go travel app to provide real-time information on how busy London Underground stations are throughout the day. The authority hopes this will help customers choose quieter times to travel around the city and will further help build confidence as more people continue to return to public transport.

The update, available on both the iOS and Android versions of the app, uses aggregated and depersonalised data from TfL’s WiFi network to provide customers with real-time information on how busy Tube stations are at any particular point of the day. Historically, TfL has used ticketing data to understand travel patterns on the network, with quiet times data in TfL Go based largely on data from TfL’s Oyster and contactless ticketing system which records entry and exits at stations. This new update now allows TfL to factor in how busy platforms and interchange points are to overall crowding within a station.

Launched in 2020, TfL Go provides real-time train times and information in a mobile-friendly way to enable customers travelling on Tube, bus and rail services across London, including the quieter times to travel. It also suggests alternative routes and walking and cycling options. The app has regularly updated accessibility information available through a ‘step-free’ mode which provides an easy to navigate view of all stations that are step-free to platform or train.

“We are proud to be able to bring this latest update to our TfL Go app and help make it easier for people to find out in real-time how busy our stations are and to see the quieter times to travel,” said Ben Gammon, Head of Digital at TfL.

“By providing up-to-date information on their journeys, as well as detailed accessibility information, we can help make it easier for customers to move around the city as more people return to public transport.”

Around 2.5 million people are using TfL’s network everyday, representing around 60 per cent of the number of people travelling before the pandemic. Ridership at weekends and off-peak is also recovering as Londoners again access the city’s bars, restaurants and other attractions in support of the Mayor’s “Let’s Do London” campaign to attract domestic visitors to the city and bring central London’s economy back to life, as well as Government lockdown measures gradually easing.

TfL says more than 1,100 hand sanitisers have been installed across the network, and 200 UV light devices are continually sanitising escalator handrails. The transport network is also well ventilated with train and bus doors opening frequently to ensure a regular exchange of air across the public transport network, while the constant movement of trains draws fresh air into the system.

Customers are advised to continue to follow Government guidelines and extensive signage is in place on trains, platforms and stations, reminding everyone to remember to socially distance and wear a face covering over their nose and mouth while in a station or travelling on public transport, unless they are exempt.