London Underground (commonly known as the Tube) is without a doubt one of the world’s best & comprehensive transport networks. Not many people are aware of the fact that it carries more than a billion passengers a year. So, if you planning on visiting London, it is important you have ensured everything runs without a hitch. So, check out these top 7 tips for travelling on the London Underground.
Observe Silence
People travelling on the tube generally avoid talking to each other. You won’t find people talking to strangers and even people don’t greet you when you enter the tube. No, it is not out of unfriendliness, but the people generally observe silence while travelling in a tube. If you ask for the directions, they will certainly lend a helping hand. Avoid striking a conversation with everyone, it won’t help you.
Carry Your Oyster Card
When you have the Oyster card, you get to save a significant amount of money on public transportation in London. It won’t be wrong to term this card as travel credit card, offering generous discounts on all modes of public transportation – bus lines, DLR (Dockland Light Railway), and the Underground – throughout London.
For a single Underground ride in Zone 1, I only paid £2.10 as I was having the Oyster card, but without the card, the price is £4.50. For a single bus journey, I spent £1.40 as I was having the Oyster card and without the card, it is £2.40. Not many people know that both at the end and start of your journey, you need to scan your card. If you haven’t scanned your card at the end of your journey, the distance travelled by you cannot be recorded. So, you can see the difference the card makes.
Offer Your Seat To The Needy Ones
You will come across different types of people while travelling on the tube – elderly people, disabled people, pregnant ladies, and little kids. So, if other passenger needs the seat more than you, then make sure you have offered your seat to that person. While you are travelling on the tube, it is quite common to see people offering their seats for the needy ones. Well, it is the polite and honourable thing to do and you should adhere to it.
Avoid Travelling During Rush Hours
Make sure you know that during the rush hour, the commuters travel around the city in large numbers, therefore the tube network tends to get very busy. The trains and stations are usually overcrowded between 7:30 and 9:30 during the daytime and between 17:00 and 19:00 in the evening.
So, why would you want to become a sandwich during the morning hours when you enjoy the leisure of waiting a bit. There is another good reason to wait i.e. you will have to pay less when you travel after 9:30 a.m. So, just chill and enjoy a coffee.
Let The Passengers Off The Train
If you have ever tried getting off a train or a bus through a crowd of incoming passengers, then you know what happens at that time. In London, make sure you have let the passengers off the train and then try to climb on the train. If the train is overcrowded, have patience and you will just have to wait for another one minute before the next train arrives.
Let us say you are standing by the train door, and you see people are trying to get off, make sure you get off and let them pass first and then get back on, there is no rocket science involved here.
Make Sure You Walk On The Left And Stand On The Right
Remember this sacred rule of the London Underground. When you are standing on an escalator, you have to ensure you are standing towards the right side and leave the left side vacant so that other can walk up and down.
Let us assume you are travelling in a big group or you are carrying a lot of shopping bags, then also you have to stand towards the right side of the escalator and let others pass you. Well, you will be playing an important role in speeding up the process and it will be a pleasant journey for everyone.
Stand Behind The Yellow Line
Before you step on the London Underground, you will see a yellow line. Now, there is a reason this line has been drawn there. You have to stand behind the yellow line. Not only do you not want to fall onto the tracks, but when the tube stops, it is guaranteed that increasing number of people will get off. It is important you allow them to get off before getting on. In the past, there have been some mishaps and the figure has risen significantly since 2003.