News

Even the savviest of travellers forget things, especially at this busy time of year, so here’s a mix of reminders and handy tips from the London TravelWatch casework team.

Our latest survey ‘Out In London – LGBTQ+ people’s safety on the London transport network’ reveals the extent of abuse, harassment and violence faced by the LGBTQ+ community when travelling in and around the capital:

• One in five (21%) survey respondents said they have experienced hate crime in the past year while travelling on public transport in London
• Four in five (82%) respondents change their behaviour or appearance to ‘fit in’ so they avoid abuse or harassment when travelling 
• 65% of respondents who had experienced abuse or harm when travelling in London said bystanders witnessed the incident but did not intervene
• Many LGBTQ+ people we spoke to have little confidence or trust in the police, so incidents on London’s public transport network often go unreported

Commenting on train company announcements to extend the ticket office consultation period up until Friday 1 September, Michael Roberts, Chief Executive of London TravelWatch, said:

Passengers are today (Wednesday 5 July) being asked for their views on the proposed closure of many ticket offices across England.

Strike action on the railway and at airports through the summer likely to be very disruptive.

15 million Day Travelcards were sold last year, highlighting that demand for this type of ticket remains very high.

After disruptive strike action on London Underground and national rail services this week, passenger watchdog London TravelWatch calls for an end to the disputes. More dates for strike action on trains are set for Saturday 18 and Thursday 30 March, as well as Saturday 1 April. 

After prolonged disruption due to strike action over the festive period, passengers would have been hoping the new year would bring some reasons to be optimistic. 

Southeastern railway has introduced a new timetable (starting Sunday 11 December 2022) with cuts to direct services to and from Charing Cross, Cannon Street and Waterloo East. Many passengers will now need to change at London Bridge, splitting their journey in two and adding more time. Direct 'Loop' line services connecting Southeastern trains to new Elizabeth line stations have also been cut. 

There will be strike action taking place this festive period.