TfL: London buses outperforming Tube in bouncing back from Covid

London buses are bouncing back to nearly 90% of the passenger numbers seen pre-Covid-19, outperforming both buses outside of London and the tube.

According to the latest Department for Transport (DfT) figures for domestic transport usage, on April 6, London buses had customer numbers of 87% of what they were on the equivalent day in 2019.

This is 8% higher than the 79% travelling via the London Underground, which, despite also getting closer to its pre-pandemic figures, continues to lag behind the returns for the capital’s buses.

Across the current publishing period, which ran from March 14 to April 10, usage on London’s buses had ranged from 81% to a massive 92% when compared against 2019 figures, up from 80-88% over the previous period.

The tube, meanwhile, had ranged from 9-83%, against 73-86% for the prior publishing period.

In its budget report for 2023/24, TfL noted how it expects its overall ridership to grow by 7% from where it is now, and to achieve an operating surplus.

This includes an increase of passenger demands on the tube to 86%, and 91% for buses.

TfL was contacted for comment.

What else did the Department for Transport figures show?

As well as the London-specific figures, the DfT data indicates how travel has either grown or otherwise across the country.

The only two forms of transport to reach parity or above with 2019 levels were motor traffic (101%) and cycling (98-110%).

Buses outside of London showed the lowest returns (77%), with rail journeys in the week ending April 3 83% of those seen pre-pandemic.