Majority of Londoners think extending Tube hours will lead to more strikes
A majority (53%) of Londoners think that extending Tube services until 2am on Friday and Saturday nights will lead to more industrial action, according to a YouGov poll. The survey was conducted following the recent TFL announcement that the London Underground will run until 2am on Friday and Saturday evenings from 2015.
Two tube strikes were scheduled to take place in January due to a long-running dispute over pay and bank holiday working, but were called off by Aslef, the train drivers’ union, to allow for “meaningful talks” to take place. A strike on Boxing Day caused massive disruption throughout the London Underground network.
Lower fares top priority
When asked what they think should be the top priority for London Underground, 51% of respondents say lower fares, while only 15% say longer opening hours, and 10% think line upgrades should be the priority.
However, 54% of Londoners say the plan to extend tube hours should be implemented sooner, while 23% are happy to wait until 2015, 8% say it should be brought in later than planned, and 14% are undecided.
Young people would use later hours most
The poll revealed that only 14% of Londoners say they would ‘frequently’ use the underground between 12:30am and 2am on a Friday or Saturday night, while 17% would ‘occasionally’ take advantage of the late Tube, 32% say they would ‘rarely’, and 35% say they would ‘never’ use the Tube during extended hours.
The proportion of people who say they would frequently use the late Tube was highest amongst younger Londoners, and lowest amongst older people living in London. Likewise, the percentage of people who say they would never take advantage of the extended hours was highest amongst older people, and lowest amongst younger Londoners.
Women uncertain about safety
Asked if they would feel safe or unsafe taking the later Tube on Friday or Saturday, 46% of Londoners say they would feel safe, while 38% would feel unsafe, and 16% aren’t sure.
However, a plurality (45%) of women living in London said they would feel unsafe using the underground during extended hours, while 37% say they would feel safe, and 19% are uncertain.
A majority (57%) of men in London say they would feel safe using the late Tube, while 31% would feel unsafe, and 13% are not sure.
See the full results here
