The number of passengers on the London Underground yesterday morning was down 18% on last week as the reintroduction of working from home rules had an immediate impact on commuters, Transport for London figures reveal.
It said there were one million entries and exits on the Underground by 10am, compared with about 1.22m on Monday last week - meaning about 500,000 journeys.
This is about 46% of normal morning rush hour passenger numbers on the Tube, compared with pre-pandemic levels.
Passenger numbers on the buses were down 6% week on week to 1.15m journeys.
Network Rail said footfall in the largest city stations it manages was down about 20-25% from a week ago, with the biggest drop, of 38%, at London’s Cannon Street, serving the City.
Leeds station recorded 35% fewer passengers, Birmingham 24% fewer, while numbers in Glasgow – in Scotland, where guidance was already to work from home where possible – were down 7%.
There were 17% fewer people at Manchester Piccadilly, and 30% fewer passengers on Manchester’s Metrolink tram system, according to Transport for Greater Manchester.
Despite the fall in numbers in rush hour on Monday, footfall data suggested that plenty of people were still managing to reach UK shops.
Retail figures showed a rise in footfall in UK high streets, up 11% week on week, particularly in market towns, which have smaller, more local high streets and were 25% busier than last Monday. However, central London was a less appealing prospect for some, with footfall in the capital’s shopping districts down 10% week on week.
