London's transport - a history
From the Tube to buses, trams and riverboats, the history of transport in London is an interesting and varied one.
In 2025 we're celebrating 25 years since the city's transport was integrated under one body as Transport for London. See the major milestones of our first 25 years.
A timeline of Transport for London improvements
2000
- Transport for London is formed - creating one integrated transport body for the capital
- Our tram system launches
2002
- TfL's online Journey Planner launches, the first multi-modal system of its kind in the UK
- TfL's education programmes (now known as TfL Travel for Life) launch, supporting over 3 million children to travel safely and sustainably
2003
- Oyster smart card launches
- The world-leading central London Congestion Charging zone is introduced
2005
- Our entire fleet of buses becomes fully wheelchair-accessible
2006
- Baby on Board badges are launched
2007
- Our school accreditation programme launches, awarding schools with gold, silver or bronze depending on their work to reduce car use, improve safety and promote active travel
2008
- The first wide-aisle ticket gates at Tube stations are installed as part of TfL's commitment to make the Underground accessible for wheelchair users, older people, parents with children and travellers with luggage
- Priority seating launches, encouraging customers to give up seats for pregnant women and disabled customers
2009
- iBus is fully rolled out, giving customers Nextstop audio and signs, info on all buses and live information on apps and website
2010
- First ever air-conditioned, fully walk-through Tube train on the Metropolitan line launches on the network
- London's original Cycle Hire Scheme launches, now known as Santander Cycles
- London's streets become the first in England to trial Pedestrian Countdown technology - this tells pedestrians how long they have to safely cross the road
- We increase the length of our DLR trains from 2 to 3 carriages, allowing 50% more people to travel than before
2012
- We help millions to attend the Olympics and Paralympics and keep the rest of London moving
- We introduce manual boarding ramps on the Tube to significantly improve accessibility ahead of the Paralympic Games, contributing to the most accessible Games at the time
- Our world-leading contactless payment system on buses is introduced
- The 60+ Oystercard is introduced
- Launch of London's cable car from Greenwich Peninsula to the ExCel exhibition centre at the Royal docks
2013
- Launch of Countdown Digital Sign service with live bus arrival information at bus stops
2014
- London's first pure electric buses begin operating
- UK's first 'bridge style' ramps at Tube stations offer step-free access from street to train where traditional ramps cannot be used
- Contactless payments are introduced on the Tube, trams, DLR, London Overground and most National Rail services in London
2015
- The Hopper fare is introduced - unlimited bus and tram travel, within an hour of first touching in, for the price of a single fare
2016
- Night Tube launches
2017
- The 'Please offer me a seat' badge and card launch to help customers with invisible conditions
2019
- First Cycleway launches
- We launch the world's first lorry safety scheme (Direct Vision Standard Scheme) to help improve the visibility of people walking, cycling or riding e-scooters or motorcycles
- The Ultra Low Emission Zone is introduced up to, but not including, North and South Circular Roads
2021
- We launch our first journey planning app, TfL Go
- The Northern line is extended to Battersea Power Station and Nine Elms - the first major Tube extension this century
2022
- A third of London Underground stations are step-free
- The Elizabeth line launches, increasing rail capacity by 10%
2023
- The 1000th Zero Emission bus is launched onto the bus network
- The Ultra Low Emission Zone expands across all London boroughs
2024
- Care concession is introduced
- The first phase of the Superloop is completed, connecting outer London boroughs more quickly with express bus services
- Each of the 6 London Overground lines are represented by a new name and line colour
TfL25 improvements
We've made a lot improvements to our network over the last 25 years.