Cost of removing all references to the term - ladies and gentlemen
Request ID: FOI-0114-1819
Date published: 30 April 2018
You asked
Please confirm the total costs to date and any that are currently budgeted, for both the removal and modifications and any other works required as a result of the removal of all references to the term 'ladies and gentlemen'. Removal and modifications to include written, physical items such as signage, publicity material, training material and to non physical references such as station and train announcements.
We answered
TfL Ref: 0114-1819
Thank you for your request received by Transport for London (TfL) on 12 April 2018 asking for information about our announcements and the cost of removing the term ‘ladies and gentlemen’.
Your request has been considered in accordance with the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act and our information access policy. I can confirm that we hold some of the information you require. You asked for: The total costs to date and any that are currently budgeted, for both the removal and modifications and any other works required as a result of the removal of all references to the term 'ladies and gentlemen'. Removal and modifications to include written, physical items such as signage, publicity material, training material and to non physical references such as station and train announcements.
The majority of changes were to live announcements and so have been made with no cost involved. Changes to pre-recorded announcements in stations happen on a regular basis for many reasons such as safety and service changes. The costs for these separate elements are not broken down individually and we would have to make the other changes anyway. This means the cost of making announcements gender neutral is effectively zero.
Similarly, we routinely refresh information signs on buses, so in this area there would also be a zero cost. It is likely that any changes to language used in our bus stations would have taken place many years ago, possibly prior to 2000 when TfL was established. We therefore do not have any records of such changes taking place and we are not aware of any applying to the bus network in recent memory.
Please see the attached information sheet for details of your right to appeal.
Yours sincerely
Sara Thomas
FOI Case Management Team
General Counsel
Transport for London
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