Request ID: FOI-0717-2324 Date published: 03 July 2023
You asked
I would like to know financial details for the following TFL Book Club campaign please:
An FOI request in 2022 revealed set up costs at £7000+ with only 27 subscribers. What are the expected running costs vs turnover in 2023? And how many current subscribers are there?
We answered
Our Ref: FOI-0717-2324
Thank you for your request received on 6 June 2023 asking for information about the TfL Book Club. Your request has been considered in accordance with the requirements of the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act and our information access policy. I can confirm that we hold some of the information you require. Numbers of subscribers to TfL Book Club have fluctuated monthly over the year from around 50 to our lowest number of subscribers 17 (current figure). July marks the end of our one-year pilot agreement with Hodder and Stoughton and TfL Book Club will now draw to a close. The objectives of this partnership were not based on turnover from subscriptions but on campaign reach and creating engaging content to inspire people to use the TfL network, including to raise awareness of unique selling points of travelling on public transport versus driving a car. In 2016 customer research with over 1,000 passengers indicated that customers value their travel time as an opportunity for ‘me time’ and the freedom it gives them to undertake other activities. Reading a book was rated in the top five activities and recommendations from this customer research and feedback included exploring digital options for in-carriage entertainment which led to the TfL Book Club pilot. The response to a previous FOI provides information on staff time and print costs from the Book Club launch that were included as part of the summer campaign: https://tfl.gov.uk/corporate/transparency/freedom-of-information/foi-request-detail?referenceId=FOI-1223-2223 £1,500 in further costs have been incurred for content creation on social media. No further costs will be incurred as the pilot ends in July. If this is not the information you are looking for, or if you are unable to access it for any reason, please do not hesitate to contact me. Please see the attached information sheet for details of your right to appeal. Yours sincerely
Gemma Jacob Senior FOI Case Officer FOI Case Management Team General Counsel Transport for London
