Dear Transport for London FOI Coordinator, Please could I have the following data sent to me via email: - Please could I have the data for the busiest times (ticketing and WiFi demand) at London Waterloo station (all 3 tube line Wi-Fi traps as a collective total) as averaged (mean) between the following dates (with each date-range placed on a separate sheet of the Excel document, please): - 8th July 2019 and 8th January 2020 (6 months) - 23rd March 2020 and 10th May 2020 - 25th May 2020 and 23rd June 2020 - 4th November and 2nd December 2020 This is akin to the data visualised on page 27 of this PDF: http://content.tfl.gov.uk/review-tfl-wifi-pilot.pdf - Please could I also have the raw number of individual devices connected to the Wi-Fi at London Waterloo (all 3 tube line Wi-Fi traps collectively), London Bridge and King’s Cross St Pancras for each day between the 2nd of December 2019 and the 2nd of December 2020 (or earliest available if you are dealing with this prior to December 2nd). If device numbers are not possible, please could I have the Wi-Fi probing requests from each day - as seen on page 25 of this TfL document: http://content.tfl.gov.uk/review-tfl-wifi-pilot.pdf - Please could I have a figure of the total number of individual devices connected to the whole Wi-Fi network since records began (July 2019, I believe). I understand TfL use Wi-Fi data to create mappings of the most popular routes used on the London Underground, as per the 2016 pilot document referenced previously. Could you please send me in the following in a separate Excel spreadsheet: - The top ten most popular (frequently taken) routes on the underground in 2020 (January 1st 2020 to the latest available data) measured by the greatest number of individual journeys with the same Entry, Pass-through, and Exit – as defined on page 24 of this TfL file: http://content.tfl.gov.uk/review-tfl-wifi-pilot.pdf. - The most complex route recorded between the shortest physical distance in 2020 (Jan to latest available)– i.e. the anonymised traveller who connected to the most Wi-Fi traps (Pass-throughs) between the closest Entry and Exit. If this is too complex, please could you send me the routes (Entry, Pass-through, and Exit) of the top 100 anonymised devices that connected to the most Wi-Fi traps on a singular journey (Entry to Exit) in 2020 (Jan to latest available data). If there are any problems, please could you advise me further. If this request is beyond the allowance of data per person for cost reasons or otherwise (from my separate enquiries with TfL, it should not be), please retrieve data up until the cost maximum. Could you also let me know that you have received this request by contacting my email. Thank you so much for your service! You are doing crucial work.

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TfL Ref: FOI-1645-2021

Thank you for your request received by Transport for London (TfL) on 18^th November 2020 asking for Wifi data from various stations.

Your request has been considered in accordance with the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act  and our information access policy. 

Specifically you asked:

“Please could I have the following data sent to me via email:

- Please could I have the data for the busiest times (ticketing and WiFi demand) at London Waterloo station (all 3 tube line Wi-Fi traps as a collective total) as averaged (mean) between the following dates (with each date-range placed on a separate sheet of the Excel document, please):

- 8th July 2019 and 8th January 2020 (6 months)

- 23rd March 2020 and 10th May 2020

- 25th May 2020 and 23rd June 2020

- 4th November and 2nd December 2020

This is akin to the data visualised on page 27 of this PDF: http://content.tfl.gov.uk/review-tfl-wifi-pilot.pdf

- Please could I also have the raw number of individual devices connected to the Wi-Fi at London Waterloo (all 3 tube line Wi-Fi traps collectively), London Bridge and King’s Cross St Pancras for each day between the 2nd of December 2019 and the 2nd of December 2020 (or earliest available if you are dealing with this prior to December 2nd). If device numbers are not possible, please could I have the Wi-Fi probing requests from each day - as seen on page 25 of this TfL document: http://content.tfl.gov.uk/review-tfl-wifi-pilot.pdf

- Please could I have a figure of the total number of individual devices connected to the whole Wi-Fi network since records began (July 2019, I believe).

I understand TfL use Wi-Fi data to create mappings of the most popular routes used on the London Underground, as per the 2016 pilot document referenced previously. Could you please send me in the following in a separate Excel spreadsheet:

- The top ten most popular (frequently taken) routes on the underground in 2020 (January 1st 2020 to the latest available data) measured by the greatest number of individual journeys with the same Entry, Pass-through, and Exit – as defined on page 24 of this TfL file: http://content.tfl.gov.uk/review-tfl-wifi-pilot.pdf.

- The most complex route recorded between the shortest physical distance in 2020 (Jan to latest available)– i.e. the anonymised traveller who connected to the most Wi-Fi traps (Pass-throughs) between the closest Entry and Exit.

If this is too complex, please could you send me the routes (Entry, Pass-through, and Exit) of the top 100 anonymised devices that connected to the most Wi-Fi traps on a singular journey (Entry to Exit) in 2020 (Jan to latest available data).

If there are any problems, please could you advise me further. If this request is beyond the allowance of data per person for cost reasons or otherwise (from my separate enquiries with TfL, it should not be), please retrieve data up until the cost maximum.”

I can confirm that we hold the information you require. However, it is not possible to source it all within the costs limit for responding to cases, as set out in section 12 of the Freedom of Information Act. Under section 12, an authority such as as TfL is not required to spend more than £450 (calculated at a cost of £25 per hour - equivalent to 18 hours work) determining if the data is held, and then locating, retrieiving or extracting that data from elsewhere. There would be a vast amount of data to review in order to extract the answers to your questions, and no particularly easy or efficient way of doing this. While it is difficult to quantify exactly how long this would take, we estimate that it would be in the region of 36 hours - twice the limit - to complete the request in full. I note your comment that you would like us to retrieve data up until the limit is reached. However, there is no statutory obligation to do this. Such an approach denies the applicant the right to express a preference as to exactly what information they wish to receive. The onus is on the applicant to specify exactly what information it is they want.

In order to bring your request within the costs limit you may wish to narrow its scope to focus on the information that is of most importance to you - for example, by limiting the number of questions asked and the time period covered. In reframing your request you may wish to take account of the guidance published by the Information Commissioner on how best to access information from public bodies, published on its website here:

https://ico.org.uk/your-data-matters/official-information/

If you are considering submitting a further FOI request please think carefully about whether the request is essential at this current time, as answering FOI requests will require the use of limited resources and the attention of staff who could be supporting other essential activity. Where requests are made, please note that our response time may be impacted by the current situation.

Please see the attached information sheet for details of your right to appeal.

Yours sincerely,

David Wells

FOI Case Officer

FOI Case Management Team

General Counsel

Transport for London

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