TfL Ref:          FOI-1728-1819

Thank you for your email received by Transport for London (TfL) on 30 September 2018.

Your request has been considered in accordance with the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act and our information access policy.  I can confirm we hold some of the information you require. You asked:

Please could you supply me with details regarding all incidents on the London Underground network involving prams, or buggies, in the past 12 months?
- what happened, or was reported to have happened
- when and where it happened (in as much detail as possible)
- whether anyone was injured or killed
- whether there was any investigation afterwards (by TfL, the police or the Rail Accident Investigation Branch etc)

Please find attached the information we hold regarding incidents involving buggies/prams/pushchairs on the London Underground in the past 12 months. There have been no major injuries as a result of these incidents on the London Underground. We do not hold records of any subsequent investigations after the incident.

The Tube supports nearly 5 million passenger journeys per day, and in 2017/18 1.36bn journeys were made on the Tube. The safety of our staff and customers is our top priority and the Tube is recognised as one of the safest metros around the world. The number of incident involving buggies/prams/pushchairs is low in comparison to the number of people who use our network, however we are never complacent and continuously strive to reduce injuries.

Initiatives to minimise slips, trips and falls include blue footprints on the steps, hand prints on the handrails, contrasting colours to highlight the ‘comb’ between the moving steps and the landings, wording on step risers, new electronic displays, under-step lighting, escalator and lift floor signs, projections of staff members giving safety messages near escalators and frequent public address announcements.

Please be aware that to provide additional details on these 297 specific incidents would require us to manually review the individual records held at the location of each incident and then collate the information accordingly. To complete this task would place a significant burden on us, therefore we are refusing this part of your request under section 14(1) of the FOI Act. 

Our principal duty is to provide an effective transport service for London and we consider the burden of retrieving, reviewing and redacting the information would be disproportionate to the benefit of providing it. If you would like to re-submit a more focused, specific request then we will, of course, consider it. For example, a request for more information on a specific category of incidents or a much more narrowed timeframe would be less likely to raise concerns about the disproportionate effort required to answer it.

If this is not the information you are looking for, or if you are unable to access it for some reason, please do not hesitate to contact me.

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

Yours sincerely

Eva Hextall
FOI Case Officer
FOI Case Management Team
General Counsel
Transport for London

[email protected]

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