Request ID: FOI-2008-2223 Date published: 12 December 2022
You asked
- How often are the lines on the tubes cleaned?
- Has the regularity of cleaning altered over the last few years due to the pandemic and what are the current timetables like?
- What is involved in the cleaning process?
- When are the tubes deep-cleaned? And could you provide the dates over the last twelve months of when these deep cleans occurred on the tube lines?
- How often are the seat covers changed on the tube? If possible can you provide me the dates of the last time seat covers were changed across the tube lines, and how often they have been changed across the last decade (i.e when did the Northern line last have all its seats re-done).
- How many complaints involving the cleanliness of the tube have there been over the last five years? A breakdown by tube line and by month would be excellent.
We answered
TfL Ref: FOI-2008-2223
Thank you for your request received by Transport for London (TfL) on 15 November 2022.
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:
How often are the lines on the tubes cleaned?
Has the regularity of cleaning altered over the last few years due to the pandemic and what are the current timetables like?
What is involved in the cleaning process?
When are the tubes deep-cleaned? And could you provide the dates over the last twelve months of when these deep cleans occurred on the tube lines?
How often are the seat covers changed on the tube? If possible can you provide me the dates of the last time seat covers were changed across the tube lines, and how often they have been changed across the last decade (i.e when did the Northern line last have all its seats re-done).
The information you asked for is publicly available on the transparency pages of the TfL website, in response to previous FOI requests, via the following links;
This includes when deep tube cleaning occurs, however we do not hold specific dates.
In accordance with section 21 of the FOI Act, we are not obliged to supply you with a copy of the requested information as it is already accessible to you elsewhere.
How many complaints involving the cleanliness of the tube have there been over the last five years? A breakdown by tube line and by month would be excellent.
Please find the complaints in the table below. This includes complaints about cleanliness, graffiti & vandalism, waste & litters, lift cleanliness and street cleaning, broken down by line, year and month as requested.
Line
2017 Jun
2017 Jul
2017 Dec
2019 Jun
2019 Aug
2019 Oct
2019 Nov
2019 Dec
2020 Jan
2020 Feb
2020 Mar
2020 Apr
2020 May
2020 Jun
2020 Jul
2020 Aug
2020 Sep
2020 Oct
2020 Nov
2020 Dec
2021 Jan
2021 Feb
2021 Mar
2021 Apr
2021 May
2021 Jun
2021 Jul
2021 Aug
2021 Sep
2021 Oct
2021 Nov
2021 Dec
2022 Jan
2022 Feb
2022 Mar
2022 Apr
2022 May
2022 Jun
2022 Jul
2022 Aug
2022 Sep
2022 Oct
2022 Nov
Total
Bakerloo
1
1
6
1
1
2
1
1
1
1
2
2
3
2
2
1
1
1
1
4
1
1
1
3
41
Central
1
1
1
2
3
6
3
5
3
2
1
1
4
3
1
4
4
3
3
2
2
2
3
2
3
3
3
1
3
7
1
83
Circle & Hammersmith
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
11
District
1
1
1
2
1
1
2
5
1
2
1
2
2
1
4
1
3
1
2
1
1
2
2
1
2
2
1
4
3
1
2
1
57
Jubilee
1
3
5
1
1
1
1
1
1
2
3
3
1
2
2
2
2
1
2
1
1
2
1
1
3
3
2
2
51
Metropolitan
1
3
6
5
4
1
2
5
1
1
1
4
2
3
1
1
5
1
1
1
5
2
3
2
1
1
63
Northern
1
3
5
3
6
3
1
1
2
1
1
1
4
2
2
2
4
3
2
1
7
3
4
3
3
3
3
2
10
10
9
5
1
111
Not known/Not Stated
1
1
1
1
2
1
1
8
Piccadilly
2
4
4
5
2
3
1
3
1
1
1
1
2
3
1
1
2
4
1
1
1
1
3
1
1
1
4
2
1
2
1
61
Victoria
1
3
4
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
3
1
1
1
1
1
4
3
1
1
32
Waterloo and City
1
1
Total
1
1
1
1
1
1
7
14
24
22
38
12
6
4
5
7
13
9
9
3
7
10
16
17
13
13
20
19
11
21
10
10
13
17
12
19
18
7
25
24
18
14
6
519
*Where some stations sit across multiple lines, operationally we have an “Owning Line” assigned to that station specifically. As a result we’ve had to split these based on either the line the complainant noted, or if the issue was station specific, then the assigned owning line for that station.
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 as well as information on copyright and what to do if you would like to re-use any of the information we have disclosed.
Yours sincerely
Eva Hextall FOI Case Management Team General Counsel Transport for London
