Request ID: FOI-2089-2223 Date published: 20 December 2022
You asked
- How many people have used the tube this year, and for the last five years? What are the average daily number of passengers on the tube line.
- Please may I have breakdown of how many adult annual travelcards are purchased every year, for each type of travelcard (i.e. zone 1, zone 1-2, zone 1-3, etc). Can I have this for the last 5 years please.
- How many 7-day travel cards were purchased each year, for the last five years, for each of the types of travelcard.
- How many one-day passes are purchased every year for the last five years.
- How many pay-as-you-go users are there a day on average on the tube?
- Are there any plans to revise travelcard prices?
We answered
Our Ref: FOI-2089-2223
Thank you for your request received on 23 November 2022 asking for information about travelcard usage.
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:
How many people have used the tube this year, and for the last five years?
We do not have data on the number of unique individuals who use the London Underground each year but we can make an approximation using the number of unique Oyster cards, bank cards and devices (phones, watches etc) used for travel. This excludes use of paper tickets and an individual may use more than one card or device over the course of a year, but provides an indicative trend nonetheless.
The number of unique cards or devices seen in each the past five years are detailed in the table below. 2022 figures are up to the first week of November 2022.
Year
Count of cards/devices (m)
Journeys (m)
2018
42.0
1,192.1
2019
45.4
1,224.2
2020
23.0
454.0
2021
26.8
527.2
2022
39.6
721.2
What are the average daily number of passengers on the tube line.
Using the same method as above, in recent weeks we have typically seen around 1.8m unique cards/devices on weekdays, making around 3.4m London Underground journeys. Mondays and Fridays tend to be marginally lower than this, with lower and more variable numbers seen on weekends and school holidays.
Please may I have breakdown of how many adult annual travelcards are purchased every year, for each type of travelcard (i.e. zone 1, zone 1-2, zone 1-3, etc). Can I have this for the last 5 years please.
The number of adult annual Travelcards issued for each year and zone are detailed in the table below. 2022 figures include issues to 12 November 2022.
Year
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
Zones 12
37,655
32,352
9,504
4,089
4,059
Zones 123
30,368
27,401
8,332
3,436
3,230
Zones 1234
21,269
18,949
5,495
2,373
2,264
Zones 12345
13,366
11,946
3,197
1,461
1,286
Zones 123456
64,393
59,190
14,127
7,203
7,848
Zones 23
3,424
2,946
1,147
608
414
Zones 234
3,672
3,225
1,141
671
481
Zones 2345
2,682
2,368
834
414
331
Zones 23456
5,283
4,818
1,159
536
476
Zones 34
430
395
173
116
81
Zones 345
392
383
130
77
55
Zones 3456
883
827
273
171
157
Zones 45
143
115
56
29
19
Zones 456
290
259
100
57
42
Zones 56
452
393
125
74
59
How many 7-day travel cards were purchased each year, for the last five years, for each of the types of travelcard.
The number of adult 7-day Travelcards issued for each year and zone are detailed in the table below. 2022 figures include issues to 12 November 2022.
Year
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
Zones 12
3,662,791
3,055,904
928,694
701,977
855,767
Zones 123
3,050,187
2,547,988
972,830
831,119
848,032
Zones 1234
1,255,190
1,081,143
428,801
374,220
395,476
Zones 12345
486,757
412,199
160,292
140,397
143,923
Zones 123456
1,387,951
1,265,867
440,215
392,491
404,377
Zones 23
1,860,684
1,511,117
700,643
636,216
577,745
Zones 234
1,439,521
1,171,628
588,370
541,847
491,518
Zones 2345
492,027
427,860
211,571
198,177
179,556
Zones 23456
197,903
172,587
72,663
68,086
66,847
Zones 34
402,184
338,956
163,749
154,902
140,855
Zones 345
228,826
191,827
96,904
92,933
81,553
Zones 3456
126,753
109,145
51,152
50,922
46,098
Zones 45
114,803
95,370
44,113
41,138
37,303
Zones 456
106,083
88,065
43,837
43,550
41,059
Zones 56
77,362
65,782
30,526
29,471
27,572
How many one-day passes are purchased every year for the last five years. The number of adult one-day Travelcards issued for each year are detailed in the table below. 2022 figures include issues to 12 November 2022.
Year
Count
2018
26,573,560
2019
24,591,889
2020
5,992,672
2021
7,818,721
2022
12,175,093
How many pay-as-you-go users are there a day on average on the tube? In recent weeks we have typically seen around 1.5m adult pay as you go cards/devices on weekdays.
Are there any plans to revise travelcard prices?
Travelcard prices are set by agreement with the Train Operating Companies and subject to government fares regulation. TfL is currently awaiting guidance from the government as to size of the increase in regulated fares in to be implemented in March 2023.
If this is not the information you are looking for please feel free 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
