FOI request detail

Staff travel costs during the pandemic

Request ID: FOI-2760-2122
Date published: 15 March 2022

You asked

Please can you advise how much has been spent covering/refunding travel for office based staff since the pandemic began. Inclusive of TfL travel and outer London season tickets. Clarification received 07/03/2022: In answer to your questions: 1) Since the Pandemic began - Since the first lockdown of March 2020. If this is too broad then January 2021-now. 2) Office based staff for non-TfL travel/travel refunds to and from the office for work purposes.

We answered

TfL Ref: FOI-2760-2122

Thank you for your request of 1st March 2022 - clarified on 7th March 2022 - asking for information about staff travel costs during the pandemic.

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 can you advise how much has been spent covering/refunding travel for office based staff since the pandemic began. Inclusive of TfL travel and outer London season tickets.”

This was clarified as follows:

1) Since the Pandemic began - Since the first lockdown of March 2020. If this is too broad then January 2021-now.

2) Office based staff for non-TfL travel/travel refunds to and from the office for work purposes.”

I can confirm that we hold the information you require. The data is held by Financial Year and is as follows:

1st April 2020 to 31st March 2021 = £2,144,335.34

1st April 2021 to 5th March 2022 = £2,319,386.97

Note that the above figures include office-based employees based at headquarter premises only (i.e. it does not include operational roles, even if those staff spend some of their time working at an office based in a station or depot etc.). The totals include refunds given, and Annual Season Tickets and daily return tickets for anyone going to the office 1 or 2 days a week or ad-hoc using national rail via the temporary Travel Allowance Scheme. TfL will pay 75% of the ticket price with the employee picking up 25%. This is a “taxable benefit in kind”, meaning the employee will be subject to tax on the 75% paid by TfL.

If this is not the information you are looking for 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,

David Wells
FOI Case Officer
FOI Case Management Team
General Counsel
Transport for London

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