
Transport for London launches travel announcer competition
If you live in, or have been to, London, you'll know the famous 'Mind the gap' announcement very well.It's an iconic part of travelling on the London Underground, and now some young travel fans could be in with the chance of being the next generation of announcers.Transport for London (TfL) has launched a competition asking children aged 5-16 what their favourite way of getting around the city is and why, to be in with a chance of recording a message to play at a London station.
For example, they could enjoy taking the train to see their family, or to their favourite shops.It could be about any method of travel around the capital: bus, river services, cycle hire, Tram depot, IFS Cloud Cable Car, Tube, Overground, Elizabeth line or DLR station, or coach depot.The staff of each service will choose 25 winners, who will then record their special messages.The winners will also get a tour related to their entry, so could get given behind the scenes access to tram stops, tube lines and train stations.
It's to celebrate TfL's 25th anniversary, and the organisation has a whole load of other events planned, such as having lots of buskers perform at Liverpool Street Station.London's transport commissioner, Andy Lord, called the competition "a fantastic opportunity for superfans to make their mark and share their stories with millions of people across the capital."
Did you know?
The Tube turned 160 years old in 2023Roughly four million people use the Tube every dayThe bus is London's oldest form of public transportLondon bus wheels were the inspiration for the rounded TfL logoThe Docklands Light Railway (DLR) is a network of trains without drivers

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Daily Mail
a day ago
- Daily Mail
The TikTok influencers promoting fare dodging on the Tube: Viewers shown 'hacks' to get through barriers without paying after damning report reveals the criminality has become 'normalised'
TikTok influencers are brazenly showing London Underground passengers how to illegally travel for free by 'bumping' through the station ticket barriers. Young men are filming themselves laughing and joking with each other as they push through the wide-aisle gates in videos liked by hundreds of thousands of viewers. The gates, which were first installed in 2008 at a cost of £12million, are normally used by wheelchair users, older people, parents with children and travellers with luggage. But they are increasingly being used by fare dodgers who either push through the gap in the middle, or quickly follow someone in front of them who touches out. It comes amid a fare dodging epidemic on UK trains, with an official report published this week revealing staff believe the practice is becoming 'normalised' and they are struggling to cope with 'aggressive' passengers who refuse to buy tickets. Videos show young men at stations across the Tube network walking through barriers without being stopped by staff - and even explaining to others how to do it. In one clip posted by rapper Stepz, real name Samuel Agyei, he claims that Transport for London (TfL) have 'upgraded the barriers' but still pushes his way through. References to 'free TfL' and 'free travel' can be heard, as he tells the camera: 'I don't know why they made it look like it's hard to bump through when it's that easy.' The clip by Stepz, who has 3.5million TikTok followers, was called 'Still Easy' and has racked up 388,000 likes and nearly 1,000 comments since being posted in 2022. Another video by Tenton, who has 70,000 followers, sees the TikToker push through the barriers and ask: 'Mandem, at what age are we gonna stop bumping train?' He says: 'It's getting silly guys because I'm almost finished uni and I'm still bumping train.' As a staff member walks past, he tells them: 'Sorry, you didn't hear that.' Tenton continues: 'Realistically at what age are we gonna stop? When we got grey hairs we're not gonna be bumping train. Do you get it guys? I think the threshold is 25.' A third video by user CFCRocky7 features a man showing women how to push through the barrier at Stratford, with the caption: 'Saving NPCs [non-player characters] from extortionate train fares @Transport for London.' In another video posted by Parafactual, a series of commuters are shown at East Ham walking through the barriers without paying, following customers who do touch out. Similar videos have also appeared on other social media sites such as Instagram. One posted by Gavin Chee, which has racked up 80,000 views, is called: 'Different types of people bumping TfL. Can't lie know bare talkers.' This shows a series of different attempts to get through the barriers at a Bakerloo line station by the same man in a comedic style, categorised as 'The Scum Bag'; 'The Runner'; 'The Talker'; 'The Savage' and 'The Kwalis'. Fare dodgers are estimated to cost TfL around £130million a year in lost revenue. Wide-aisle gates are the main access point for chronic fare evaders, and TfL has trialled changes to how they work at some stations to see if they can reduce pushers. Siwan Hayward, TfL's director of security, policing and enforcement, told MailOnline: 'The overwhelming majority of our customers pay the correct fare, however there is a minority who do attempt to travel without a valid ticket which is a criminal offence. 'Fare evasion is unacceptable. That is why we are strengthening our capability to deter and detect fare evaders, including expanding our team of professional investigators to target the most prolific fare evaders across the network. 'This builds on the work of our team of more than 500 uniformed officers already deployed across the network to deal with fare evasion and other anti-social behaviour, keeping staff and customers safe.' An estimated 3.4 per cent of passengers did not pay fares between April and December 2024 – and they face a fine of £100 if caught, although this is halved if paid within a fortnight Ms Hayward added: 'Fare evasion is not a victimless crime. It robs Londoners of vital investment in a safe, frequent and reliable transport network and we are committed to reducing the current rate of fare evasion to 1.5 per cent by 2030.' TikTok told MailOnline it has removed videos which violate its community guidelines around criminal behaviour, and has also blocked associated hashtags and search terms related to this. The social media firm's guidelines state that it does not allow content which promotes or provides instructions on how to commit criminal activities that may harm people or property. Between October and December last year, TikTok claims to have proactively removed 97.1 per cent of content which violated its violence and criminal behaviour policies before it was reported to the firm. Meanwhile a report by the Office of Road and Rail (ORR) released on Wednesday found travellers are using 'a range of techniques to persistently' underpay or avoid paying and see it as a 'victimless crime'. Staff enduring abusive behaviour when asking fare-dodgers to present their tickets are warning that evasion is becoming 'increasingly more challenging to tackle'. The report had been commissioned to look at concerns some passengers were being unfairly prosecuted by train operators over genuine mistakes when buying tickets. But it found fare evasion is a mounting problem now costing taxpayers £400million a year which is resulting in higher fares and less investment cash to improve services. In recent weeks MailOnline highlighted some of the worst cases of evasion in exclusive clips from the Channel 5 series Fare Dodgers: At War With The Law, airing on Monday nights at 9pm. And shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick tweeted a video last week in which he confronted people pushing through the barriers at Stratford station in London.


Time Out
2 days ago
- Time Out
London travel disruption this weekend: full list of tube and train closures for June 6-June 8
We're nearing the end of the week which means two things: you can definitely head to the pub after work tonight, and it's time for us to let you know about all the disruptions to travel you might face this weekend (June 6-8). There's loads of things you might be heading off to this weekend. Massive Attack are headlining a brand new festival, LIDO, taking place in east London, the Lambeth Country Show is back in Brockwell Park bringing a taste of rural life to the city, and gardens across the capital are opening up their gates for two days only as part of the London Open Gardens Weekend. Oh, and Beyoncés here. No biggie. You can find out specific details on how to travel to see Queen Bey here. If you'll be using any of London's many public transportation this weekend, here's what you should be aware of. Of course be aware that last minute changes and disruptions can happen, so always check before you travel on the TFL website or app. DLR On both Saturday (June 7) and Sunday (June 8), the DLR will be closed from both Bank and Tower Gateway to Canning Town and Lewisham. On the same days, there will also be no service between Canary Wharf and Stratford. Basically, if it's dark green on this map, it's shut this weekend. A replacement bus service will run between Westferry and Canning town. Waterloo and City line You know the drill. There's no service on weekends on the Waterloo and City line, ever. It runs from 6am on Mondays until half past midnight on Saturday mornings. Overground Mildmay line On Saturday (June 7) and Sunday (June 8), there will be a reduced service on the Mildmay line between Willesden Junction and Camden Road – these trains will only run every 15 minutes. Additionally, from Camden Road to Stratford, the line will be closed all weekend (June 7 and 8). Rail replacement bus services will run in places affected by these disruptions. For more info on those, you can check TFL's website here.


Time Out
3 days ago
- Time Out
Public transport for Beyoncé's Cowboy Carter Tour in London: what you need to know
It's just over 24 hours until Beyoncé takes to the stage at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for the UK debut of the Cowboy Carter tour. The American leg of the tour has been getting rave reviews, so we're pretty excited to see what rootin' tootin' fun Bey has in store for us Brits. But before you can enjoy the brilliant setlist in your cowboy boots, you'll need to get to the stadium. This can prove quite tricky, especially if you aren't a London native who's used to the chaos that is the tube at 5pm. That's where we come in. Luckily, we know our way around this city pretty well, and we know the best routes to the north London stadium to ensure you don't get lost or miss a moment of Cowboy Carter. 🪩 Time Out's full guide to Beyoncé at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium 🎶 Beyoncé's Cowboy Carter tour setlist revealed – what to expect 👜 Full list of banned items and the bag policy at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium 🏟️ Beyoncé London Tottenham Hotspur Stadium seating map Here's what you need to know about transport to and from Beyoncé's Cowboy Carter tour this week. How to get to Beyoncé concerts in London Beyoncé is playing six nights at the Spurs ground: June 5, 7, 10, 12, 14 and 16. It's worth baring in mind that the gigs on June 7 and 10 are on Saturdays, so train times may be slightly varied, particularly if you're heading out of London after the show. Tube travel The nearest tube stations are Seven Sisters and Tottenham Hale, both of which are about a half hour walk from the stadium. These are also both on the Victoria line. If you are travelling into London, you can get on the Victoria line at several points in the centre of the city including King's Cross, Euston, and Victoria station. Be aware that both of these tube stations are likely to be very busy after the concert, so if you want to beat the crowds you may have to leave a couple of minutes before it ends. The choice between missing the end of the gig and waiting an hour to get on a train home is yours. The stadium notes that 'as the Victoria Line is expected to be very busy before and after each concert, fans should consider using the Piccadilly line', which connects via a free shuttle bus service. Additionally, on weekends there is a night tube service on both the Piccadilly and Victoria lines. Bus travel There are several TFL bus services which stop at or very near to the venue including the W3, 149, 259, 279 and 349. The stadium does caution that on the day of the concerts 'these routes will be subject to minor diversions' because of road closures for the event. There are also coach services from cities like Birmingham, Bristol, Manchester, Cardiff, and more. You will need to book these ahead of time. Full details including timetables, and a complete list of pick up/drop off locations can be found on the Big Green Coach's website here. Finally, there are free shuttle buses organised by the venue from Wood Green, connecting the stadium to the Piccadilly line, and Alexandra Palace Station, where Great Northern services stop. These drop you a five minute walk from Spurs stadium. You can book onto one of those here. Train/Overground travel The closest station to the venue is White Hart lane on the Weaver overground line. This provides direct access from Liverpool Street station. Greater Anglia train services also stop at Tottenham Hale and Northumberland Park stations. Neither Silver Street or Bruce Grove accept passengers after the concert for safety reasons. You can keep up to date with any disruptions or changes to travel on both the TFL and Greater Anglia websites.