tfl.gov.uk (tfl.gov.uk)

Member Name: carlmcq

Product:	tfl.gov.uk
Date:	02/09/09 (131 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: A great website for anyone in London

Disadvantages: None!

Anyone who's ever been stuck on a tube or in a traffic jam in the capital, for no seemingly apparent reason at times, will know that Transport for London can be a frustrating industry. But credit where credit's due; their website - tfl.gov.uk - provides you with all the details you need to know, regardless of whether you're going by tube, bus, DLR, tram, river or even on foot.

The home page gives you a plethora of information that can seem a little daunting to first time users - the index running along the top of the page is predominantly what you'll be looking for - Live Travel News, Getting Around and Tickets. Also on the homepage are the statuses of all the London Underground lines, warning you of any closures or delays, various strategies being run by TFL at present - "Cycle Friday" is on the website as I type, and the ability to register your Oyster cardin case you lose it, and top-up online - something I've never done as there's plenty of places to do so in the streets of London, but something I can see as a convenience for people constantly 'on the go'.

The Live Travel News page gives you further in-depth details of the Underground circuit, as well as planned engineering work which I know frustrates thousands of Londoners and visitors during the weekends, and will do for some years to come as they attempt to upgrade the entire system. But there's also details on bus routes for example - providing any details about services that are being disrupted by road works and/or diversions.

On the Getting Around page, there's a superb service which gives you details of how to get from A to B anywhere in London. The Journey Planner option is something I use regularly - it can also be found on the homepage if you wish to 'leave now'. Just by typing in a place, postcode or station it will provide you with the best route to complete your journey.

For example, just by typing in a bus route or details of a bus stop, it can provide you with thorough timetables and inform you of any diversions in place on the route. Something that can be a godsend if you travel by bus to and from work for example. Maps are also available for Tube, Buses, DLR, River, Trams and Rail, all of which are clear pdf files which you can download and keep for your convenience. Also included in this section are timetables and departure boards, along with information for walkers, cyclists and, dare I even suggest it, car users in London. There's also tips on using taxis throughout the capital, and list of numbers for certified taxi providers.

On the Tickets section, there's an in-depth breakdown of all the fares for various types of public transport, as well as explaining what exactly an Oyster Card is for example and how you can benefit from using it. It also includes details about penalty fares and refunds should you need information on them.

There's also a Road users link on the main index, which enables road users to pay their Congestion Charge and gives them information of red routes and low-emissions zones around London. Unsurprisingly this page also gives information on cycling around the city and leaving the car at home.

There's also a Corporate section to the website - something that many won't need to visit, but it does include press releases and details of any jobs with TFL, along with various other bits of information about TFL such as important people and their ongoing improvement schemes and querky features such as "did you know that the London Underground has appeared in loads of Hollywood films".

Unfortunately London's public transport system often leaves many people stood still in delays. It is a massive, complex system however, so anything that provides as much details about it as possible can only be a good thing. tfl.gov.uk does just that - in essense, you should never leave home without checking it...for fear of being delayed. Hey, it's London - you wouldn't want it any other way!!

Summary: An in-depth website on London's transport