What actually happens on a strike day
The Underground stops or runs a skeleton service. Buses and overground fill instantly. Ride-hail demand spikes, and prices with it — 2x and 3x multipliers are routine, and cars become scarce exactly when everyone needs one.
Our fares do not move. They are agreed at booking. A strike does not change the number, and neither does the weather, the traffic, or the hour.
Book early on strike days
Prices are fixed, but cars are finite. On announced strike days we fill up — book the day before if you can. Airport runs especially: the Piccadilly and Elizabeth lines carry an enormous share of Heathrow passengers, and when they stop, the roads are the only way.
Where people need us most on strike days
- Airport runs — Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, Luton, City
- Cross-London journeys that normally rely on two Tube lines
- Commutes from Kent, Essex and Surrey where the train into London still runs but the last mile does not
- Groups — one 8-seater instead of four surging ride-hails
Related
Rail strike affecting the airport? See our Gatwick strike guide and DLR strike guide.