Were you one of the smug ones yesterday who laughed in the face of the London tube strike? Who let out a sigh of relief when the TFL website said your station/tube line would be fine? Who jauntily skipped along on your usual journey only to find that TFL had maybe told a fib, and instead only chaos and angry commuters were running instead of a train? Yeah….us too!
After a nightmare journey yesterday and now in the second day of the strike, we’re pretty sure we’ve come up with some top tips to help reduce your travel woes and help place the London tube strike to the back of your mind:
#1 – Bus it up!
If you’re normally a train/tube worshiper, try hopping on one of London’s buses instead. Surprisingly swiftly (thank God for bus lanes!), these red knights in shining armour could save your bacon by getting you to work today. The best parts? You’ll probably be able to plan a journey door-door AND you’ll have 3G the entire way…#winning
#2 – Go space age
Driverless trains that run on an extensive line through the city may sound like something from a sci-fi movie, but these are in fact a reality. Head on down to your nearest DLR station and check them out for yourself! The DLR line seems to unaffected by the strike (*fingers crossed*) so why not use that as an excuse to try out these über cool, metal pod train thingys.
#3 – These boots were made for walking
Before you stop reading in utter disgust at the situation, hear us out! After years of travelling underground, you might be surprised as to how walkable a lot of tube journeys are around London. Save yourself the oyster fare, get a bit of exercise (don’t know about you, but we’re STILL trying to shift a bit of Christmas podge) and try walking. Apps like Citymapper are great for mapping out the best route, telling you how long it will take and even how many calories you burn. Perfect excuse to treat yourself to a bacon sandwich en route in to the office.
#4 – Variety is the spice of life
The tube strike could actually serve as a bit of a blessing in disguise, giving you the opportunity to try out some of the more alternative modes of transport the capital has to offer. London Rickshaw? Riverboat? Emirates airline? May not get you to work on time but at least you’ll be walking in to the office with a smile on your face.
#5 – Admit defeat
If after checking the Twitter feeds, standing in the cold at a bus stop for hours and getting an earful from your boss for your tardiness is enough to put you off enduring the whole fiasco again today (we don’t blame you!), set up camp in the front room and work from home…just make sure you’ve changed out of your PJs for that 11am client video call.