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London on the rails: Tube voted world's best transport
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by Kaitlin | October 4, 2007 at 08:32 am
1047 views | 13 Recommendations | 3 comments
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How do you create the world's best public transport? Well, you start with a system that has no air conditioning, has been bombed, costs too much, and doesn't run past 1am. Sound ideal to you? Well, it is according to TripAdvisor.com users, who voted the London transport system the best in the world. It might be the tourist angle--your average tourist probably isn't going to use the tube at weird hours or be in London long enough to experience the inefficiencies of the system. Still, it seems strange that a system that I've heard so much negative info about should score the top spot (which one of us can't conjure images of the 2005 tube bombings?).
Our resident traveler, jordan, tells me that the London tube system has basically been "carved up" into semi-privatized chunks (though it's still governed by a larger body). This has made the system far less effective, on the whole, than this survey would have you believe. What's the real story here, I wonder? Are they just trying to sell London travel packages? Or is this the real deal?
It's hard to find much info about their survey practices, but a quick look at TripAdvisor's about page reveals that the company, which touts itself as a people-powered, travel opinion site, is actually a subsidiary of travel sales site Expedia.com.
New York City's transit system was voted second in the poll.
World travellers have voted London the best city for public transport, for the second year running.London also topped the poll, by holiday review site TripAdvisor, for having the safest public transport, best subway or Metro system, and the best taxis.
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at 08:43 on October 4th, 2007
Considering its age, the Tube is not bad. My main problem with it is cost versus service: the London Underground is breathtakingly expensive for public transport, especially in a city where folks are encouraged to leave the car at home. From what I see, a huge chunk of the Tube's budget goes towards enforcement of its six-zone system (not counting the extra mini-zones up on the Metropolitan Line). The renovations are quite uneven, with the Central Line being all 21st-Century and the District Line looking rather vintage, for example.
at 09:23 on October 4th, 2007
Kaitlin, I like this story. It's good stuff. And thanks for the photo request, I'm happy to help. I used the underground quite a bit while i was in London, and found it easy to navigate but kind of pricey. It was the easiest way around tho, and the oyster card made all the difference.
at 00:01 on October 5th, 2007
There is a way to save money on the tube. Locals buy an "Oyster card" but it is not exclusive to them. You just have to work out how it er ...mmm...well.. umm .. works - and on that I admit defeat! The reason the tube should not win this vote is the lack of elevators or escalators to ground level - particularly at main line railway terminals. Travellers hauling their heavy luggage up steps at Victoria Station might not agree with this award. Disabled people cannot use it at all. They built this thing in 1868 and it shows!