Transport for London

(England Twitter)-Transport for London (TfL) is the local government body responsible for most aspects of the transport system in Greater London in England. Its role is to implement the transport strategy and to manage transport services across London. Its head office is in the Windsor House in the City of Westminster.

Organisation

TfL is organised in three main directorates and corporate services, each with responsibility for different aspects and modes of transport. The three main directorates are:

London Underground, responsible for running London's underground rail network, commonly known as the tube, and managing the provision of maintenance services by the private sector. This network is sub-divided into three service delivery units:

BCV: Bakerloo, Central, Victoria and Waterloo & City lines

JNP: Jubilee, Northern and Piccadilly lines

SSR (Sub Surface Railway): Metropolitan, District, Circle and Hammersmith & City lines

London Rail, responsible for:

Co-ordination with the operators that provide National Rail service within London.

London Overground, although actual operation is undertaken by a private sector franchisee and maintenance by Network Rail.

History

TfL was created in 2000 as part of the Greater London Authority by the Greater London Authority Act 1999. It gained most of its functions from its predecessor London Regional Transport in 2000. It did not take over responsibility for the London Underground until 2003, after the controversial Public-private partnership (PPP) contract for maintenance had been agreed. Management of the Public Carriage Office had previously been a function of the Metropolitan Police.

Alcohol ban

On 1 June 2008, the drinking of alcoholic beverages was banned on Tube and London Overground trains, buses, trams, Docklands Light Railway and all stations across London. Carrying open containers of alcohol was also banned on public transport. The Mayor of London and TfL announced the ban with the intention of providing a safer and more pleasant experience for passengers.

There were "Last Round on the Underground" parties on the night before the ban came into force. Until bylaws are altered to incorporate the ban the only enforcement action available is confiscation of the alcohol and/or ejection from the London Transport network

Docklands Light Railway: normally abbreviated DLR, this is the automatically driven light rail network in east London, although actual operation and maintenance is undertaken by a private sector franchisee.

London Trams, responsible for managing London's tram network, by contracting to private sector operators. At present the only tram system is Tramlink in south London, but others are proposed.

Surface transport, consisting of:

London Buses, responsible for managing the red bus network throughout London, largely by contracting services to private sector bus operators. Incorporating CentreComm, London Buses Command & Control Centre, a 24hour Emergency Control Centre based in Southwark.

London Dial-a-Ride, which provides paratransit services throughout London.

London River Services, responsible for licensing and coordinating passenger services on the River Thames within London.

London Streets, responsible for the management of London's strategic road network.

London congestion charge.

Public Carriage Office, responsible for licensing the famous black cabs and other private hire vehicles.

Victoria Coach Station, which owns and operates London's principal terminal for long distance bus and coach services.

Cycling Centre of Excellence, which promotes cycling in London and manages the contract with Serco for the Barclays Cycle Hire scheme

Walking, which promotes better pedestrian access.

London Road Safety Unit, which promotes safer roads through advertising and road safety measure.

Community Safety, Enforcement and Policing, responsible for tackling fare evasion on buses, delivering policing services that tackle crime and disorder on public transport in cooperation with the Metropolitan Police Service's Transport Operational Command Unit (TOCU) and the British Transport Police.

Traffic Enforcement, responsible for enforcing traffic and parking regulations on the red routes

Freight Unit, which is currently developing the "London Freight Plan" and is involved with setting up and supporting a number of Freight Quality Partnerships covering key areas of London.

Transport for London's roundels.

Each of the main units has its own corporate identity, formed by differently-coloured versions of the standard roundel logo and adding appropriate lettering across the horizontal bar. The roundel rendered in blue without any lettering represents TfL as a whole (see Transport for London logo), as well as used in situations where lettering on the roundel is not possible (such as bus receipts, where a logo is a blank roundel with the name "London Buses" to the right). The same range of colours is also used extensively in publicity and on the TfL website.