August 2015 TfL Tube strike chaos: These companies are helping you get through the Tube strike
The Tube strike starts tonight (5 August) at 6:30pm and will last until Friday morning. While Transport for London is doing its best to issue travel advice and digital companies are offering help to avoid the queues, we are going to need a little bit extra to get through the next couple of days.
These companies are helping you get through the Tube strike by offering free stuff to make the whole situation a little bit more bearable.
Free buses
Travel app Ample is offering free rides between Liverpool Street and Kings Cross on a red double-decker bus, decked out with free wifi, power and refreshments on the journey.
The Ample bus will be running from 4-8pm today (Wednesday 5th August). Anyone can get a free ride along the entire route – to find out more follow Ample’s twitter account @getample.
Ample is a London based start-up that is working to develop a ‘digital Oyster’ app for use in Black Cabs.
Read more: This is your Tube strike survival kit
Free showers
Thinking of running or cycling in instead of battling with the buses? Fitness First is offering free showers for London commuters who get hot and sweaty during the Tube strike
Walk, run or cycle to work this Thursday and show your Oyster Card in your nearest Fitness First club so you can shower off or train in the gym free of charge.
Use the hashtag ##FFKeepMoving to find out more.
These are the participating clubs:
Oxford Circus – 15 Great Marlborough Street W1V 1AF
London Bridge- London Bridge Hotel 8-18, London Bridge Street, SE1 9SG
Tottenham Court Road – 179a Tottenham Court Road W1T 7PA
Charing Cross – Concourse level 1 Embankment Place WC2N 6NN
Liverpool Street – Platform 17-18, Unit 12, Liverpool Street Station EC2M 7PY
Bishopsgate – 47 Bishopsgate EC2N 4AJ
Clapham Junction – 34 St Johns Hill Clapham Junction Station SW11 1SA
Brixton – Blue Star House 234-244 Stockwell Road, Brixton, SW9 9SP
Angel – 361-373 City Road EC1V 1LR
Camden – 128 Albert Street, Camden, NW1 7NE
High Holborn – 246 High Holborn WC1V 7EX
Old Street – 60 Featherstone Street, EC1Y 8NQ
Carnaby – 59 Kingly Street
Free chocolate
This might not help you get home any quicker, but taxi app Gett is offering free chocolate deliveries to frustrated commuters in need of a sugar fix. Anyone living or working in the City, Shoreditch, Clerkenwell, Knightsbridge, Chelsea, Belgravia and Kensington can use the service between 10am and 3pm.
The business also offers an on-demand champagne service. Sadly you have to pay for the pleasure, but we can well imagine a Tube-based emergency that could prompt the call.
Follow @Gett_UK for more information
Cheap booze
Yes please. Soho-based restaurant Pierre Victoire is offering 50 per cent of a bottle of wine with your meal if you show them the picture from the tweet below. Assuming you can get there of course…
https://twitter.com/Pierre_Victoire/status/628945673501716480
Cheap Cabs
Addison Lee will keep their prices the same during London Tube strike, even if they take longer to complete. The cab firm will increase the fees paid to drivers to encourage more drivers to be available for jobs.
Addison Lee will pay drivers for cancelled jobs and waive its admin fee for cash and credit card bookings.
Free rickshaws
Mobile payments app Payfriendz is offering free rickshaw rides throughout the city. Commuters can request their free rickshaw ride by downloading the app and messaging #SurviveTheStrike which will appear in your contact list.
The Payfriendz app is available on iOS and Android.
Money off London hotels
If you really can't face the journey one way or the other, last minute booking app Hotel Tonight is offering £30 off, in conjunction with Londonist readers. The full details are here.