This book tells the story of London’s transport network from the post-war period until the start of the 21st century in a novel way. It takes the passengers’ perspective to explain fares, services and competitors through a new, accessible and challenging set of arguments, describing the users’ experience.
To achieve this, the book approaches London’s commuters in the three ways that they have been seen by politicians and transport operators: as passive passengers, recipients of a service designed for them by experts; as active citizens, prepared to be directly involved in running a transport network; and as discerning customers with choices about where, when and how they travel.
The period covered by the book saw these viewpoints move in and out of fashion, and since each was intrinsically linked to politics and represented a complete prescription for how a transport system should work, the clashes were dramatic and had palpable effects on the daily experience of millions of travellers.
50 black & white photos. 224 pages.