Strikes by the RMT union have closed the London Underground, with people crowding on to other transport and roads congested at the start of four days of commuter misery.
Transport for London’s website was out of action for much of the morning as commuters in the capital looked for alternative routes to work.
Buses and the Elizabeth line were taking the strain, with queues to board other modes of transport around London, as strikes by tube train and station staff left virtually the entire underground network suspended.
Roads in many places were congested, adding considerable time to bus journeys as well as for those turning to private cars and taxis.
Monday marked the first of four days of expected total shutdown of the tube in central London due to the strikes, which started in places on Friday with minimal disruption.
Very limited tube services on the outer, above-ground stretches of the Central, Northern and Metropolitan line started running later in the morning.
The London Overground and most national rail services also continued to operate, although some major rail interchanges such as Farringdon were closed because of the RMT action.
TfL’s online journey planner and its TfL Go app struggled under the weight of searches, failing to load and returning error messages or no results early on Monday morning.
The worst impact for congestion and transport is expected on Tuesday, as more Londoners still typically work from home on Mondays and Fridays.
Docklands Light Railway trains will not run on Tuesday or Thursday because of strikes arising in a separate dispute.
The ride hailing app Uber warned users of higher fares because of increased demand. Rides were quoted at multiples of normal levels, with some journeys costing about £50 for a five-mile trip in the capital.
About 10,000 members of the RMT are taking part in industrial action in the tube row, as the union attempts to secure a shorter working week as part of pay negotiations.
TfL has made a pay offer of 3.4%, which it urged the union to put to its members in a fresh ballot. It has said it cannot meet demands to cut hours below the current 35 a week.
Claire Mann, the TfL chief operating officer, said: “We are bitterly disappointed that the RMT has chosen to go ahead with this action despite our fair, affordable pay offer. We have been clear that their demand for a reduction in the working week is unaffordable and impractical, and we urge them to put our offer to their members.
“We know how economically damaging strike action can be for businesses, especially in the hospitality and leisure sectors, and have worked extremely hard to deliver as much service as possible to keep London moving despite the strike action this morning.
“We will continue to do so throughout this week but we are unable to say with certainty what that service will look like on a day-to-day basis due to the different groups of staff striking on each day. We will ensure that our website and real-time travel tools, including TfL Go, are updated so customers can plan their journeys.”
An RMT spokesperson said: “We are not going on strike to disrupt small businesses or the public. This strike is going ahead because of the intransigent approach of TfL management and their refusal to even consider a small reduction in the working week in order to help reduce fatigue and the ill-health effects of long-term shift work on our members.”
Support for the union came from the 4 Day Week Foundation. Joe Ryle, its campaign director, said: “It’s a bold and necessary stand, and these workers deserve widespread support. The five-day week is a century-old model that no longer reflects how we live and work today.”
Underground services are not expected to resume until 8am on Friday should the strikes continue.
