When the Tubes Strike

By Grant Misse

In most Social Studies courses in high school, students will cover topics of civil unrest at some point. And often, this will include talking about strikes. But in the United States, with our weaker unions and lack of support for social systems, we are not very well acquainted with what an active strike looks and feels like. But London is no stranger to this experience, and on Wednesday, March 15th, 2023, neither was I. In fact, all of us London Reviewers with our Oyster passes for all tubes in zones 1 and 2, suddenly found our newfound public transportation knowledge to be both inadequate and unhelpful in the midst of a tube strike.

In most of Europe, unions are much stronger and provide far more support for working communities than what we might find in the US. These stronger unions are also accompanied by positive and intentional relationships with the government so that strikes are organized in a way that provides inconvenience but not complete devastation when they occur. So while our Oyster Cards were not getting us anywhere on the tubes, we were still able to use buses, assuming they weren’t entirely full of true Londoners already. This particular strike occurred on Budget Day, in which provisions to working conditions were to be passed and put into action. These provisions were said to be “threats to working conditions and pensions” for workers. Though the government requested that the strike be called off, members of the Transport for London Union voted overwhelmingly in favor of the strike. And honestly, I respect the hustle. Nobody should threaten the working conditions and pensions of these essential workers. But also, what does a foreigner do in London during a tube strike? Explore. When you can’t go underground in one spot and pop up from another, you really begin to connect the pieces of what lies where. Now, those places may not be approachable. There are only so many one hour walks that one can take in a day, but the places you choose to go will be far more intentional.

After a long morning and afternoon in the Natural History Museum and the V&A, it came time to travel solo to a different part of London to visit a café and meet up with a friend. And I had to do so with no tubes nor internet connection, my biggest challenge of the trip was at hand. So I took some screenshots of my directions, and I made my way there. And after 45 minutes of speed walking and hoping I wouldn’t get pick pocketed, I arrived at my destination. And honestly, it was the most rewarding experience of the whole journey. For a moment there, I think I may have even looked like a true Londoner. So when the tubes strike, don’t panic. Take this time to explore on foot, and celebrate functioning unions and the protection of workers rights!

Favorite tube line? Circle

Did you ride the new Elizabeth Line? No

What was the most “Londoner” experience you had?

My favorite Londoner experience was taking a solo journey on Tube Strike day. This 45 minute walk was the most stressful and rewarding part of my journey as I navigated the city with neither Tubes nor internet connection.

What’s the weirdest lingo you encountered?

The Tube station called Goodge Street Station had me giggling every time I heard it.

Jillian is a first year student at KU studying Political Science and minoring in Spanish. She is also part of the LEAD Program. She loves to travel, read thrillers, and go on walks! Her favorite part of London was visiting The Tate Modern and The Victoria & Albert Museum.

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