I think the reason I’m still single with my thirty first birthday fast approaching is because I fell in love with the London Underground at eighteen years old.
I mean, who could measure up to the effectiveness, the coverage and reliability of this beautiful network? And okay, I’ve never spend more than a few days at a time in London and I’ve never had to rely on the Tube to get to work every day or had my day messed up by a delay or interruption to the system, so maybe its an absence makes the heart grows fonder situation.
The baseline Auckland Transport set
For someone who has had to rely on the Auckland Transport system for years, the London Underground is a dream come true. In Auckland, you’re lucky if the trains are running on the weekend. If they’re running on a long weekend, well, then a there’s been a massive administrative error because someone at Auckland Transport temporarily forgot they’re only interested in serving the 9 to 5 commuters.
Auckland also only has four lines, some of which only intersect with the rest of the network at one station, so if the line you’re on goes down just call in sick or work from home. Trying to go with a bus alternate from the far flung stations on the network deserves its own special circle of hell.
What Auckland Transport should aspire to be
With the London Underground you have options. Not just other lines, but a million busses. I’m sure that it’s still inconvenient and frustrating when your routine is interrupted but you can still get where you’re going, probably without doubling your travel time.
When I first came to London I still had a decent amount of vision and I was still driving. But even back then, I didn’t like driving and would rather walk or catch a bus, so I was already familiar with the low bar that Auckland’s public transport set. It was no wonder that I fell so hard and fast for the London network. I could get anywhere I wanted in London without feeling the pain of not having access to a car!
This time round, I’m older, blinder and bitter-er. And the Tube has lived up to my rose tinted memories plus some.
Nowadays I can’t really read the signs that tell me what station I’m at or which platform to go to. So even though apps like Citymapper and Google Maps mean I don’t have to pour over a paper map of the underground network, the stations are more confusing than ever. I was prepared for this, i figured I’d just take things slow and get up close and personal with the signs on the wall so I could read them. But it turns out I don’t need to do that!
The Angels of the underground
I always look lost when I enter a station, partly because my eyes take forever to adjust to the new lighting environment, partly because I’m trying to find the signs I need to get close to and partly because I almost always look lost no matter where I am or what I’m doing – I think there’s something about the shape of my face that makes me look mildly confused at all times.
My lost look paired with the white cane makes me a beacon to the station employees. In under a minute, I have someone asking me if I want assistance and where I’m going.
I answer in the affirmative and disclose my destination. Not only do they escort me to the right platform, they make sure I get on the right train, inform the driver I’m there and call ahead to my destination station so someone is there to meet me at the train door. That person then escorts me as far as they are allowed to. They’re not technically allowed to leave the station, and I don’t want to get anyone in trouble, but one person went so far as getting me all the way to my hostel the day I arrived in London, which was across the road from the station.
These people are amazing. They are angels. They are friendly, professional and well trained. Not only do they get me where I need to go safely and with minimum fuss, they manage to do it without making me feel like I’m having my of autonomy taken away. They go the metaphorical extra mile and the literal extra 200 metres. I love them.
They also refer to me as a “VIP” when making their walkie-talkie calls and not gonna lie, I like it!
There is no such thing as perfection
Maybe, if I’d had to find my way around the stations by myself this time around I would have fallen out of love with the network a bit, but now we’ll never know!
The closest thing to a problem I’ve had on the tube this time round in London was the one time the announcements weren’t working in the car I was in, but thanks to being able to use my phone to take pictures, I still managed to get off at the right station. And now I have pictures for this post!
Londoners have a treasure under their feet
I hope the residents of London know and appreciate what they have in the Underground network, if not all the time then at least occasionally. I hope that if anyone ever threatens to take it away, they riot. I hope every person whose job it is to assist me, and others like me, in the Underground experiences some small piece of good luck every day.
The London Underground is the absolute best!
