25 years of achievements: the Croydon tram network is among the top improvements of the past quarter century for transport in London
2000 – Croydon tram system launched. Transport for London formally took ownership of the Croydon Tramlink system on June 30, 2008, after acquiring Tramtrack Croydon Limited for £98million. In 25 years, London’s only tram network has carried more than 590million passengers
2002 – TfL’s online Journey Planner launched, the first multi-modal system of its kind in the country, allowing customers to plan journeys across several transport modes – bus, Tube, rail, bicycles and tram
2003 – The Oyster smart card was introduced
2004 – TfL’s education programmes, now known as TfL Travel for Life, have supported more than 3million children to travel towards a brighter, safer and more sustainable future
2005 – TfL’s entire fleet of buses became fully wheelchair accessible
2005 – The introduction of free travel for children on TfL services
Innovation: TfL’s Oyster cards were introduction in 2003
2006 – The launch of Baby on Board badges
2008 – The first wide aisle ticket gates were installed at Tube stations as part of TfL’s commitment to make the Underground accessible for wheelchair users, older people, parents with children and travellers with luggage
2008 – Priority seating launched, encouraging customers to give up seats for pregnant women, as well as people with disabilities or those less able to stand, making travel easier and safer for all
2009 – iBus was fully rolled out. iBus gave London next stop audio and signs, information on all buses and live information on apps and website
2010 – The first ever air-conditioned, fully walk-through Tube train on the Metropolitan line came into service, designed to make life easier for people with disabilities and keep customers more comfortable
2010 – Since 2010, more than 137million journeys have been made on TfL cycle hire bikes, which are now called Santander Cycles. The scheme now includes e-bikes and has doubled the number of cycle hire points across the city since its introduction. Still nuffink in Croydon, though
2010 – London’s streets become the first in England to trial pedestrian countdown technology, which tells pedestrians how long they have to safely cross the road
2012 – TfL helped millions to attend the 2012 London Olympic and Paralympic Games and kept the rest of the city moving
Olympic effort: London’s 2012 Games venues were were linked by London’s transport network
2012 – TfL introduced manual boarding ramps on the Tube to significantly improve accessibility in advance of the Paralympic Games
2016 – The Night Tube launched – with 7.8million passengers in the first 12 months
2016 – The introduction of the Hopper fare – unlimited bus and tram journeys within an hour of first touching in, for the price of a single fare
2019 – The first Cycleway launched in 2019, and today London’s cycling network spans almost 250 miles, the same length as the Tube network. Still a bit lacking in Croydon, though…
2019 – TfL launched the world’s first lorry safety scheme (Direct Vision Standard Scheme) to help improve the visibility of people walking, cycling or riding e-scooters or motorcycles. Since its introduction, fatal collisions have fallen by 49%
2021 – The Northern line was extended to Battersea Power Station and Nine Elms – the first major Tube extension this century – enhancing access to transport for customers
All aboard: the Elizabeth line proved an instanrt success, if a little late in delivery
2022 – The Elizabeth line launched, increasing rail capacity by 10%, the biggest increase in the capital in 70 years and creating the country’s most popular railway service, while providing a more convenient link between Croydon and Heathrow
2023 – ULEZ London-wide expansion
2024 – The 18-25 Care Leaver Oyster photocard was introduced
2024 – The first phase of the Superloop was completed, connecting outer London boroughs more quickly with express bus services
2025 – The 2,000th zero-emission bus launched on London’s network
Read more: It’s a wrap!: TfL rolls out special designs for 25th anniversary
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