London: The Cloud Cable Car in London, which cost about £60 million to build, is not being used much during the early morning hours. It only carries around four passengers each hour from 7 am to 8 am.
From August 2023 to August 2024, the cable car had an average of four trips in each direction during this time. Transport for London (TfL) is now planning to cut the morning opening hours by two hours starting December 1.
Currently, the cable car starts at 7 am on weekdays. However, during the first hour, it averages just one trip every fifteen minutes, even though a car arrives every thirty seconds. This means it is only using 0.8% of its total capacity.
The Dangleway opened in June 2012 and connects North Greenwich to the Royal Docks in just ten minutes. In its early days, it had about 20 commuters in the morning, or one every three minutes.
TfL wants to change the opening times. From Monday to Thursday, the start time will shift from 7 am to 8 am. On Fridays, it will start at 9 am instead of 7 am. Saturdays will also see a later start, while Sundays will remain the same.
These changes will be part of the new autumn and winter timetable starting December 1. After 8 am, the cable car is popular, attracting tens of thousands of passengers each week.
TfL’s data shows that weekly passenger numbers have varied greatly, from about 11,410 to 49,014. Since it opened, the cable car has seen over 14 million trips.
TfL mentioned that running a nearly empty service is not good for the environment or finances. They are adjusting the opening times to better match demand and improve service reliability.
For those needing to travel before 8 am after December 1, a new shuttle bus will operate between the Greenwich Peninsula and the Royal Docks, using the new Silvertown Tunnel set to open in 2025.
Image Credit: metro.co.uk