UP DOWN LONDON

FAQ

What is this all about?

This is a one stop source of broken lifts in London's transport system. We use data provided by TfL's open data project and monitor their Twitter accounts. We report tube, Overground, Crossrail and DLR lifts. We don't report National Rail lifts.

Why does this site exist?

Because TfL does not provide the data in a single accessible place and we were massively inspired by Vienna.

Why are you doing this?

Well, we are geeks. And we think a page like this is useful for disabled people, people with mobility issues, buggy users and everybody else who prefers using lifts.

Who are you?

We are two transport geeks with a passion for accessibility. Christiane Link is a journalist, wheelchair user and accessibility campaigner. Kirk Northrop is a developer who likes to use his skills to make people's lives easier.

What can I do if a lift is out of service?

If a lift is out of service, TfL can help you to re-plan your route. You can call them or contact a member of staff at a station.

If it is a London Underground lift which is out of service, TfL may provide a taxi to reach your destination.

Circumstances where TfL may provide a taxi to help you to reach your destination include:

• If a lift is out of service due to a planned closure or a failure at a step-free station, and there is not a single accessible bus route which will take you to an alternative accessible station to continue your journey.
• If there is a line closure and the provided rail replacement bus service or local bus service does not connect to an alternative accessible station where you can continue your journey.
• If there is a line closure and the rail replacement bus service is not accessible to you.

If you arrive at a station and are unable to exit because lifts or escalators and escalators are not available, staff should assist you to plan a journey to a point where you can exit the network and will then apply the guidelines above to help you to reach your destination.

These guidelines also apply if you are a guide dog user and London Underground were unable to switch off escalators to allow you and your dog to walk up and down because doing so would be unsafe for the operation of the station.

You can find the policy here.

Why is this broken lift not on your list?

We rely on data provided by TfL. If they don't know it yet, we can't know it either.

Can I use your data for my own website / app / etc?

Yes, it should be okay but please contact us before so we can provide you with our machine readable feed. We might even be able to help you with your integration.

How often do you update?

The site updates with the current information every minute. The time the page was generated is displayed at the bottom for reference.

Is the northbound or the southbound lift broken?

We'd love to know this too but unfortunately this information is not always provided by TfL.

Do you have a Twitter account?

Yes. You find it here. Follow @TubeLifts

Do you have a RSS feed?

Not quite yet, although this should be available soon.

How can I contact you?

Email or Tweet to @TubeLifts