London commuters turn to bikes and boats as Tube strike enters second day

By Sam Tabahriti

LONDON (Reuters) -Commuters in London turned to bikes, buses and boats on Tuesday as a staff strike shut down the capital’s underground “Tube” network for a second day.

With almost no underground trains running until Friday, demand for shared bike services and river transport surged as Londoners looked for alternative ways to get to work, causing longer journeys and crowding on other parts of the transport network.

The London-based Centre for Economics and Business Research estimates the strike will have a direct impact on the London economy of 230 million pounds ($310 million), and cost millions more indirectly.

Lime, which operates electric bikes across the city, said it saw a 58% increase in trips during Monday’s morning peak compared with the same period a week ear