A tube strike shut down London on Wednesday night, leaving millions of work commuters to fend for themselves on Thursday morning.
The BBC reported that subway unions are unhappy with the conditions offered for the Night Tube service, which is due to commence next month. After failing to reach an agreement with the management, workers walked off the job starting Wednesday evening around 6:30 p.m.
Roughly 250 extra buses were pumped into city streets on Thursday morning to help ease the commute, however very long lines were in store for those willing to wait for one.
Many commuters switched to cars, taxis, and other for-hire vehicles like Uber, however London was congested to the point of gridlock for much of the morning, frustrating their efforts. Still others took to the hundreds of bicycles the city offers for a £2 rental fee, some rollerbladed to work, and at least one penny farthing was spotted.
The last tube strike came on July 8, and snarled the city much worse than this time around.
"With many Londoners away on holiday and no school runs, the roads were not as congested this morning as they were during the last strike four weeks ago," a TomTom spokesman noted.
According to The Guardian, London mayor Boris Johnson said he would not negotiate with "bonedheaded" unions while they were "holding a gun to commuters’ heads." In reply, the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) called Johnson a "buffoon."
Critics have said that extending tube service into the night will only benefit rowdy partygoers, however the mayor pushed back on that criticism, saying it is aimed at shift workers who currently face very lengthy commutes by bus.
"These are not party animals, not just people going home after a night out, they are the working people of London," the mayor told BBC radio,
according to The Daily Mail.
Speaking about the offer made to the unions, he said, "I am not going to authorize any more money. Most people would recognize that this is a very generous deal."