Transport in London
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Leggi e ascolta. Transport in London The quickest way to get around London is on the Underground or Tube, but there are lots of other ways to travel in the city, too. Double-decker buses London’s red double-decker buses are famous all over the world. The origins of the double-decker bus are from the 18th and 19th centuries when people often sat on top of their horse-drawn coaches! High Five Level 2 . Culture D pp. 206 – 207 © Oxford University Press PHOTOCOPIABLE Today, the London bus service is one of the largest in the world. Approximately 7,500 buses transport over 6 million passengers from Monday to Friday. On buses you can buy a ticket from the driver, but the majority of people use an Oyster card. It’s a prepaid smart card. A journey with an Oyster card is cheaper than buying a single ticket. London also has night buses. They usually have the letter ‘N’ before the bus number. Night buses are a cheap way to travel around London at night when the Tube closes. Black taxi cabs Black taxi cabs are another famous symbol of London. You can stop a black cab in the street. You can also book a black cab by phone, but that costs an extra £2. There are meters in the taxis and the minimum charge is £2.40. People usually give the driver a small tip at the end of the journey. British people use taxis quite often because they aren’t very expensive. High Five Level 2 . Culture D pp. 206 – 207 © Oxford University Press PHOTOCOPIABLE All taxi drivers in London take a test called The Knowledge. They have to memorise 320 routes across London and points of interest on the routes! These include hospitals, hotels, theatres, railway stations, police stations, churches and parks. Taxi drivers usually prepare for four years to take the test! They think The Knowledge is more useful than a Sat Nav for driving around London! Trains Train services connect London to all the big towns and cities in Britain and to some destinations in Europe. There are 12 large train stations in London. The largest and busiest station in London is Waterloo. Over 90 million passengers use it every year. The Eurostar connects London to Paris and Brussels. It departs from St Pancras International Train Station near King’s Cross. The train travels through a tunnel under the English Channel. It’s the second longest train tunnel in the world! The train can travel at 300 km an hour. Many tourists go to King’s Cross station to find platform 9¾. Harry Potter catches the train here to Hogwart’s school in the Harry Potter films. The platform doesn’t exist, but after the success of the films, there’s now a sign for it and tourists often take photos there. High Five Level 2 . Culture D pp. 206 – 207 © Oxford University Press PHOTOCOPIABLE.