Ahead of the cable car’s launch Transport for London boasted it could carry 2,500 passengers per hour in each direction but the scheme has been plagued by low ridership numbers.
Closures forced by bad weather, high prices and the scheme’s exclusion from the capital’s Oyster card and season ticket system mean it has never fulfilled predictions of becoming a regular transport mode for commuters.
TfL’s in-house polling reveals passengers overwhelmingly use it as a leisure activity, with few planning to make a return trip.
However last week’s combination of good weather and the bank holiday weekend saw a marked increase in ridership, with passenger numbers doubling from 25,696 the previous week to 55,054 – the highest level since the August bank holiday weekend.
