Passenger service that is awful - and excellent

Passenger service that is awful - and excellent

• Steve Browne, 34, from Leigh-on-Sea, Essex. Works for BT marketing. Takes Circle line from Tower Hill to Farringdon
  Some days the tube is excellent; on others it can be a 15 minute wait for a tube from Tower Hill so it's almost worth walking for 20 minutes instead.
  It isn't too overcrowded, but the trains and stations are tatty. I've been travelling by tube for about 10 years - it improved a bit about two years ago, but it's going back downhill now.
  I don't think PPP will work, I just don't think the investment will be there. The plan Ken Livingstone had was better - at least it was already proven to work in New York. I think it'll end up like the British Rail privatisation. Safety will not be improved.
  I think the government row about PPP was petty. It seemed the government wanted to go against Ken Livingstone and now they don't want to look as if they are backing down.

• Jan Trinnaman, 20, psychology student from north London. Victoria line from Seven Sisters to King's Cross, then Circle line to Farringdon
  I take the tube as there's no other option for getting into university every day.
  I don't find it too bad, but the Circle line is always quite packed. The trains are quite messy and I don't often travel at night as there are lots of drunks and I feel a bit scared.
  I try not to think about the safety issues because I have to get on a train every day.

• Chris Whitehouse, 48. Civil servant from north London. Victoria line from Seven Sisters to King's Cross
  I've had no problems travelling this morning, and the service is usually good. On occasion there are delays, but no more than usual.
  Sometimes there are long queues at the ticket windows - the tube does seem short of staff.
  I'm not completely convinced about PPP. There have been too many doubts voiced, but the government just stands up and says PPP is the greatest thing on earth, ignoring the other voices.
  I think PPP will put more money into the tube, but it's where the money is invested that is important. The problem is that private firms have their shareholders to think of. The reason why many people are wary of PPP is because of the mess on the railways. We need to be convinced that that won't happen again.

• Vanessa Blackstock, 31. Secretary from Wood Green, London. Piccadilly line from Wood Green to King's Cross, then Circle line to Farringdon
  My journey this morning was the same as usual: overcrowded, hot and smelly. I had no seat as usual. We're not animals, but we're being transported like them. It's diabolical. If there was an accident on the tube there would be a hell of a lot of lives lost.
  Privatisation hasn't improved British Rail so I don't think PPP is going to make the tube any better. It's just going to make it more money orientated.
  I back Ken Livingstone more over the tube issue than I do the government. Whoever runs the tube needs to ask more questions and listen to the people that use it. The decisions need to come from them, but even so it will take years to make the service better.

• David Fritz, 44. Manager from Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire. Infrequent tube user
  I tend to use the tube to cover large distances that are inconvenient to travel by bus. I work in Mornington Crescent and take the train from there to Euston. But I always prefer to walk from there rather than take the tube.
  I avoid the tube if possible because it's smelly and unpleasant and sporadic.
  The tube is reasonably priced compared to trains, but compared to buses it is quite extortionate. It is unbelievable that the government has gone with PPP after the experience the country has had with privatisation and public transport.
  I'm from Switzerland, and public transport works there. People use it, it's clean and it's punctual. It takes money and commitment to make a public service work - you just can't get it on the cheap.
  After PPP I think things are going to get worse - fares will go up and the infrastructure will deteriorate further.

• Andrew Belton, 39. General sales manager from Reigate, Surrey. Victoria line from Victoria to Oxford Circus and Central line to Chancery Lane
  This morning we were crowded in like sardines. We always are. But I think the tube is fantastic. It's just a victim of its own popularity.
  I'm quite a big fan of the tube but I think it needs extreme long-term investment. I think it should be taken out of politicians' hands, but not put wholly into the hands of private companies because money is always going to be a key driver if private companies are involved.
  
• Zuzana Slobodova, 54. Interpreter from Bayswater, central London. Central line from Bayswater to Chancery Lane
  My journey was all right this morning, but sometimes it can be hair-raising.
  Under PPP I think tube prices will rise, as they did with the trains. It might be that elements of London Underground could be privatised, but I think that needs to be researched thoroughly. In general it should stay in public hands.
  I'm concerned about safety on the tube, I always try to sit in the middle of the train. I think the tube needs a new safety system, especially after September 11. Tube stations seem to be vulnerable to terrorism.