More than 2,000 employees of Transport For London (TfL) are paid over £100,000 annually, according to recent data. Of these, 65 individuals earn more than the Prime Minister's salary.
The number of TfL staff with a six-figure basic salary increased by 15% in the past year, reaching 617 employees before bonuses. This figure includes 217 workers on the London Underground. When overtime and bonuses are factored in, the total number of TfL staff earning over £100,000 rises to 2,048.
Sixty-five employees received more than £180,000 in total compensation during the period, surpassing the Prime Minister's earnings. TfL Commissioner Andy Lord was the highest earner, with a total package of £635,533, which included a £172,222 bonus. This amount is nine times the median wage within the organization. Lord's earnings were slightly lower than the previous year when he earned £640,000.
Helen Chapman, formerly the director of licensing and regulation, was the second-highest earner with a wage of £430,098. However, £302,593 of this amount was compensation for loss of employment following her departure due to issues with minicab driver license issuance.
TfL, chaired by London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan, employs approximately 28,000 people and manages most of the city's public transport system. The average salary for Tube drivers is around £73,700, which is approximately £25,000 more than the median salary in London. Senior station staff earn around £45,000, while junior station staff make approximately £36,000.
In the 2024/25 period, 2,217 TfL employees earned over £100,000 including bonuses, attributed to significant backdated pay. This follows a 3.4% pay rise for tube workers last year as part of a three-year agreement.
TfL employees are also entitled to free travel on the network for themselves and a nominated family member or partner living at the same address.
Recent industrial action has impacted services, with tube strikes in June causing significant disruptions, including long queues for alternative transport. Further strikes by Tube drivers were called off in May. These potential walkouts were related to a proposal for a four-day week with condensed hours for Tube drivers. The RMT union expressed concerns that this plan could lead to increased fatigue and compromise safety, characterizing it as a "fake four-day week" that could reduce shift pattern flexibility and lengthen working hours. TfL stated that the changes are voluntary and deemed the walkouts "absolutely unnecessary."
The proposal to reduce the working week from 36 to 35 hours was accepted by the Aslef union but rejected by the RMT leadership. Aslef noted that the proposal would grant drivers an additional 35 days off annually in exchange for minor changes to working conditions.