Severely disrupted London Underground services have spurred Londoners to turn to bikes, buses and black cabs to make their way through the capital.
Tube workers are striking over pay and conditions, leading to the closure of most of the network.
Members of the Rail, Maritime And Transport union (RMT) are staging the walkout until Thursday.
The Elizabeth line and the Overground are operating but are expected to be much busier than usual, said Transport for London (TfL).
Cycle hire company Lime, which has more than 25 000 bikes across London, said it was working to keep as many of them in service.
Managing director Kaan Tas said the company knows from experience that demand surges during a strike and in preparation Lime was “stepping up” operations across the city.
These included a team on standby to keep vehicles in service with fresh batteries, repairs or rebalancing overcrowded bays.
There were also extra foot patrols in central London to keep high-demand areas clear and bikes available.
Chris Barnes travels into central London from Ramsgate on the Kent coast five days a week and said the strike would cause his daily journey to become a 6-hour round-trip.
He said he accepted Tube workers “were unhappy, but my sympathy has run out”.
NHS worker Rachel Edwards said she did not agree with the RMT’s demand for a 32-hour week, believing it to be “unrealistic”.
She added: “The country is in such a mess and we all need to pull together and not go on strike.”
Another traveller, Paul Weallans, described the strikes as “a fact of life in London” and hoped a resolution would “not be a long time coming”. (BBC)
