This is not as much an article as it is a complaint.. .as you readers may already know I am quite good when it comes to writing critical articles which can have negative consequences on my relation with students and teachers. However, I can no longer keep my mouth shut... the tube as it is commonly called provides such poor service at such high rates, that it is time that someone spoke their mind on the subject.

Let' s face it how many times have we gotten into trouble for arriving late to class, when in fact it was the tube's fault: How many times have you been delayed because of signal failures, problems in the actual station, or just because some moron decided to jump on the rails? In the same manner, have you noticed the problems caused by tube strikes, and God knows how often they are on strike. Let's face it, the customer is not getting his money's worth.

On the subject of money, the ministry of transport calculated that one mile on the tube cost as much as one mile on the Concorde.. .so this is what I have to say... save your pennies, don't use the tube, and save up for a trip on the Concorde in a couple of years, it could be worth your while. Personally I'd rather spend three hours in a luxurious setting and go to New York, rather than half an hour smelling the underarm odour of the construction worker standing next to me and shoving me every time the train has to make a turn... London Underground should at the very least provide us with deodorant cans to spray on these people. Furthermore, what is the deal with the last tube gig? Aren't people allowed to go out afterwards? Or is it too much to ask for a 24-hour service? I don't understand why they would not keep the trains running and hire more people, wouldn't this kind of measure create jobs needed by some people? Nevertheless, this is London Underground, one cannot expect much from them if one were to consider the situation up to date.

Moreover, the service is dreadful, and definitely does not justify the price that London Underground charges. I remember seeing a woman asking a London Underground staff member for assistance at Victoria: She asked how to get to Tottenham Court Road, the woman told her to take the Victoria line, and said she could access the train from any entrance... however as soon as she validated her ticket, the woman found out she could not take the Victoria line train from where she was, and told the staff person who assisted her, but the latter refused to reimburse her, and walked oft the woman had to use her ticket to get out, and was forced to purchase a new one... What happened to serving the customer?

Dear reader these are but a few negative points of the tube, it has a monopoly (if one does not take into account the bus), we cannot do anything but complain, or as I am trying to do: Boycott the underground when possible. Maybe if they go deeper underground they will realise their flaws and try to correct them.

Jazz