THE London Underground is essential when you want to travel around the capital.

Some who aren’t experienced in taking the tube may struggle with reading the maps but the drivers know exactly what they’re doing.

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How much do Tube drivers earn?

During the initial 12-16 weeks training, trainee drivers can earn up to £32,375.

They can also obtain free travel around London for themselves and a partner as well as having overtime rates of around £36 an hour.

As of October 2024, drivers earn £67,500 but rejected a proposed pay increase to £70,000 in August.

A night train operator earns around £55,000 to £59,999 per year according to the Transport for London’s (TfL) Copy of Job Titles and Responsibilities of Senior Staff.

Inspectors and operators earn from £60,000 to £64,999 a year.

There is another role, known as a trainer, and this person is in charge of not only offering training to newcomers, but also the whole driving team, to always keep them up-to-date with the latest updates.

They earn the same salary as an inspector.

They can retire on a reduced pension at the age of 50 or a full pension at 60 years old.

What hours do they work and how much holiday do they get?

Drivers tend to work 36-hour weeks and have 43 days of annual leave, including bank holidays.

Shifts can start as early as 4.45am and end as late as 1.30am.

The drivers cannot drink alcohol for eight hours before a shift starts.

They are sometimes asked to work as many as 17 weekends in a row.

What are conditions like on the Underground?

Tube drivers are expected to maintain a high level of concentration in a dark cabin with nobody for company.

The work is repetitive, with the amount of driving varying between lines.

They also have to maintain a good level of focus and not be feared by the fact that they are responsible for many passengers aboard on the train.

How do you become a Tube driver?

Unless you already work for TfL, applying for a job can be difficult as they don’t tend to be advertised to the public.

Publicly advertised TfL roles include applying to become a customer service assistant.

You can look for TfL vacancies on their website.

A SNEAKY little-known hack letting you save hundreds on your next long haul fight has been revealed.

Stats reveal that British airfares in 2024 were a staggering 66 per cent higher than nine years earlier, according to the Office for National Statistics.

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But not all hope is lost – Brits with wanderlust can still fly out on the cheap and save up to an eye-watering 55 per cent travelling as far away as Asia, Australia or New Zealand, according to The Times.

The first thing to note is to book directly with a Chinese airline – though you often have to present all your passport details here instead of when checking in.

Research found by analysing economy return flights from London to ten destinations over ten days in January shows Chinese carriers offered the best deal in eight out of ten cases.

Chinese airlines were found to be between 15 and 34 per cent cheaper on average.

But flyers will find their comfort may be compromised, seeing long layovers for example.

Destinations studied included Auckland, Bali, Bangkok, Beijing, Brisbane, Ho Chi Minh City, Kuala Lumpur, Seoul, Sydney and Tokyo.

The cheapest Auckland return flight with Air New Zealand was £1,653 – totalling 27 hours and 30 minutes, including a four hour stop in Vancouver.

But China Southern Airlines was offering the same journey from London for just £1,330 with a six hour layover.

It’s not just flying to Oceania that’s a bargain – travelling to Tokyo with Japan Airlines via Madrid from London will set you back £996 – and the flight is 19 hours long.

If you opt to fly with China Eastern Airlines via Shanghai, you can save 29 per cent even though the journey time is an hour and 45 minutes shorter and costs just £705.

A direct British Airways (BA) flight to Seoul, South Korea costs £1,154 with Korean Air and takes 12 hours and 25 minutes.

The same flight with Air China, which takes you through Beijing only lasts an hour and a half longer – but costs just £539.

It’s thought that Chinese airlines can flog cheaper tickets because their operating costs are lower.

But political reasons also affect rising costs for customers.

Two years ago, Moscow banned EU, British and Canadian airlines from using its airspace in response to western-imposed sanctions.

This meant these airlines had to take longer and pricier diversions.

On the other hand, China, who is friendly with Russia, was able to use Russian airspace and has enjoyed keeping costs low for consumers.

The CEO of Dutch flag carrier KLM recently called on the EU to impose their own tariffs on Chinese airlines in a bid to level the playing field.

Marjan Rintel said last week: “[Using Russian airspace] sometimes saves two to four hours.

“You see that reflected in the price and, of course, the costs are higher for us.”

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