how much do tube drivers get paid
Tube drivers on the London Underground currently earn around £70,000 a year, with new pay deals set to push typical salaries towards about £78,000–£80,000 by 2027, depending on inflation.
Quick Scoop: How much do Tube drivers get paid?
- A basic Tube driver’s salary is currently about £71,000 a year.
- Under a new three‑year pay offer, that could rise to a minimum of roughly £77,700 by April 2027, and potentially around £80,000 if inflation stays higher.
- Most station staff (not drivers) are on much less, around £45,000, rising towards £50,000 under the same deal.
What’s in the new pay deal?
- The offer includes annual pay rises linked to the Retail Price Index (RPI) measure of inflation, with guaranteed minimum increases each year.
- In the third year, the increase is set at RPI plus an extra 0.2 percentage points, with a floor so that pay still rises even if inflation drops.
- The deal covers about 16,500 London Underground staff and is being used to try to avoid further strikes by the main unions (RMT, Aslef, TSSA, Unite).
Pay ranges you’ll typically hear
- Figures often quoted in news and forums for drivers are in the mid‑£60,000s to low‑£70,000s, before overtime.
- With the revised offer, headlines talk about drivers being “set for £80,000” because higher inflation over the deal period would push salaries up toward that level.
Working time context
- Tube drivers are transitioning toward a 35‑hour four‑day week, while station staff remain on a 35‑hour five‑day week.
- The relatively high headline pay is often discussed alongside the unsocial hours, safety responsibilities, and the role Tube services play in keeping London moving.
Simple HTML salary snapshot
| Role | Approx current salary | Projected by 2027 (deal) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tube driver | ~£71,000/year | [9][1]£77,692 minimum, potentially ~£80,000 with inflation | [9][1]Pay rises linked to RPI with guaranteed minimums | [1]
| Tube station staff (non‑driver) | ~£45,000/year | [1]Nearer £50,000/year under deal | [1]Same three‑year pay offer terms | [1]
Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.
