A brand-new London tube map makes travel easier for disabled travellers

Since Harry Beck created his innovative London Underground map way back in 1931, the design has been copied around the world for one simple reason: it makes navigating a city feel simple.

But for disabled people, the original map left out something important – which stations are accessible, and which ones aren’t? While TfL has since added info on which stations have complete or partial step-free access, it doesn’t include everything that a traveller with accessibility requirements might need. For instance, noting which stations provide staff assistance, and when those staff are working.

To make London’s transport network easier to use for disabled travellers, Simon Sansome founded an app named Snowball. The app reimagines Harry Beck’s classic map to produce a free fully accessible guide to using the London Underground.. 

After becoming disabled in 2015, wheelchair-user Sansome didn’t use the tube for 10 years, saying he was “too afraid”. He said: “I was worried about getting stuck or not being able to get off the carriage because it’s too overcrowded.”

To help himself and other disabled people, Simon and his team visited every single station on the network to build the step-free map. 

Each stop is colour coded: stations marked in green are fully step-free from street to train whereas orange stations require assistance from staff. It also includes airport access points, interchanges with London’s bus network, and the IFS Cloud Cable Car, as well as all station opening times. Snowball has also rated each station according to how accessible the team actually found it, and includes info on the hours that TfL staff typically work. 

Here’s what the map looks like.

‘The London Tube map has helped millions find their way around the capital, and now it’s doing the same for the disabled community,’ Sansome said. ‘We’ve designed it so anyone can instantly see which stations are fully accessible, which may require assistance, and how to plan with confidence from start to finish.’

In the capital, 13.2 percent of Londoners identify as disabled, and 93 out of 272 tube stations are currently step-free. The Lizzy Line and DLR are step free, and there are 60 fully accessible stations on the Overground network. 

Check out the Snowball app and download it for yourself here.

More alternative tube maps on Time Out
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🏡 How much it costs to buy a house at every London Underground stop.
📍 How much it costs to rent at every tube stop.

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