{{short description|Cable car link across the River Thames in London}} {{Use British English|date=July 2025}} {{Use dmy dates|date=July 2025}} {{Infobox rail line | name = London Cable Car | color = {{rcr|London Underground|London Cable Car}} | logo = Cable Car roundel.svg | logo_width = 100px | logo_alt = London Cable Car logo from London Underground Map May 2022 | image = Emirates Air Line towers 24 May 2012.jpg | caption = The three pylons, seen from north of the River Thames | type = Gondola lift | system = | status = Open | locale = Greenwich/Docklands, London, England | start = Greenwich Peninsula (west) | end = Royal Docks (east) | ridership2 = 1,474,546 (in 2023)<ref name = ridership>{{cite web |publisher=Transport for London |url=https://tfl.gov.uk/corporate/publications-and-reports/london-cable-car-passenger-journeys |title=London Cable Car passenger journeys |access-date=24 August 2024}}</ref> | open = {{Start date and age|df=yes|2012|06|28}}<ref>{{cite news |first=Robert |last=Booth |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2012/jun/28/london-cable-car-opens-thames |title=London cable car offers investor's-eye view of the Thames |newspaper=The Guardian |location=London |date=28 June 2012 |access-date=17 November 2012}}</ref> | close = | owner = Transport for London | operator = First London Cableway<ref>{{Cite web |publisher=FirstGroup |url=https://www.firstgroupplc.com/news-and-media/latest-news/2024/18072024.aspx |title=FirstGroup celebrates transfer of operation of the IFS London Cable Car |date= 18 July 2024 |access-date=27 November 2024}}</ref> | character = Elevated | stock = | linelength = {{cvt|1,100|m|abbr=on}} | tracklength = | tracks = | gauge = | electrification = Electric motor powering cable bullwheel Auxiliary diesel engine powering cable | speed = {{cvt|14|mph}} | elevation = {{cvt|90|m|abbr=on}} | map = {{switcher |{{maplink-road|from=London Cable Car.map}} |Show interactive map |{{London Cable Car}} |Show route diagram }} | website = {{Official URL}} | coordinates = {{coord|51|30|13|N|00|00|47|E|region:GB_type:landmark|display=inline,title|}} }}
The '''London cable car''',<ref name="tflspon">{{cite web |title=London Cable Car - sponsorship opportunity |url=https://tfl.gov.uk/modes/london-cable-car/ |access-date=20 October 2022 |publisher=TfL}}</ref> also known as '''the Dangleway'''<ref name="guardspon" />, is a cable car link across the River Thames in London, England. The line was built by Doppelmayr and the total cost was around £60{{nbsp}}million. The service opened on 28 June 2012. It is owned by Transport for London (TfL) and currently operated by FirstGroup. From 20 October 2022 until 18 March 2026, it had been sponsored by the technology firm IFS and known as the '''IFS Cloud Cable Car''';<ref name="IFSEnd">{{Cite web |date=2026-04-29 |title=London’s “dangleway” drops sponsor as the Cable Car is rebranded |url=https://www.ianvisits.co.uk/articles/londons-dangleway-drops-sponsor-as-the-cable-car-is-rebranded-89318/ |access-date=2026-04-29 |website=ianVisits |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name="TfL">{{cite web |title=New sponsor for the London Cable Car announced |url=https://tfl.gov.uk/info-for/media/press-releases/2022/september/new-sponsor-for-the-london-cable-car-announced?intcmp=70807 |website=tfl.gov.uk |publisher=TfL |access-date=9 September 2022}}</ref> prior to this, from its opening the line was sponsored by the airline Emirates, and known as the '''Emirates Air Line'''<ref name="Emirates">{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-15217173 |work=BBC News |title=Emirates sponsors Thames cable car |date=7 October 2011 |access-date=7 October 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-12783796 |work=BBC News |title=Thames cable car linking O2 arena and Excel approved |date=18 March 2011 |access-date=18 March 2011}}</ref><ref name="tested">{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-18080615 |work=BBC News |title=London's new cable car tested ahead of summer opening |date=15 May 2012}}</ref><ref name="Opening">{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-18619936 |work=BBC News |title=Thames cable car opens for passengers|date=28 June 2012}}</ref> until 28 June 2022.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.mylondon.news/news/south-london-news/future-emirates-air-line-cable-24155436 |title=Emirates Air Line cable car to get a major makeover after London river crossing sponsor drops out |access-date=28 June 2022 |work=myLondon |first=Josiah |last=Mortimer |date=6 June 2022}}</ref>
The service comprises a {{convert|0.62|mi|adj=on|km}} gondola line that crosses the Thames from the Greenwich Peninsula to the Royal Victoria Dock, to the west of ExCeL London.<ref name=gondola-project/> In addition to transport across the river, the service advertises "a unique view of London".<ref>{{Cite web|title = Local attractions|url = http://www.emiratesairline.co.uk/local-attractions/|website = www.emiratesairline.co.uk|access-date = 6 June 2015}}</ref> On 28 June 2024, FirstGroup took over the operations of the cable car line.
==History== ===Proposed Meridian Skyway=== The idea for a cable car linking the Greenwich Peninsula with the north bank of the Thames first emerged during the development of the "car free" transport strategy for the Millennium Dome (now The O2) in the late 1990s. Presented to planning authorities in early 1997 by Meridian Cable Cars, this link would have run from the Dome site to the DLR's East India station in Tower Hamlets.<ref name="parliament3rdreport">{{Cite web|url=https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm199899/cmselect/cmcumeds/21-ii/21app05.htm|title=House of Commons - Culture, Media and Sport - Third Report|website=publications.parliament.uk|access-date=18 April 2019}}</ref>
The estimated cost of the cable car was £8–10{{nbsp}}million, for 23 gondolas, each with seating for nine and standing room for a further six, that would have travelled at {{cvt|5|mph}} at between {{cvt|50|and|80|m|abbr=on}} in the air. Taking three minutes to make a one-way trip, it would have had a capacity of 2,500 passengers per hour each way.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/62116.stm|title=Fly me to the Dome|work=BBC News|access-date=18 April 2019}}</ref><ref name="Eeyore-2016">{{Cite web|url=https://eeyore.org/sky-pod-plan/|title=Sky Pod Plan|date=25 February 2016|website=Eeyore's Place|language=en|access-date=18 April 2019}}</ref> Full planning permission was granted in December 1997 and July 1998 for the northern and southern sides respectively, the northern side permission being one of the last acts of the London Docklands Development Corporation.<ref name="parliament3rdreport" /> An opening date of October 1999 was planned,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm199798/cmselect/cmcumeds/818/8070918.htm|title=House of Commons - Culture, Media and Sport - Minutes of Evidence|website=publications.parliament.uk|access-date=18 April 2019}}</ref> but because of negative reactions from the administrators of the Dome project, financial backers pulled out and the cable car project collapsed in October 1998.<ref name="Eeyore-2016" />
===Proposed London Cable Car=== On 4 July 2010, Transport for London (TfL) announced plans to develop a cable car crossing over the River Thames, which would be the first urban cable car in the United Kingdom. Designed by Wilkinson Eyre Architects, Expedition Engineering and Buro Happold, it would cross the river at a height up to {{cvt|90|m}}, higher than The O2, which is nearby. The cable car would provide a crossing every 15 seconds, with a maximum capacity of 2,500 passengers per hour in each direction, about 50 busloads.<ref name="tfl-annoucement">{{Cite news |title=Plans unveiled for a new Thames crossing with London's first cable car system |url=http://www.tfl.gov.uk/static/corporate/media/newscentre/archive/16125.html |access-date=5 July 2010 |publisher=Transport for London |date=4 July 2010}}</ref> Bicycles could be carried, and passengers would be able to pay for their journeys with pay-as-you-go Oyster cards.<ref name="Guardian-unveiled">{{cite news |last=Jones |first=Sam |title=Thames cable car plan to link Olympic venues in time for 2012 games |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2010/jul/05/thames-cable-car-plan-unveiled |access-date=5 July 2010 |newspaper=The Guardian |date=4 July 2010 |location=London}}</ref>
A planning application was submitted to the London Borough of Newham, using the name London Cable Car, in October 2010 for the "erection of a cable car for the length of {{cvt|1100|m|ft}} over the River Thames from North Greenwich Peninsula to Royal Victoria Dock at a minimum clearance of {{cvt|54.1|m|ft}} above mean high water springs".<ref name=application/> The application listed the structures planned for the service on the north side of the Thames as a {{cvt|87|m|adj=on}} north main tower at Clyde Wharf, a {{cvt|66|m|adj=on}} north intermediate tower south of the Docklands Light Railway tracks roughly midway between Canning Town and West Silvertown stations, a two-storey gondola station and "boat impact protection" in Royal Victoria Dock.<ref name=application>{{cite web |title=Planning Application Details (10/02311/FUL) |url=http://pa.newham.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=summary&keyVal=LB1OZDJY01R00 |publisher=London Borough of Newham |access-date=3 November 2010 |date=29 October 2010}}</ref> South of the river there is a {{cvt|60|m|adj=on}} main support tower and a boarding station within the car park of the O2.
When the project was announced, TfL's initial budget was £25{{nbsp}}million; they announced this would be entirely funded by private finance.<ref name="Guardian-unveiled"/> This figure was first revised to £45{{nbsp}}million,<ref name=bbc-23-09-11>{{cite news |last1=Edwards |first1=Tom |title=Thames cable car costs rise again to £60m |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-london-15035471 |access-date=16 October 2018 |work=BBC News |date=23 September 2011}}</ref> and by September 2011 had more than doubled to £60{{nbsp}}million, reportedly because TfL had not included the costs of legal advice, project management, land acquisition and other costs.<ref name=bbc-23-09-11/> TfL planned to make up the shortfall by paying for the project out of the London Rail budget, applying for funding from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and seeking commercial sponsorship.<ref name=bbc-23-09-11/> €9.7{{nbsp}}million of ERDF support, out of an estimated €65.56{{nbsp}}million total budget, was agreed on 9 July 2012.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ec.europa.eu/commission_2010-2014/hahn/projects/index_en.cfm?setid=3#3 |title=Commissioner Johannes Hahn - Major projects |publisher=Ec.europa.eu |access-date=26 March 2013}}</ref>
In January 2011, News International was planning to sponsor the project, but withdrew its offer.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2012/may/02/news-international-boris-johnson-leveson | location=London | work=The Guardian | first1=David | last1=Leigh | first2=Dave | last2=Hill | title=News International's offers to Boris Johnson revealed in Leveson evidence | date=2 May 2012}}</ref> In October 2011 it was announced that the Dubai-based airline Emirates would provide £36{{nbsp}}million in a ten-year sponsorship deal which included branding of the cable car service with the airline's name.<ref name="Emirates"/>
===Construction=== thumb|right|The north-eastern terminal under construction beside Royal Victoria Dock, February 2012 Construction began in August 2011 with Mace as the lead contractor.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.wharf.co.uk/2011/08/thames-cable-car-could-be-on-c-1.html |publisher= Wharf.co.uk |title= Thames cable car could be on course for Olympics |date= 10 August 2011 |access-date= 8 October 2011 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20111003150446/http://www.wharf.co.uk/2011/08/thames-cable-car-could-be-on-c-1.html |archive-date= 3 October 2011 |url-status= dead |df= dmy-all }}</ref> Doppelmayr built the cable car for £45{{nbsp}}million and Mace was to operate it for the first three years for a further £5.5{{nbsp}}million. TfL stated that the initial construction funding and Emirates sponsorship would cover £36{{nbsp}}million of the cost, with the rest to be funded from fares.<ref name= Emirates/> In 2011, it was the most expensive cable car system ever built.<ref name=gondola-project>{{cite web |last=Dale |first=Steven |title=Exploring the Thames Cable Car Costs |url=http://gondolaproject.com/2011/09/26/exploring-the-thames-cable-car-costs/ |work=The Gondola Project |date=26 September 2011 |access-date=8 October 2011}}</ref>
thumb|Two gondolas approaching the north intermediate tower In May 2012, TfL said that the cable car would be running by the summer of 2012, and that while there were no plans to have it open before the 2012 Olympic Games, there would be plans in place in case it was opened in time.<ref name="tested"/>
===Opening=== thumb|View from a car towards ExCeL thumb|View from a car towards The O2 The public opening took place at noon on 28 June 2012, almost a month before the Opening Ceremony of the games.<ref name="Opening"/><ref name=EALHomePage>{{cite web|title=Emirates Air Line|url=http://www.emiratesairline.co.uk/|publisher=Emirates Air Line|access-date=19 June 2012}}</ref> TfL reported that the total cost of the project was about £60{{nbsp}}million, of which £45{{nbsp}}million went towards construction. It estimates that the service can carry 2,500 people per hour.<ref name=Opening/>
The Emirates Air Line route was added to the London Tube map in June 2012. It was the first to have the sponsoring company's logo shown on the map. Similar to the representation of the Docklands Light Railway, the cable car route was displayed as a triple red stripe rather than a solid line, to distinguish it from London Underground lines.<ref>{{cite web|title=Maps|url=http://www.tfl.gov.uk/gettingaround/1106.aspx|work=TfL website|publisher=Transport for London|access-date=19 June 2012}}</ref>
The service's logo was a red cartouche containing the Emirates logo and the TfL roundel, to reflect the corporate sponsorship by the airline. As with the marketing of the London Eye, the transit of the cable car is referred to as a "flight"<ref>{{Cite web |title=South London |url=https://www.emiratesairline.co.uk/south/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140712213736/http://www.emiratesairline.co.uk/south/ |archive-date=12 July 2014 |website=Emirates Air Line}}</ref> and marketing literature borrows language from the airline industry, such as referring to tickets as "boarding passes".<ref name=ealfaq/>
===Expiry of Emirates branding=== The deal with TfL for Emirates Air Line branding, bringing in £3.6{{nbsp}}million per year, expired on 28 June 2022.<ref name=tflspon/><ref>{{Cite web|date=7 September 2021|title=TfL seeks new partner for cable car with Emirates deal set to end|author=Thicknesse|first=Edward|url=https://www.cityam.com/tfl-seeks-new-partner-for-cable-car-with-emirates-deal-set-to-end/|website=CityAM}}</ref> However, no sponsor had been found for the cable car at the end of the contract, even at less than a quarter of the price.<ref name="guardspon">{{cite news |last=Topham |first=Gwyn |date=27 February 2022 |title=Boris Johnson's Emirates Air Line cable car fails to find new sponsor |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/business/2022/feb/27/london-cut-price-hunt-for-a-cable-car-sponsor-emirates-boris-johnson |access-date=9 May 2022 |quote=Commercial teams at TfL last year sent invitations far and wide to find a sponsor successor to Emirates, hoping for less than a quarter of the £3.6m a year paid by the cash-rich Gulf airline over the last decade.}}</ref>
It was reported that a senior TfL executive had joked that a storm, which hit London in February 2022, had been their "last hope" for discontinuing the service without loss of face.<ref name="topham">{{Cite news |last=Topham |first=Gwyn |date=27 February 2022 |title=Boris Johnson's Emirates Air Line cable car fails to find new sponsor |newspaper=The Observer |url=https://www.theguardian.com/business/2022/feb/27/london-cut-price-hunt-for-a-cable-car-sponsor-emirates-boris-johnson |quote=According to a well-placed source, senior TfL executives messaged last week: “Storm Eunice was our last hope.” Unfortunately for TfL, while the high winds tore a hole in the nearby Millennium Dome, the cable car was left unscathed.}}</ref>
===New sponsor=== In September 2022, it was announced that the technology company IFS AB would be the new sponsor beginning in October, and that the line would be renamed the ''IFS Cloud Cable Car.'' The initial sponsorship deal lasts five years, with a break after two years, and will cost £420,000 per year.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://tfl.gov.uk/info-for/media/press-releases/2022/september/new-sponsor-for-the-london-cable-car-announced |title=New sponsor for the London Cable Car announced |publisher=Transport for London |date=1 September 2022 |access-date=2 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220902125257/https://tfl.gov.uk/info-for/media/press-releases/2022/september/new-sponsor-for-the-london-cable-car-announced |archive-date=2 September 2022 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Lydall-20221028">{{Cite web |last=Lydall |first=Ross |date=20 October 2022 |title=Cloudbusting: London cable car gets new £2.1m sponsor and purple makeover |url=https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/london-cable-car-sponsor-purple-makeover-b1034113.html |access-date=28 October 2022 |website=Evening Standard |language=en}}</ref> The sponsorship deal also allows TfL to temporarily rebrand the cable car with other commercial sponsors, such as Pokémon in August 2022.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ford |first=Lily |date=17 August 2022 |title=Pikachus hit London hot spots for Europe's first Pokemon World Championships |url=https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/europe-thames-tower-bridge-tfl-royal-docks-b1019243.html |access-date=28 October 2022 |website=Evening Standard |language=en |quote=Pokemon teamed up with Transport for London to decorate the cable car cabins between Greenwich Peninsular and Royal Docks}}</ref> TfL did note that the cable car "makes a profit", despite the substantial reduction in sponsorship income.<ref name="Lydall-20221028" /> The sponsorship deal came to an end on 18 March 2026.<ref name="IFSEnd"/>
==Operation== thumb|right|Woman boarding passenger gondola at Royal Victoria The cable car is based on monocable detachable gondola (MDG) technology, a system which uses a single cable for both propulsion and support, used also on the Metrocable in Medellín, Colombia. The MDG system was reportedly cheaper and quicker to install than a more complex three-cable system which would have allowed larger-capacity cars.<ref name=gondola-project/>
There are 36 passenger gondolas, of which 34 are in use at any one time, with a maximum capacity of ten passengers each.<ref name="Emirates Air Line">{{cite web|title=Emirates Air Line|url=http://www.macegroup.com/projects/emirates-air-line|publisher=Mace|access-date=27 August 2012}}</ref> All passenger gondolas are ready for disabled persons using wheelchairs, including those ones with leg rest extensions. There are also two (open) engineers' gondolas for use by maintenance staff.{{Citation needed|date=April 2014}}
The line was initially operated by its builders, Mace. On 28 June 2024, FirstGroup took over the operation,<ref name="IDX h875">{{cite web | title=Award of London Cable Car contract | website=IDX | url=https://otp.tools.investis.com/generic/regulatory-story.aspx?newsid=1801503&cid=858 | access-date=3 April 2024}}</ref> with an initial five-year contract and the option to extend it for a further three years.<ref>[https://www.cityam.com/firstgroup-steaming-ahead-company-wins-iconic-london-cable-car-contract/ Firstgroup steaming ahead: Company wins iconic London cable car contract] ''City AM'' 21 March 2024</ref>
In 2020, the running hours were 07:00–22:00 from Monday to Thursday, 07:00–23:00 Friday, 08:00–23:00 Saturday, 09:00–22:00 Sunday from 1 April to 30 September, finishing an hour earlier from Sunday to Thursday the rest of the year.<ref name=tickets>{{cite web |url=https://www.emiratesairline.co.uk/tickets-information/ |title=Tickets & Information |website=Emirates Airline|access-date= 11 February 2020}}</ref> The duration of a single crossing is ten minutes (reduced to five minutes in rush hour as the service speed is increased).<ref name=theo2>{{Cite web |url=http://www.theo2.co.uk/emiratesairline |title=theo2 Web site: Emirates Air Line |access-date=8 April 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140415090341/http://www.theo2.co.uk/emiratesairline |archive-date=15 April 2014 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The system has a capacity of 4,080 passengers an hour, 62,000 per day and up to 500,000 people a week in summer.{{citation needed|date=May 2022}}
==Fares== From 1 March 2022, the adult pay-as-you-go fare was £6, with the child fare 50% of the adult fare.<ref>{{Cite web |title=New fares |author= |work=Transport for London |date= |access-date=27 February 2022 |url= https://tfl.gov.uk/campaign/new-fares#on-this-page-6}}</ref> A reduced fare is available when paid with a pay-as-you-go Oyster card,<ref name=tickets/> or on presentation of a valid non-PAYG Oyster or Travelcard (the cable car is not fully integrated into Transport for London's ticketing system).<ref name=ealfaq>{{cite web|title=Emirates Air Line FAQ|url=http://www.emiratesairline.co.uk/faq#q4|work=Emirates Air Line website|access-date=19 June 2012}}</ref> To encourage use of the service for commuting, further discounts are offered with a multi-journey ticket which allows ten journeys within a twelve-month period.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.mayorwatch.co.uk/freedom-pass-travelcards-will-not-be-accepted-on-cable-car/|title=Freedom Pass & Travelcards will not be accepted on Cable Car|date=18 June 2012|website=MayorWatch}}</ref> The London Assembly and the Liberal Democrats have called for full fare integration.<ref name=bbc_commuters/><ref>{{cite web|first=Martin|last=Hoscik |url=http://www.mayorwatch.co.uk/london-assembly-calls-for-rethink-on-cable-car-fares/201222156 |title=London Assembly calls for rethink on cable car fares |publisher=Mayorwatch.co.uk |date=16 July 2012 |access-date=17 November 2012}}</ref> The £1 discount for Oyster and Travelcard holders was removed in March 2023.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.london.gov.uk/who-we-are/what-london-assembly-does/questions-mayor/find-an-answer/removal-oyster-and-contactless-discount-cable-car | title=Removal of the Oyster and contactless discount from cable car | London City Hall }}</ref>
{| class="wikitable" |- ! ! Single fare ! Multi-journey |- | Adult | £6.00 |rowspan="2"| £1.70 (£17.00/10 trips) |- | Child | £3.00 |}
==Stations==
===Royal Docks=== The eastern end of the cable car line ({{coord|51.5077|0.0179|display=inline|region:GB_scale:2000|name=Emirates Air Line (Royal Docks terminus)}}) is at the Royal Docks, home to the ExCeL exhibition centre and the new London City Hall. The closest interchange to the Docklands Light Railway is at Royal Victoria station, with an out-of-station interchange distance of approximately {{cvt|200|m}}.
===Greenwich Peninsula=== thumb|The station, then branded Emirates Greenwich Peninsula, at night The western end of the cable car line ({{coord|51.4998|0.0083|display=inline|region:GB_scale:2000|name=Emirates Air Line (Greenwich terminus)}}) is within walking distance of The O2. The closest interchange with the London Underground is at {{stl|London Underground|North Greenwich}}. The nearest London River Services is at North Greenwich Pier and local London Buses services at North Greenwich bus station.
{{GeoGroup}}
==Ridership== In the second week of October 2012 about 42,500 journeys were made. Journeys made fell to 23,000 for the same week in 2013.<ref name=four/>
In November 2012, after the Olympics, passenger numbers dropped to less than 10% of capacity. Fewer than 0.01% of journeys were made on discounted commuter fares which were 10 for £16.<ref name=bbc_commuters>{{cite news |title=Call to boost Thames cable car commuters |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-20356251 |access-date=17 November 2012 |work=BBC News |date=16 November 2012}}</ref>
In November 2013, it was reported that there were only four Oyster card users qualifying for a discount available to people making more than five journeys a week during one week in October.<ref name=four>{{cite news|title=Boris Johnson's 'pitiful' £60m cable car used by just four regular commuters|url=https://www.standard.co.uk/news/transport/boris-johnsons-pitiful-60m-cable-car-used-by-just-four-regular-commuters-8953512.html|access-date=2 May 2017|newspaper=Evening Standard|date=21 November 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/boris-johnsons-60m-cable-cars-used-regularly-by-just-four-commuters-8954646.html|title=Boris Johnson's £60m cable cars used regularly by just four commuters | date=21 November 2013 | access-date=22 November 2013 | first=Heather | last=Saul | newspaper=The Independent | location=London}}</ref><ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.arabianbusiness.com/-100m-emirates-air-line-has-just-four-regular-users--527401.html| title=$100m Emirates Air Line 'has just four regular users' | date=22 November 2013 | access-date=22 November 2013 |publisher=Arabian Business Publishing | author=Daniel Shane | website=ArabianBusiness.com}}</ref> In the previous year, in the same week the number of card users was making regular journeys was 16. Boris Johnson had claimed Londoners would continue flocking to it (the cable car service).<ref>{{Cite news |date=20 November 2013 |title=Four commuters used River Thames cable car, figures show |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-london-25022640 |access-date=9 July 2022}}</ref>
In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the cable car offered free travel to key workers who needed to reach the Nightingale Hospital at ExCeL London; the hospital was later found unnecessary, and mothballed.<ref name=topham/>
In 2023, the annual ridership was 1,474,546.<ref name = ridership />
==Criticisms== {{criticism section|date=April 2026}} Critics of the cable car have dismissed it as an impractical transport solution, which will appeal to tourists at peak times but is unlikely to attract a large number of cross-river locals or commuters due to its location and the cost of tickets.<ref>{{cite web |title=FAQ |url=http://www.wharf.co.uk/2012/06/cable-car-prices-out-commuters.html |access-date=3 August 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141022151041/http://www.wharf.co.uk/2012/06/cable-car-prices-out-commuters.html |archive-date=22 October 2014 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=FAQ |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2012/apr/19/london-cable-car-critics | location=London | work=The Guardian |first1=Gwyn |last1=Topham |first2=Marishka |last2=Van Steenbergen |date=19 April 2012}}</ref> ''The Guardian'' suggested in 2013 it was a "white elephant".<ref>{{cite news |title=The Emirates Air Line – London's £60m white elephant |url=https://www.theguardian.com/theguardian/shortcuts/2013/feb/18/emirates-air-line-cable-car-london |work=The Guardian |location=London |date=18 February 2013}}</ref> There has also been criticism of the project's £24{{nbsp}}million-plus cost to taxpayers, caused by a budget overrun.{{citation needed|date=April 2026}}
The cable car's location has also caused controversy, with advocates of walking and cycling favouring a Sustrans-sponsored plan for a walking and cycling bridge east of Tower Bridge between Rotherhithe and Canary Wharf.<ref>{{cite web|title=ThamesBridgeFeasibilityStudy.pdf|url=http://www.ultimatebikes.com/news/Files/ThamesBridgeFeasibilityStudy.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120111052317/http://www.ultimatebikes.com/news/Files/ThamesBridgeFeasibilityStudy.pdf|archive-date=11 January 2012}}</ref>{{primary-inline|date=April 2026}}
The scheme was also criticised because the original sponsorship contract forbade the use of funds from Israel, which the United Arab Emirates did not recognise diplomatically at that time. It imposed restrictions on "(i) any Competitor; or (ii) any person who is a national of, or who is registered, incorporated, established or whose principal place of business is in a country with which the United Arab Emirates does not at the date of this Contract or at any relevant point during the Term maintain diplomatic relations." The contract also forbade the mayor or Transport for London from criticising the governments or royal families of the United Arab Emirates, or the contract.<ref name="johnson rewrite">{{cite news | url=https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/boris-johnson-tells-tfl-to-rewrite-antiisrael-emirates-airline-cable-car-contract-8713816.html | title=Boris Johnson tells TfL to rewrite 'anti-Israel' Emirates airline cable car contract|last=Crerar|first=Pippa | work=The Evening Standard | date=17 July 2013 }}</ref> The clause regarding Israel was later removed.<ref name="thejc amended">{{cite news | url=http://www.thejc.com/news/uk-news/110171/cable-car-deal-emirates-airline-amended | title=Cable car deal with Emirates airline amended | work=The Jewish Chronicle | date=8 August 2013 | access-date=13 March 2015 | author=Dysch Marcus}}</ref>
==See also== {{Portal|London transport}} * Crossings of the River Thames
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== {{Commons category|London Cable Car}} *{{Official website}}
{{FirstGroup}} {{ThamesCrossings | west=Millennium Dome electricity cable tunnel (no public access)<br />Jubilee line between North Greenwich and Canning Town | east=Silvertown Tunnel }} {{Transport in London}} {{London landmarks}}
Category:Transport in the Royal Borough of Greenwich Category:Gondola lifts in the United Kingdom Category:Crossings of the River Thames Category:Transport in the London Borough of Newham Category:Thames Gateway Category:Transport infrastructure completed in 2012 Category:The Emirates Group Category:Transport for London Category:2012 establishments in England Category:Doppelmayr/Garaventa Group Category:FirstGroup companies