Skip page header and navigation Closed, reopens at 10:00 Book Donate Enewsletter Home Visit Museum guide The formation of London Transport The formation of London Transport Content As London’s transport system became more complex, it made sense for services to work together to coordinate, for the sake of passengers as well as the businesses themselves. The biggest company, which operated the District Railway and three Tubes was run by Albert Stanley (later Lord Ashfield). Stanley saw that the problems caused by the competing interests of public transport operators could be solved by negotiating deals with his competitors, allowing them all to make more money. Starting in 1908 Stanley and his deputy Frank Pick successfully promoted the Underground as a cooperative system between independent private companies. In the following years, Stanley bought out most of his competitors, bringing them under his Underground Group umbrella. The next step was to take the organisation into public ownership. London Transport was created in 1933 to bring all London’s transport services under one authority, under Pick and Stanley (by this time renamed Lord Ashfield). It was succeeded by Transport for London in 2000. Must-see objects Map; London UndergrounD Railways pocket map, 1908. Paper print of design drawing in colour - London Transport Standard "Underground" Bullseye Design, 1933-1947 Next slide Next slide Read more... Lord Ashfield: Creator of London Transport As the first Chairman of London Transport, Albert Henry Stanley, later Lord Ashfield, combined the discipline of commercial management with public accountability and an awareness of the social benefits of an integrated public transport system. Frank Pick: the man behind London Transport's identity Frank Pick, Chief Executive of London Transport, was a towering figure who had an unrivalled flair for design management. During his 30-year career, Pick changed the face of London Transport, bringing London’s transport system international acclaim for its architecture, graphic art and design. More from the Museum guide Digging Deeper Construction on early underground lines was expensive and chaotic. Explore how the Greathead shield made digging deep tunnels much easier and helped build the world's first electric railway. On the Surface 1900-1945 From horse-drawn vehicles to trams, trolleybuses and the first motor buses, discover what surface transport was like in the first half of the 20th century. London by Design London by Design celebrates London’s transport design heritage, including the iconic roundel, map, font, posters and more. Opening times Museum galleries and Shop Every day 10:00 - 18:00 Last entry 17:00 Canteen open 11:00 - 15:00 More About Contact us Enewsletter Blog News Opportunities Our supporters Governance Awards and recognition Our policies Friends Learning Programmes Climate Crossroads Commercial Filming and photography Venue Hire Image licensing Corporate partnerships Membership Sponsorship Dinner & Auction Interchange Payroll giving Arts Council England Transport for London Facebook icon Twitter icon Instagram icon LinkedIn icon Pinterest icon YouTube icon Terms and conditions Privacy & cookies Website accessibility © 2021 London Transport Museum, all rights reserved. London Transport Museum Limited (LTML) is a registered charity in England and Wales (No. 1123122)