‘I don’t think it will ever be the same’: commuters slow to return in England

theguardian.com:

At Moorgate tube station in London’s financial district, more commuters braved the return to office on the first Monday since government guidance to work from home was lifted.

“It does feel busier today, it’s good – London’s waking up,” said the woman staffing the barriers of the station.

The great awakening is happening slowly, however. Customers at the Lazy Coffee stall in Abchurch Yard, a stone’s throw from the Bank of England, suggest it may take a while. Matthew Staite, the proprietor, has kept the stall going except for the very depths of lockdown: “It’s been a pretty good barometer.” He hasn’t seen a significant rise in numbers but expects next week to be busier. “I’ve heard companies are starting to work out their gameplan. But no one’s said that people are coming back full-time.”

He greeted a familiar customer, returning to a nearby investment bank. The young man, who didn’t want to be named, said he had not made the choice to return. “It’s coming from the top,” he said with a grin. The bank will do an 80/20 office/home split in theory: “But not every week”.

Transport for London recorded about 6% more tube journeys in the morning peak than a week ago. A similar picture was played out in Manchester, where 9% more tap-ins were recorded on Metrolink trams before 9am this Monday than last, according to Transport for Greater Manchester.

Some have happily returned, after Boris Johnson revoked the work from home guidance for England last week. One of the few suited passengers on an early Northern line train to Moorgate, James Warnaby, 32, was heading for a first day back in the office this year at his financial services recruitment firm. “I’m very much pro going back.” But his job-hunting clients have made him think few