Passengers have criticised temporary Heineken marketing on the London Underground due to accessibility concerns.
Signage on the Bakerloo line has been temporarily rebranded, with station names such as Waterloo altered to “Waterl0.0” and Oxford Circus to “Oxf0.0rd Circus” as part of an advertising campaign to promote Heineken’s non-alcoholic beers.
The name of the line itself has been rewritten as “Bakerl0.0” on some signage.
Some have criticised the move for potentially causing confusion for those travelling on the network.
Emma Vogelmann from Transport for All, a disabled-led group that campaigns for accessible transport, told BBC News that names and navigation signs should not be altered as part of advertising campaigns as it leads to unnecessary confusion.
She explained that travelling around London with confidence relies on “consistent, recognisable information across the Tube network”.
“For many people – including those with visual impairments, learning disabilities, neurodivergent people or people who experience fatigue or brain fog – these campaigns can turn a routine journey into a stressful or unsafe one,” she said.
Ms Vogelmann added that there are plenty of places that companies can advertise on the Tube network “without undermining essential information”.
Passengers also took to X (formerly Twitter) to air their discomfort.
“Have TfL not learned anything from ‘Burberry Street’ and ‘Fold Street’,” one X user wrote, referencing previously controversial advertising campaigns.
“TfL clearly don’t take foreign visitors or tourists into consideration… tourists won’t necessarily know that “Oxf0.0rd Circus” or “Waterl0.0” are on the “Bakerl0.0 line.
“I don’t understand why they feel the need to mess with directional signage. Stick to the traditional Tube Car Panels or Cross Track Posters for advertising... Leave wayfinding alone.”
Another person said: “Signage and wayfinding diagrams are [an] important accessibility tool, which if altered for commercial use, disproportionately affects those with impairments. This is discrimination, and should not happen. Don't do this.”
A TfL spokesperson told The Independent: “We are always keen to work with brands to create new experiences for the millions of people who travel on our network.
“Though well-planned, creative activations like these, we can help companies reach people as they travel across London,” they added. “Any activations on our network are fully assessed to ensure that they do not impact our services, staff or customers, and the additional revenue raised is invested into London's transport network to provide further improvements across the capital.”
TfL has previously faced backlash for changing its signage for past advertising campaigns. It changed Old Street Station into “Fold Street Station” in 2024 as part of a collaboration with Samsung during the launch of a series of flip phones.
This came months after TfL temporarily renamed Bond Street as “Burberry Street” during London Fashion Week in September 2023.
TfL received £300,000 for “Fold Street,” while “Burberry Street” raised £200,000, according to a Freedom of Information (FOI).
However, the campaigns received some backlash from tourists and locals, who said that the sign changes resulted in some passengers missing their stops or not knowing where to go.
Another FOI request revealed that changing Bond Street to “Burberry Street” led a total of 57 complaints to TfL’s customer contact centre.
The Independent has contacted Heineken for comment.
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