As more than 7,000 London Underground employees stopped work, commuters found themselves standing six deep on platforms waiting for trains, or standing in long queues at bus stops.
An estimated 39 of 504 tube trains operated in the morning rush hour, and other types of public transport felt the knock-on effects. Bus operators laid on extra services but still failed to cope with demand.
The bus operator First London hit out at the strike saying its services were put under "immense pressure, with huge numbers of additional passengers making their journeys by bus". Journey times were also prolonged as buses competed with other traffic.
Paul Scott, spokesman for AA Roadwatch, said some commuters used the free boat service between Tower Bridge and Westminster.
Ken Livingstone, London's mayor, refused to condemn the strikers, whose action began at 8pm on Wednesday over safety and the government's planned part-privatisation of the tube.
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