Transport for London (TfL) was paid £500,000 to temporarily change the names of two Tube stations, a Freedom of Information request has revealed.
TfL received two six figure sums to temporarily change the name of London Underground stations in the past year, the BBC has found.
Old Street became Fold Street last month as part of a collaboration with Samsung while Bond Street was renamed Burberry Street in September.
An information request by the BBC found that TfL was paid £300,000 to adapt the name of Old Street station.
TfL was also paid £200,000 for the renaming of Bond Street station.
Transport for All, a disabled-led campaign group, labelled the name swaps as “Thoughtless PR stunts,” telling the BBC that using the money to “plug holes in TfL funding cannot be at the expense of accessibility and safety for disabled passengers”.
In response TfL said "any revenue received through these collaborations is reinvested into the transport network".
A number of London Underground Stations have been rebranded over the years.
In 2018 Southgate Tube station was rebranded as Gareth Southgate station to honour the England manager ahead of the World Cup semi-final.
A TfL spokesperson added: "Partnerships like this help us and brands positively engage with the hundreds of thousands of people who pass through our stations in a fun and playful way, while still ensuring they can use our network safely.
"Signage within trains, including the in-car digital displays which show what the next station is, automated train announcements, and route maps within the trains, were not changed as part of the temporary take-over."
