I have a theory, although I’ve yet to prove it with a stop watch.
The London Underground has signs that display the time, in minutes, until the next train arrives. However, I don’t believe their 1 minute equals 1 minute.
I think their 1 minute is something shorter, more like 50 seconds, because I often feel the train arrives sooner than expected.
Similar to the “under promise, over deliver” approach many of us have been coached to follow in the workplace, I think Transport for London end up with happier customers if their trains feel like they arrive earlier than expected. Over time, I think this could build up subconscious good will towards tube travel.
It sounds a bit weird, but wouldn’t you prefer a train that always feels like it arrives earlier than expected? Wouldn’t you accept the timing inaccuracy for the psychological benefit of your train early?
I should probably follow up this post with a stopwatch and an experiment.