As a local tour guide, I ride the London buses all the time and I think that getting around London by bus is well worth considering when you are here.
The London bus network covers the entirety of the city and goes to parts of the city that the London Underground (Tube) might not reach.
For those of you unfamiliar with the bus system, I've written this guide explaining how to ride the buses, ticket prices and how to pay your fare. I also share my insider tips!
Not only are the buses easy to use once you know how to, but they offer fantastic views of the most well-known sights in London as you pass by them.
Check out our free self-guided bus tour and see iconic sights like Westminster Abbey, Trafalgar Square, Covent Garden, and many more.
So read on to learn the bus system and then get ready for your first double-decker ride!
EASE OF USE
Although there is a lot of information in this guide, don't be daunted. I promise that you will get the hang of it fairly quickly.
The only part that is a bit tricky is figuring out what kind of ticket you want to buy and how you want to pay for your fare. I go over the options in detail below!
Within only a few trips you’ll be a pro at traveling by bus throughout London.
If you like using apps, there are several that will help you with your route planning. I've listed the ones I like the most below.
HOW TO PAY FOR YOUR FARE
You can pay for a bus ride using a contactless tap-to-pay card, a Visitor Oyster card, an Oyster Card, or a Travelcard.
Important to know: You can’t pay for a bus ride with cash.
Contactless Cards
Credit cards and debit cards with the below symbol can be used for contactless payment, also known as Tap-to-Pay. Your smartphone may also offer you this payment option.
You can use these cards and smartphones to pay for bus rides.
When you board a bus, you'll see a reader on which you tap your card or smartphone. You don't need to tap again when you get off the bus.
Credit or debit cards from outside the UK that sometimes allow contactless purchases are the AMEX (American Express), Mastercard, Maestro, Visa, and V Pay cards.
I recommend that you check if your bank will charge a transaction fee if you use this method. You don't want to pay more for your bus ride than the actual fare!
Contactless cards are subject to the same price capping as an Oyster Card. You will never pay more than you would have had you purchased a daily travel card.
You are also able to take advantage of the 'Hopper' fare. However, you won't get the same concessions available with the Visitor Oyster Card.
Just below I cover all these topics.
TIP: You may want to read our post on navigating the London Underground (Tube) in tandem with this post.
Oyster Cards
An Oyster Card is a plastic smart card you load with money to pay for rides throughout the London public transport system.
There are two kinds of cards, the Visitor Oyster Card and the regular Oyster Card, both of which function fairly similarly.
Each is a pay-as-you-go pass, meaning your card is charged each time you make a trip, depending on the zone (there are 9 of them) and whether it is peak or off-peak time.
It also caps the fares on trips taken within a single day, making the cost cheaper than single-ticket purchases.
Both types of Oyster Cards cover rides on buses, trams, the London Underground (Tube), DLR, London Overground, TFL Rail, most National Rail services in London, Emirates Air Line cable car, and River Bus services (MBNA Thames Clippers).
That's pretty awesome, right?
Each rider needs their own card. You cannot use one for multiple people, even if you are a family.
One thing I find frustrating about the card costs is that you must pay £7 to get the card itself in addition to the money you load onto the card.
Don't lose your card! I've done that more than once in my life and I wanted to kick myself!
On the plus side, the card never expires, and you can top it up (load more money) whenever you want.
Speaking of topping it up, the card can be filled on an app, at over 4,000 local shops called Oyster Ticket Stops, at visitor Centres, at kiosks in tube stations, and many other places.
A really cool feature for travelers is that a Visitor Oyster Card can be purchased online and shipped to you ahead of time. You'll have a card before you even land at the airport. Easy peasy!
Oyster Cards give the holder special deals on some attractions, restaurants, entertainment venues, and more.
In my opinion, I don't feel that the deals that come with an Oyster Card are that spectacular. You'd do better to consider a tourist attraction concession pass.
The TurboPass, one of the tourist concession passes, includes a Visitor Oyster Card for free.
Travelcard
Travelcards are prepaid cards that give you unlimited access to specific zones within London.
Buses don't operate in "zones" and therefore any type of Travelcard will work on them.
However, if you are also taking other forms of transport, like the Tube, this might be of more use to you.
You can order these in cards in advance (in which case you will be given a paper Travelcard) or you can buy them upon arrival (in which case you will be using a plastic Oyster Card with the travelcard loaded onto it).
Travelcards come in increments of days. The most pertinent to visitors is the One Day Travelcard.
There's also a one-month and one-year Travelcard. I buy a monthly card and if you will be in the city for at least a month, you may want to as well.
There's little reason you would ever need the 1-Day Travelcard as there is already a cap on Oyster Cards that limits the amount you can be charged per day.
In fact, you will likely lose money if you choose the 1-Day Travelcard over a regular Oyster unless you take advantage of the 2-for-1 tickets included.
Generally speaking, unless your accommodation is out in Zone 3 or higher, Zones 1-2 are probably all you will visit as a tourist.
FARES
There are a few fare options on London buses.
Fare Option 1: Hopper Fares
If a passenger plans to pay using a contactless credit/debit card or an Oyster Card, they are eligible for the Hopper fare.
The Hopper fare allows a rider to transfer from one bus (or tram) to another within an hour of touching your card for the first time. It also gives you unlimited journeys within that time frame.
You still have to tap your card each time you enter a new bus (or tram), but it does not charge you a second time.
As of January 2025, the cost of a Hopper fare is:
- Adult: £1.75
- Children aged 11-15: Concessionary with Young Visitor Concession Oyster Card
- Children aged 10 and under are Free with an adult
There is a daily cap for Hopper fares, which means that at most you’ll pay £4.95 per day.
For example, if you spend two hours on buses in the morning, one in the afternoon, and one in the evening, pricing will be capped once you reach £5.25.
The weekly cap is £24.70, so if you plan to be here for 5, 6, or 7 days, a Week Bus Pass that gets loaded on your Oyster card might be a good option.
Note that a One Week Bus Pass starts on a Monday and runs through a Sunday.
If you’re arriving on a Friday, for example, this would NOT be a good option as you would only get to use it for a few days.
Fare Option 2: One-Day Bus Pass
If you don’t have a contactless credit/debit card or smartphone as discussed above and don’t want to purchase an Oyster card you can purchase a One Day Bus Pass.
This is a paper ticket that gives you unlimited travel until 4:29 AM the following day.
It can be purchased from many of the same places the Oyster card can be purchased at Tube stations, Oyster card stores, train station ticket offices, and Transport for London Visitor Centres.
As of 2025, a One Day Bus Pass costs £5.90.
PLANNING YOUR TRIP
There are a few resources that could help you plan your trip through London.
Plan a Journey Website
London Transport's Plan A Journey website allows you to enter the names of well-known attractions or Tube stops.
It uses that info to build a route for you using public transport. It also provides options if you’d rather cycle or walk.
When I am going to a place I have never been before, I sometimes use this website. I also like using travel apps, but not everyone has access to apps, so you should give this website a try!
PDFs of Maps
For buses alone, you can download PDFs of specific bus maps (or spider maps, as they are called).
Examples of maps are London Bridge - Night Buses, London Zoo and Primrose Hill, and Tower of London.
These maps show you your destination and the various ways to get there including buses, the Tube, and National Rail.
Apps
Here are some of the apps I have used over time. Check them out and see which you like the most.
The TfL Go app allows you to plan your trip, see a live map of your route, and get updates on bus, train, and tram times.
The TfL Oyster and contactless app allows you to “top up or buy a ticket anytime” and check your journey history. It also warns you when your credit is low and your passes are expiring.
The Citymapper London app also gives you live up-to-the-minute updates on routes, offline maps, transport ticket prices, and more.
The Bus Times app will let you know when the next bus is arriving at any stop you wish to view.
TIPS FOR RIDING THE BUS
As a bus rider, I am happy to share these insider tips so you'll have a smooth bus journey.
1. Plan your trip ahead of time. It can’t hurt to check the timetables against the routes as not all buses run 24 hours a day. Look for an N on the routes that have night buses.
2. When standing at a bus stop, look up at the sign above the stop. If it says “request stop”, that tells you the bus will drive past the stop unless you request that it stop.
This is done by waving the bus down with your hand or a fare card. It can’t hurt to do this each time you see a bus that you want to get on.
3. Look at both the route number and the destination before boarding. Stops may be serviced by several routes, so you’ll want to ensure you’re getting on the right one. This is where an app might be of help.
4. Get on at the front of the bus and tap your card on the yellow card reader.
You can depart the bus through the middle or back doors, but for the most part (and until all London buses are updated with card readers in the back) you’ll want to get in through the front.
5. If you have multiple cards or devices for paying (for example, an iPhone and an Apple Watch) be sure to keep using the same one.
Because of fare caps, you’ll want to ensure you’re not being overcharged if you swipe multiple times in a single day.
6. Find your seat quickly. I cannot emphasize this enough! Bus drivers start driving as soon as no more riders are getting on or off. If you are not in a seat, be sure to hold on to a pole or handrail.
7. If you’re traveling a route as a way to sightsee, you'll have a better time sitting on the second level of the bus. The seats at the front of the second level give you the best view, making them popular.
Just be sure to head downstairs quickly when you reach your stop (or even beforehand) because bus drivers will sometimes give you just seconds to get off.
8. Avoid standing or sitting in the disability/pram (stroller) section at the front of the bus unless you need it. If you do, you will have to move if someone who needs it gets on.
9. If the bus is full, you can stand on the lower level. Just be sure to hold on to something.
10. You’ll be able to follow the stops along the way on the digital signs inside the bus. There will also be an overhead announcement naming the stop.
To get off at a certain stop, just before the bus reaches it, press the red stop button that you’ll see on poles around the bus.
11. You don’t need to tap on your way out of buses or trams like you do on the Underground (Tube).
WHAT REDDIT HAS TO SAY
Above I’ve shared some thoughts about using the London buses, but I didn't cover everything,
Here, this simple question from a Reddit user elicited some good reasons why one would want to take the bus in London.
I love this common-sense answer! Besides the fact that buses go to places that the Tube doesn't as I mentioned above, this Reddit user loves riding on the top level of the bus, something you can't do on the Tube!
Here's a Reddit user who also loves the buses. Why? Better views than the Tube and easier to get a seat. I concur!
Importantly, the buses are easier to navigate than the Tube for those with mobility issues.
FUN FACTS ABOUT LONDON BUSES
I am a huge history and trivia fan. If you are like me, you might want to know a little bit about the London buses.
Why are London buses red?
The very simple answer is that at one time, over 100 years ago, there were many companies with varying shades for their horse-drawn “buses”.
As many firms with differing schedules and rules were added to the city over the years, confusion reigned supreme.
In 1933, the London Passenger Transport Board (or London Transport) was formed in an attempt to bring all of the different companies together under one unified organization.
One of the companies, the London General Omnibus Company (est 1856) had a fleet of crimson buses, painted that way to make them stand out from others.
They were also the largest operator in the city so London Transport adopted their color scheme for all London buses.
Why are London buses double-decker?
Quite simply, there was a need for more space to transport people. This issue goes back quite a long way, to the days before buses existed. Take a look at the picture above of a two-level horse-drawn carriage!
By the 1920s, London started using the non-horse version of the double-decker bus we see today.
It remains a better fit for a city with tight streets, and one not often seen in other countries.
Today the red double-decker bus is a symbol of London, as well known to outsiders as the red telephone booth and black cab.
HAPPY RIDING!
