London Buses & Bus Passes / Maps
Official Web Site of London Buses
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| London Public Bus |
London Buses manages the bus routes in London. The buses themselves are operated by independent operating companies.
The buses range from large double deck buses to small 30 seaters. Most are either full size single deck buses or double decker like that pictured right.
In Central London you have to pre-purchase tickets, you cannot pay the driver and there are no ticket attendants onboard the bus. Nearly everyone using London buses will be using either an Oyster card or Travelcard to pay for their journeys.
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| Local Buses |
| London Underground |
| Rail Services |
| River Services |
| Coach Services |
| Public Transport Maps |
| Transport Passes |
| Oyster |
| Travelcard |
| Oyster or Travelcard ? |
| Trips Outside London Rail Passes Only Available To Visitors |
| BritRail London Plus Pass |
| BritRail England & GB Rail Pass |
Most bus routes run from around 5 a.m. to about midnight.
At other times there are extensive night bus services. In Central London and the main hotel districts the night buses offer very good coverage and frequencies through the night.
Over much of Central London there are special bus lanes that limit the impact of traffic congestion.
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| London Tour Options |
| Original London Tour Bus |
| Big Bus Hop On Bus |
| Open Top Red Bus Tour |
| Amphibious Duck Tour |
| Black Taxi Tour |
| Rock Tour |
| Airport Transfers |
| Heathrow |
| Gatwick |
| Stansted |
| Luton |
| Cruise Port Transfers |
| Southampton |
| Dover |
| Harwich |
| Day Trips From London |
| Coach Tours |
| Private Tours |
| Stonehenge |
| Bath |
| Windsor |
| Oxford |
| Stratford Upon Avon |
| Cotswolds |
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London Bus Journey Planner
Use the TFL (Transport For London) journey planner linked from icon on the left to plan your journeys. The journey planner covers all public transport.
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London Bus Maps
For first time visitors to London who just want to see the main sights, the simplified tourist bus map (link right) gives the main bus routes linking everywhere.
London Bus Fares & Oyster
The days when there were conductors on each bus that issued a ticket depending on where you were going and you paid cash are long gone. On the buses there are flat fares whether you go one stop or to the end of the route.
Nowadays the vast majority of people will be using Oyster Cards.
Not only will your fare be much cheaper using an Oyster card but there is a daily cap, where, however many bus journeys you take in a day you will never be charged more than that daily cap.
Oyster cards are 'smart' cards you swipe across a yellow pad on entering any bus. The pre-pay amount will automatically be debited.
Oyster Cards can be used on most of London's public transport, including the London Underground, DLR and many suburban trains.
| London Bus Fares - Flat Fare Per Journey (from 2 Jan 2012 ) | ||
Single Journey Fare £2.30 |
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| Oyster Single Journey Fare £1.35 Daily Oyster Cap £4.20 |
7 Day Bus Pass £18.80 1 Month Bus Pass £72.20 |
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Where To Purchase Your Ticket
As said before, most people using buses do not purchase an individual bus ticket. Instead they use an Oyster Card or Travelcard. If you do however need to pay for a single ticket in Central London you have to pre-purchase your ticket before you board the bus.
You will find ticket machines like the one pictured right where you can obtain bus tickets.
Travelcards and Oyster Cards can be purchased from literally thousands of outlets including Underground Stations and Visitor Centres.
In the front of shop windows you will often see the London Transport logo denoting that shop also sells public transport passes and tickets. Newsagents in particular are liable to offer this facility. You pay no more by buying your tickets from these outlets.
When using a Travelcard in conjunction with buses you can use your Travelcard in any transport zone whatever zones are covered by your Travelcard. So if you have a Zone 1/2 Travelcard it is still valid for travel in zone 6 for example.
There are teams of inspectors who descend on a bus sometimes and check for anyone avoiding payment.
London Transport Children's Fares (Children Less than 18 Years Old)
Free Travel For Children On Buses & Underground And The Need For Photocards
Under-5s.
Children under five can travel free at any time on the Tube, DLR, buses and trams as long as they are accompanied by an adult with a valid ticket. Children in this category do not need Photocards.
Children 5-10.
Under-11s can travel free at any time on buses and trams without the need for a Photocard.
They can also travel free at any time on the Tube and DLR when they are traveling with an adult who has a valid ticket. Up to 4 children under 11 years old accompanied by a paying adult travel free on the London Underground.
Unaccompanied children between 5 and 10 must have a valid Photocard.
Children 11-15.
Children aged 11 to 15 years must get an 11-15 Oyster photocard to travel free on buses and trams and at child-rate on Tube, DLR and London Overground services.
You can get around the photocard requirement by purchasing a 1 day Travelcard for the child, (longer length Travelcards do require a photo card) or paying the cash fare.
Children 16-17.
All 16 to 17-year-olds can travel at child-rate on bus, Tube, tram, DLR and London Overground services with a 16+ Oyster photocard.
Obtaining a Photocard.
Visitors to London can order a Photocard in advance for their children and collect on arrival at a travel centre. (There is a Travel Centre at Heathrow Airport as well as in Central London).
Note you need to apply (online) at least 3 weeks prior to arrival.
Note: non-London residents have to pay a non-refundable £10 administration fee
Advance application for Child Photocard
Senior's Fares
There are no special Senior's fares on London's public transport.
If you have an English senior's bus pass then you can travel free on London's red buses free.
If you're a permanent resident in a London borough aged over 60, you can apply for a Freedom Pass for traveling around London. The Freedom Pass entitles you to free travel on London's public transport - Tube, buses, trains, Docklands Light Rail (DLR) and trams.
In addition to the freedom pass you can also buy a senior railcard (some local authorities offer these as an option instead of bus travel). This gives you 1/3 off travel after 09.30 on National Rail services. You can also get the card registered on an Oyster card which gives you 1/3 off all London off-peak single rail fares (inc tube and dlr) and the off-peak price caps. Note that in the evening peak you won't get a discount, but your travel will contribute to the off-peak cap.
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