London Bus Guide: How To Get Around London By Bus (Map, Fare & Weekly Bus Pass) - Winterville (2024)

Adored by both locals and visitors, London’s vibrant red double-decker buses have continued to become an iconic symbol known around the world.

Its distinctive red color started in 1907 and has been the color of the city ever since. If you’d like to visit the city London-style, you have to ride the London Buses, one of the most inexpensive and convenient ways to travel around London.

In fact, more than 2 billion passengers ride the bus every year. It is a top pick for tourists since it has an abundance of sightseeing opportunities en route to your destination.

Hop on to London’s wide network of buses of about 9,300 vehicles, covering 675 routes and 19,000 bus stops.

It serves the entire city with a 24-hour bus service, so you do not have to worry about the timings of your journey.

If you are unfamiliar with London buses, you are in luck as you have come across a detailed guide to help you ride a bus in the city.

From how to use the bus to London bus routes and fares, read on to learn more about them.

If you are planning to commute by bus, remember that all buses in London only accept cashless payments.

With that said, you need a smartcard or ticket like a Bus & Tram Pass, Oyster card, Visitor Oyster Card, Travelcard, or Contactless Card to ride the London bus.

So before hopping on a bus, make sure to get one of the cards mentioned since you cannot purchase a ticket on the bus or pay by cash.

A Bus & Tram Pass is just like a Travelcard that offers unlimited travel on buses and trams only. It comes in two types: Bus & Tram Pass season ticket and One Day Bus & Tram Pass.

Bus & Tram Pass season tickets can be used for a period of seven days, a month, or a year. If you are using the One Day Bus & Tram Pass, you can only use it from 00:01 to 04:30 the next morning.

It is a pay-as-you-go card that only charges you every time you ride and can be topped up to add more credit if needed.

A Visitor Oyster Card is particularly made for tourists since it can only be purchased online when you are still outside London.

Ride as much as you want without the need to recharge for credit using Travelcard season tickets, Day Travelcard, or Group Day Travelcard.

Travelcard season tickets come in three types: 7-Day Travelcards, Monthly Travelcards, and Annual Travelcards.

If you’d like to purchase a ticket for one day only, opt for the Day Travelcards, either Anytime Day or Off-peak Day Travelcards.

Unlike Oyster Cards and Travelcards that you have to purchase, a Contactless Card does not need to be purchased since you are using your own bank card as payment already.

If your bank card has a Contactless payment symbol, it means you can automatically use it to pay for your fare.

However, keep in mind not all bank cards are accepted in London. So before coming to London, check with your bank if your card can be used as a bus fare payment.

If you’d like to pay for buses and trams only, there are different bus and tram faresoffered, which are either charged with pay as you go or Bus & Tram Pass rates.

No matter how far or how many stations you travel by bus, the pay as you go rate remains the same and does not increase. You can travel as much as you want and pay a standard fare.

Should you decide to travel using all public transportation, you can opt for an all-in-one card such as an Oyster Card and Travelcard. Unlike the standard pay as you go rate when traveling by bus and tram only, the rates for Oyster Cards and Travelcards are different per Zone fare. Each Tube, train, or rail station has a specific Zone assigned to determine the correct fare.

To see the complete list of pay as you go caps and Travelcard prices for 5 to 10 years old, 11 to 15 years old, 16+ years old 18+ students, and Apprentice, check the Tube and rail fares.

TfL permits several London bus operators to conduct bus services in London. If you have any concerns with a ride, it is good to know which bus operator manages the bus so you know who to contact right away.

With the help of TfL’s Bus Spider Maps, you can download a PDF map for each bus route to help you with your journey.

Type in a bus route or area and click “Find Spider Maps“. Choose from the list of maps given and download the ones you need.

Alternatively, you can use TfL’s Bus Map to search for your bus route. Input a street or area in the search bar and click “Go”. The map shows all bus options near the location you searched.

Need a bus route map for Central London? Check out this key route map in Central London, ready to download at TfL.

There are several ways to check live bus arrivals in London to keep you on track with your schedule.

You can check TfL’s live bus arrival times by clicking on a bus route. For example, click on Buses 1-50, and select any bus route from 1 to 50.

The page leads you to the list of stations for the route you chose. When you click on a bus stop, the page then shows the live arrival times, first and last services, timetable, and route details from weekdays and weekends. Check this example of a live arrival of route 1 Kingsway/Holborn Station.

Another way to receive live updates is by sending the bus stop code to 87287 or +44 7797 800 287 for international numbers.

You can also look at the Countdown Signs at the bus stop itself where it shows live arrival information.

Lastly, you may see live updates from a Digital Sign available in various places such as shopping centres, hospitals, and town halls.

All bus stops have signs indicating the stop name. Once the bus arrives, allow passengers to alight first before entering the bus. Get on board through the front door of the bus and tap your card on the yellow card reader.

You only tap the yellow card reader once upon entering and you do not need to do it when you exit.

Once you are on the bus, find an available seat. Remember, priority seats are usually for pregnant women, PWDs, and the elderly.

To get off the bus, press the red “stop” button found on the metal posts when the next stop is your destination.

However, if you are riding a Hail and Ride service bus, you can get off anywhere and anytime since there are no designated stops for this type of bus. Read how to use buses in London to learn more.

To help you with your trip, download the TfL Go app, your all-around app to see maps and routes, live bus times, live status updates, walking and cycling routes, toilet locations, and many more.

The app is available to down on the AppStore for iOS or Google Play for Android devices. Its interactive maps allow you to zoom in and out, find a bus stop, and check the next bus arrival update.

On top of that, you can plan your journey in a step-free mode. Once you select step-free mode, you’ll be passing areas that are all wheelchair friendly. The app finds step-free areas in trains and platforms.

Use TfL’s Plan a Journey tool to help you travel from point A to point B. Just type in where you are coming from and where you are going. Moreover, you can select your planned departure time so the tool shows which buses are available.

It also gives you an estimated travel time for each station and its total. If you need more help in planning, take a look at TfL’s travel tools.

According to TfL, they manage approximately 9,300 buses operating on 675 routes, 50 bus stations, and over 19,000 bus stops.

If you are using the Bus & Tram Pass, you can use it to ride buses in London. Use it on the day of your pass until 4:30 in the morning after the expiration date.

Even if you don’t have enough credit on your card, you can still ride the bus one more time. The balance on your card becomes negative, so make sure to top again to pay for the negative balance and have enough credit to ride the next bus.

There isn’t really a bus fare calculator since you pay a Hopper Fare costing £1.65, which is a London single bus fare. It allows you to travel anywhere, no matter how many stops within one hour of use.

You can always check the bus fare costs given by TfL.

Now that you know about bus fares, routes, tickets, and how to ride, you are now ready to see London like a local. Before traveling, it is advisable to read TfL’s guidance on safer travel in London.

Have you ever ridden a London bus before? Help a fellow traveler and share your experience by commenting in the comments section below. If you have any tips and advice, we’d love to know them too here!