When you visit London, do you plan to take public buses in addition to the London Underground subway? If not, you may want to revisit your transit itinerary. After all, taking a bus can be more convenient than taking a subway underground. Moreover, there are far more bus stops than subway stations, and these stops are much closer together. Besides, if you take just the tube, you might walk a great distance from your station. While the subway is more efficient, adding a few bus routes can make your London visit more accessible.
About Public Buses in London
The history of London buses dates to 1829, making it the city’s oldest form of public transportation. In comparison, the London Underground was established in 1863, yet it is the world’s first of its kind. Today, the two transit systems complement one another to provide transport services to their residents and visitors. In 2024, the London Transport (TFL) operates 675 bus routes and manages approximately 9,300 buses in its fleet. In addition, the London Transport is also responsible for operating the Underground subway system and other transit services. You may be pleased to know that of those 9,300 buses; most are double-decker (aka Routemaster).
Pros and Cons of Riding the Bus in London
Compared to the London Underground, riding the bus has advantages and disadvantages. As for the disadvantages, you’ll sometimes experience heavy London traffic, and your trip will take longer. Then, there’s also a chance your vehicle might break down or be in an accident. On the other hand, you’ll have city views, unlike the subway, and it may be less crowded. That’s not to mention that bus rides are cheaper, do not operate in zones, and run 24 hours daily. In comparison, the subway typically operates from 5 a.m. to midnight. If that’s not enough, there are more bus stops, and London buses are more accessible than the subway.
Paying Fares for Bus Rides
Before attempting to ride a bus in London, you must obtain a contactless card or use a mobile payment. Put differently, you can’t get on board if you want to use cash to pay your fare. Nowadays, almost every transit system only accepts contactless fares as it is quicker and more efficient. Of course, contactless fare is also safer as you aren’t handling paper or coin money. Furthermore, speeding up the fare payment process reduces the chance of an unnecessary delay in your bus ride.
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Cost of Fare
Another benefit to riding buses in London is that an introductory bus ride (£1.75) is cheaper than a subway ride ((£2.80). Furthermore, unlike the Tube, there is no additional charge per zone. That’s not to mention that you can travel on multiple buses within one hour at the same base fare of £1.75. In other words, you can think of this as a transfer system without obtaining a transfer pass. As for riding buses all day, your fare is capped at £5.25. That means you won’t be charged any additional amount beyond that cap. If you wish to ride buses for up to seven days, it’s £24.70.
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Fare Payment Options on London Buses
Oyster Card
Of your cashless fare options, your best option may be an Oyster or Visitor Oyster card. Indeed, it may be the most widely used method of cashless fare today in London for buses, the subway, and more. Additionally, a Visitor Oyster card can be sent directly to your home before your trip. You would have to set up an online account, select your option, and enter the amount of credit you wish to have. When you’re in London, you tap your Visitor Oyster card on a bus card reader and are on your way. Another benefit is that you won’t have to use your smartphone for public transportation.
Travel Daycard
Another public transportation fare option in London is a Travel Daycard, with unlimited travel starting at £15.90 per day. However, it can be more expensive than using an Oyster card. That’s to say nothing of standing in line to obtain a Travelcard at a card machine and taking longer through the turnstiles. It depends how much you plan to ride the Tube, buses and other services like the Overground and National Rail.
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Using a Contactless Bank Card
If your bank or credit has a contactless payment symbol, you can use this card for fares on London Transport. For those unfamiliar with the contactless payment symbol, it looks like a speaker and can be either on the front or back of your card. As it is, most modern banks and credit cards have this feature. All you have to do is tap in (or out for subway lines). Equally important is using the same type of contactless payment each time you tap in or out. On the other hand, like a mobile payment system, you may be charged a foreign transaction fee from your card issuer.
Using A Mobile Payment System
You can use this for your fare with Apple Pay, Google Pay, or other mobile payment services. However, as an international visitor, you may be charged a foreign transaction fee whenever you use this option in the UK. Furthermore, this may not work for you if your UK bank card isn’t issued. The other mobile payment options are Fitbit, Garmin, and Samsung Pay. This can be used on your smartphone, smartwatch, key fob, or other compatible device. Please note that if you use this option, you will use your device’s battery. Given this, you must ensure your device has enough battery power when riding public transportation.
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Finding a Bus Stop
It would be best if you didn’t have much trouble finding a bus stop in central London. After all, the average distance between bus stops on a route is 349 yards or 320 meters. Moreover, other stops are even closer together, making it easy to hail a bus. Yet to find exact bus stops, you can search via the London Transport website and enter a location. Of course, travel apps like TFL Go, Google Maps, LTC Live, and Moovit. In addition, there are other useful apps, like Citymapper, Bus Times London, and AccessAble.
Flagging/Hailing a Bus in London
You may already know how to indicate you want a bus to pick you up from a stop. On the other hand, it’s still important to offer this information to first-time riders. As you see a bus approach, wave your arm to indicate you want the driver to stop. However, some routes have bus stops marked with a white background. In this case, the bus will stop automatically. As for requesting a stop, you must ring the bell to alert the driver to pull over at the next stop.
Take Your Seat
After you pay your fare, you must find a seat quickly, as the bus may be leaving the stop. If no seat is available, hold on to a strap or grab bar to prevent you from falling. On most occasions, you will ride in a double-decker bus. If you’d like to sit on the upper level, please don’t hesitate to hang on as you make your ascent.
Bus Routes in Central London
With 675 bus routes, you won’t have to familiarize yourself with all these. Instead, like the Underground, you may rely on a handful of bus and subway routes. Like the subway lines, you will not use every bus route during your visit to London. If the Tube is your primary mode of transportation, then you may need to use a few bus routes. To simplify your understanding, this guide will focus on just buses and attractions in central London. In doing so, you’ll soon realize how essential buses will be for traveling.
Important Bus Routes in Central London
Reading and understanding the London Underground takes time and practice. In the same way, you’ll need to spend time to see what goes where. Fortunately, London Transport offers a map of critical routes and “spider maps” for specific locations. While the key routes map is helpful, you won’t have to use all 20+ routes for your travel. Therefore, this guide will only focus on attractions with a bus stop closer to a subway station. It’s recommended that you print out a copy of the free PDF map for critical routes in central London.
Bus to Abbey Road Crossing
The closest subway station is at St. John’s Wood to get to the famous Abbey Road Crossing. But after getting off the Jubilee (grey) line, you’d have to walk about 15 minutes to reach Abbey Road. Another option is bus route 139, which stops about a block from the crosswalk. Route 139 stops at Trafalgar Square, Piccadilly Circus, Baker St., and Abbey Road Studios. By the Abbey Road Studios stop, you’re about a block from the famous Crossing.
Taking a London Bus to the British Museum
Four subway stations provide access to the British Museum. You would still have to walk up to eight minutes from a station to the entrance. If you want to take a bus with a closer stop, take route 14. You can transfer to Route 14 from subway stations, including Piccadilly and Green Park. As you approach the British Museum, you will find a bus stop just minutes from the entrance. Incidentally, bus route 14 also serves Harrods, Victoria, Albert Museum, and Chelsea Football Club.
Buckingham Palace to Parliament/Big Ben
Among the attractions you’ll likely want to visit is Buckingham Palace. However, if you were to take a subway line, the closest station is further than the Wilton bus stop. Additionally, you can take another bus from the Wilton stop to Westminster Abbey and Parliament. Also near the roundabout at Hyde Park Corner are the Equestrian Duke of Ellington and the Wellington Arch—a handful of five-star hotels near this roundabout, including The Lanesborough and the Peninsula.
Camden Town to Chalk Farm
The top of the Northern Line from Camden Town is Chalk Farm. Yet, if you were to walk between the two stations, it’s. Six miles or nearly one kilometer. Why not take the bus instead of going through the subway station to catch the Northern line? Routes 1 and 31 travel frequently along Chalk Farm Road, so it’s an excellent option. Bus stops are near Camden Lock Market, the Amy Winehouse statue, and the Roundhouse.
Greenwich/Prime Meridian
The London borough of Greenwich may be the best example of why a bus can be helpful with your visit. World famous as the Royal Observatory and Prime Meridian location, Greenwich is a central London attraction. But if you were to take the Jubilee subway to the closest station at North Greenwich, be prepared to walk. You would have to walk over two miles to reach the Prime Meridien. The better alternative to walking is taking bus 188 to the Trafalgar Estate stop. From that stop, it’s just .4 miles instead of 2.2 miles. Of course, Greenwich has other attractions, like the famous O2 music venue and the Cutty Sark clipper ship.
London Zoo
The closest subway station from London Zoo is Camden Town station from the Northern line. However, you would have to walk about a mile from the station to reach the entrance of the Zoo. Instead of walking, why not catch route 274 from Camden Town station to the London Zoo stop? Although you still have to walk about nine minutes, you’ll walk less than from the station.
Royal Albert Hall
To reach Royal Albert Hall by subway, you must take the Circle or District line to South Kensington. But it’s about a .8 mile (1.28 km) walk to the world-famous music venue. Fortunately, you can take bus route 360 and get off at the Prince Consort Road stop. From there, it’s just a three-minute walk to Royal Albert Hall. Similarly, you can save time by taking Route 360 to visit the Victoria and Albert Museum. This same route can also close you to the Science Museum and Natural History Museum.
Royal Botanic Gardens
The Royal Botanic Gardens is home to one of the world’s largest and most diverse botanical collections. Despite being about 8.5 miles (13.67 km) west of central London, it’s also a top London attraction. You can take the District subway line from central London to Kew Gardens station. However, it’s at least a 20-minute walk from the station to the Royal Botanic Gardens. To make your journey a bit easier, you can take bus routes 65 or 110, which have stops much closer to the entrance.
Shakespeare’s Globe
While the Bankside ferry terminal is close to the replica of Shakespeare’s Globe, subway stations are far away. Indeed, you would have to walk about 10 to 15 minutes from the nearest stations at Blackfriars or London Bridge. If you prefer a bus, your options are routes 344, 381, and N343. You can transfer to 344 or 381 from the London Bridge station or the N43 in central London. Your closest stops to the Globe Theatre are about .3 miles away. Adjacent to the Globe Theatre is another major London attraction, the Tate Modern art gallery.
Wimbledon
Going to Wimbledon this summer, you can take the District line to Wimbledon station. Unfortunately, you must walk several minutes to reach Wimbledon stadium from the Underground. While many people choose to walk between the stadium and a station, you can also transfer to a bus. Take the District line to Southfield station, just .7 miles from the All Lawn Club. You can also transfer to bus routes 39 or 493 to Wimbledon and Centre Court.
Interestingly enough, the next stop is at the Wimbledon station. However, reaching the All England Lawn and Croquet Club is a mile walk. Instead of walking all the way, you can also catch Route 493 to the stadium. By the way, don’t confuse Wimbledon subway station with the Wimbledon Park station. From the Wimbledon Park station, it’s even a further walk to the legendary tennis stadium. Please note that you will travel to Zone 3 to reach any Wimbledon subway station.
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About the Author
Randy Yagi is an award-winning freelance writer who served as the National Travel Writer for CBS from 2012 to 2019. More than 900 of his stories still appear in syndication across 23 CBS websites, including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and San Francisco. During his peak years with CBS, Randy had a reported digital audience reach of 489 million and 5.5 million monthly visitors. Additionally, his stories have appeared in the Daily Meal, CBS News, CBS Radio, Engadget, NBC.com, NJ.com, and Radio.com. He earned a Media Fellowship from Stanford University and has nearly 25 years of experience in the transportation industry.
