London buses are 'cashless'. You can't buy a bus ticket on the bus. To pay for travel by bus in London you need one of the following: a Pay as you go Oyster card.
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Pay as you goYou don't have to work out the cost of your journey in advance. You can pay as you go using contactless (card or device), an Oyster card or a Visitor Oyster card. It also offers great value as pay as you go is cheaper than buying single tickets and you get daily and weekly capping.
London buses are all cashless, so you need an Oyster card, Travelcard or contactless payment card to ride. Bus fare is £1.75, and a day of bus-only travel will cost a maximum of £5.25.
Contactless and mobile paymentsYou can use a contactless card or mobile device, such as a phone or watch, to pay as you go on all our services. Overseas transaction fees or charges may apply for non-UK cards.
London buses are card only, so you cannot buy a ticket with cash. Use a Visitor Oyster card*, an Oyster card, a Travelcard or a contactless payment card to pay your fare. Unlike the Tube zone fare system, a single London bus journey costs £1.75 no matter how far you go.
There is no price difference between the Oyster card and contactless card. What is this? Every time you travel on London's public transport, your contactless payment card is charged the same fare as your Oyster, including cap prices (the maximum amount you'll pay daily and weekly to travel throughout London).
Using your Oyster CardEvery time you make a journey the appropriate fare is deducted automatically from your original £10 on the card. The fare deducted is far cheaper than if you purchased tickets individually.
If your bank card shows the contactless payment symbol, you can use it to pay as you go straight away. You'll pay an adult rate fare. Many contactless cards issued outside the UK can be used to pay as you go for travel (overseas transaction fees may apply):
You can use Apple Pay to pay as you go across all Transport for London services, including the Underground, buses and trams. Paying for journeys is easy using Apple Pay and works the same as using a contactless card. You just need to touch in at the start of your journey and touch out at the end on yellow card readers.
It is significantly cheaper to travel in London using an Oyster card than it is to purchase individual tickets for each trip. The only reason you would want to just buy individual tickets is if you are only using public transportation once or twice during your stay.
In most cases, paying by card is more convenient than cash, though we do recommend carrying a small amount of cash for parking, taxis, small purchases and tips. Ideally, take a Wise Mastercard and a Visa debit or credit card with you – plus a small amount of cash.
The cheapest ways to get around London include walking, getting an Oyster card, avoiding travel at peak hours, cycling, taking the bus for long-distance, cruising the Thames Clipper, and taking the Docklands Light Railway (DLR).