You don't need to touch out at the end of your journey on buses and trams. You can buy a Visitor Oyster card online before you arrive in London, or an Oyster card at TfL Visitor Centres, stations and Oyster ticket shops.

No, in 2026, you must not tap out when getting off a London bus. London buses operate on a "flat fare" system, meaning the price of the journey is the same regardless of how far you travel. When you board, you tap your Oyster card, contactless bank card, or mobile device on the yellow reader at the front, and the fixed fare (currently £1.75 in 2026) is deducted. If you tap out at the exit doors, the system may interpret it as a "new journey" on a different vehicle or an error, potentially charging you a second time. This is a common point of confusion for tourists who are used to the London Underground (Tube) or the DLR, where tapping out is mandatory to calculate distance-based fares. On a bus, simply walk off through the middle doors once the vehicle has stopped. Also, remember the "Hopper Fare" still applies in 2026: you can take unlimited bus or tram journeys within one hour of your first tap for the price of a single fare.