Do you touch on and off London buses?

Touch in at the start of your journey and touch out at the end on yellow card readers using contactless (card or device). Only touch in on buses and trams. Find out more about touching in and out. You can pay for someone else's travel with your contactless card or device if they're travelling with you.



Yes, you must touch on and off London buses (and trams).

Here’s the simple rule:

  • Bus & Tram: You only need to touch in (on) with your contactless card, phone, or Oyster card when you board. You do not touch off when you get off. The system automatically charges you a single fare.
  • Why only touch on? Bus and tram fares are a fixed price per journey, regardless of how far you travel. Tapping on registers the start of your journey and charges the flat fare.

Important Exceptions (where you MUST touch on AND off):

The “touch on only” rule only applies to buses and trams. For all other London transport, you must touch on and off to be charged correctly:

  1. London Underground (Tube)
  2. Elizabeth line
  3. DLR (Docklands Light Railway)
  4. London Overground
  5. National Rail services within London
  6. Riverboat services (if using contactless/Oyster)
  7. Emirates Air Line (cable car)

If you fail to touch off on these services, you will be charged an incomplete journey fee, which is significantly more expensive than a standard fare.

Key Tips to Remember:

  • Use the same device/card for all taps on a journey. Don’t mix your phone and physical card.
  • Wait for the green light and beep to confirm your tap was successful.
  • On buses, the card reader is next

People Also Ask

Pay as you go at adult rate on buses and trams and our Hopper fare gives you unlimited journeys for £1.75, made within one hour of touching in. Hopper fare also applies to discounted rate travel. Touch in using the same card or device on all journeys and you get our Hopper fare automatically.

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Should you press the stop button on a bus? If the bus has a stop button, use it. Sometimes you have to pull a cord (usually around and above the windows) or press on a rubbery strip to do the same thing. Watch the other passengers and look around the bus.

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You do not need to tap out on London buses or trams, as it is a fixed fare. If you try, the system will either just ignore it (The correct response) or charge you another fare.

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Missed Tap Off Cost If you don't have a default set on your card and you forget to tap off at the end of your trip, you'll be charged the fare to the last stop on the train line or bus route and with your fare type and any applicable loyalty discounts applied.

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Is it cheaper to use Oyster or contactless? As both cards use the same Pay As You Go system and are compatible with the TfL Oyster & Contactless app, the costs are comparable. As a tourist in London, it can be worth getting an Oyster Card as part of the London Pass.

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Tap On, Tap Off is as simple as it sounds, you tap on by placing your contactless bank card or enabled device onto the ticket machine reader when you board the bus and tap off on the designated card reader when you leave.

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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. You can transfer to other buses or trams for free an unlimited number of times within one hour of touching in for your first journey.

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How do I use the Tap on Tap off service? When you board the bus, use your contactless card or device to 'Tap on' at the ticket machine next to the bus driver. Once you've reached your destination, 'Tap off' the bus using the reader attached to the pole on the left hand side as you exit the bus.

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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. You can transfer to other buses or trams for free an unlimited number of times within one hour of touching in for your first journey.

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Door closing warning beeps are a safety feature incorporated into most buses to make passengers aware that the doors are about to close. Until recently no TfL standards existed with regards to the maximum permitted sound level of these warning beepers.

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Buses across the UK are fitted with buttons that passengers press to alert the driver to stop at the next station. As the bus pulls away from the station before yours, press the button to illuminate the stop sign at the front of the bus.

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