How do London red buses work?

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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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.

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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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Always touch in on a yellow card reader at the start of your journey and touch out at the end to pay the right fare. (On a bus or tram you only need to touch in.)

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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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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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Yes, each person travelling needs their own Oyster card, Travelcard or contactless payment card. If you are coming to London in a group of 10 or more people who plan to travel around the capital together, you can buy a Group Day Travelcard*.

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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.

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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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Most UK buses do accept cash, London is one of the few cities to have gone cashless on all public transport. In London, you can either pay by using an approved contactless card or an Oyster Card.

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Pay your fare on cash-free London buses 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.

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How to travel cheap in London
  • Get an Oyster card. ...
  • Go contactless. ...
  • Know where you're travelling to. ...
  • Avoid travelling during peak hours. ...
  • Take the bus for long distances. ...
  • Take advantage of the Hopper fare. ...
  • Rent a bike when it's sunny. ...
  • Walk wherever possible.


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Great value. Pay as you go fares are cheaper than buying a paper single ticket or Day Travelcard. Your Visitor Oyster card offers daily capping. This means you can travel as much as you like in a single day and the amount you pay for your travel is limited (or capped).

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You must tap your card on the TAP target any time you ride. Onboard fare inspectors can read your card to confirm that you properly tapped. If you fail to tap the bus or rail validator before boarding, you may be cited for fare evasion. So don't forget to TAP!

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If you don't tap off, your card will be charged the maximum fare.

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