How long do London buses run for?

Many of London's bus routes run 24/7. When the Underground closes between about midnight and about 5am, extra night buses are put on. In the centre of London you only wait a few minutes for a bus whatever time of day or night.



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What is the Hopper? Any second bus or tram journey made within one hour of the start of your first journey will be free, if you're using contactless or Oyster pay-as-you-go.

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A vast majority of passengers waiting at bus stops will see their buses arrive within or under the expected waiting time. In fact, the average bus on the 5th May 2019 has arrived in only 92% of the expected waiting time.

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Issues with the route Often, the bus goes on diversion, winding its way around back streets. But this isn't always feasible. Perhaps the roadworks come too close to the end of the route, and it's logical to terminate early.

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Buses are also cheaper than trains, with a flat fare of £1.65 per single journey. You can take two bus journeys for the price of one if you touch in using the same card on the second journey within an hour, thanks to the “Hopper Fare”.

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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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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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London Underground trains generally run between 5am and midnight Monday to Saturday. Operating hours are slightly reduced on Sunday. Night Tube trains run on some lines throughout the night on Fridays and Saturdays.

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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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Bus fares in London are subsidised to the tune of nearly £1bn a year, as Stagecoach observed in your article. As it is, there are four times more bus trips than rail, which gets a subsidy of £5bn a year.

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Route 18, running between Sudbury and Euston bus station is the busiest bus route. The service carried over 16.6 million passengers in 2018/19. The next busiest routes (over 10 million) are: 25, 29, 140, 149, 243, 207, 86, 36, 38, 5, 279, 53, 109, 141 and 43.

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London's buses are already frequently overcrowded. A quarter of those responding to our passenger survey said their bus was overcrowded and yet TfL has no plans to significantly increase services. Unlike the rest of England, London's buses are regulated.

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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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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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If you're visiting London for 3 days or less, the best option is to get the Oyster Card, as it's the most cost-effective system. For stays of over 4 days, we recommend getting the 7-day Travelcard, since it's cheaper than getting 7 x 24-hour travelcards.

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