Why did London buses stop taking cash?

London's buses are no longer accepting cash. Transport for London (TfL) said dwindling numbers of passengers using money to pay for their journeys had prompted the change. Research shows that 99% of customers use Oyster, prepaid tickets, contactless payment cards or concessionary tickets.



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London buses are no longer accepting cash for fares as transport chiefs say most passengers prefer to use Oyster cards. Anybody who doesn't have a card or prepaid ticket will not be able to pay to get on the bus. Transport for London (TfL) say the initiative will speed up queues and make journeys run smoother.

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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.

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Introduced in 1956, the Routemaster was still in everyday service until 2005, and continued running on 'heritage' routes until 2021. A real trouper. So beloved was the classic design that it inspired the creation of Thomas Heatherwick's 'New Bus for London', one of then-mayor Boris Johnson's grand projects.

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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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What happens if my value/credit runs out? If you need to add more value/credit to your Visitor Oyster card you can simply 'top up' at one of the machines in the stations, or by going to one of the Transport for London ticket desks. Any credit you don't use can be kept on your card for use at a later date.

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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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Railway ticket machines across the UK accept most UK bank notes and coins. Please note that machines may not accept 1p or 2p coins as well as £50 bank notes. Depending on station operator, different machines sell a variety or limited range tickets.

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