Travelling By Bus

Most people travelling to London may prefer to use the bus rather than other modes of transport as if may be too expensive or they don’t travel to specific areas of London that a bus does. In my opinion travelling by bus can be deemed easier than travelling with the London Underground since it clearly states the stops as well as being significantly cheaper. However, tourists travelling to London that plan to use the bus may be confused as to how the bus networks works as well as payment methods used for it. There are also certain rules when riding the bus throughout London as well as courtesy commonly used.

Payment
In 2014 TFL (Transport for London) stated that bus drivers would no longer accept cash as forms of payment and customers must use an Oyster Card, a pre-paid ticket or a contactless payment card. Customers are not allowed to purchase tickets on the bus and are not allowed to top up their Oyster while on the bus if the run out of credit. If you want to purchase an Oyster card it can be done in numerous ways: it can be delivered to your home address, it can be bought from a newsagents or it can be bought through the vending machines at any London Underground station. If you get onto a bus and only have 70p credit, where the price of a journey is £1.50, you will be allowed onto the bus but you won’t be able to make anymore journey until you top up your Oyster as you would be in the negative. More information regarding Oyster Cards on my blog can be found by clicking here.

Hopper Fare/Unlimited Journeys
When travelling through London there is a ‘hopper fare’ available for customers using an Oyster card or contactless payment card. This fare allows passengers to get on as many buses as they wish within the hour for the small price of £1.50. If you first tapped your Oyster card on a bus at 10:00am then you can jump on any bus between this time until 11:00am - this allows passengers to change routes while paying one fare. If you don’t want to purchase an Oyster card then you can buy a paper ticket which allows you unlimited travel around London on buses for £5. However, if you do have an Oyster card then you are allowed to make as many journeys as you please for £4.50 per day and £21.20 per week. The first three bus journeys will cost you £1.50 each totalling £4.50 but after that bus journeys will cost absolutely nothing. This is an cost efficient way to travel around London not only if you’re on a budget but also can be used rather than a hop-on-hop-off bus.

Knowing Your Direction
Bus stops may have the same name but will be going in very different directions. For example, Fenchurch Street Station has two bus stops, both with different letters: T and V. Fenchurch Street Station (T) goes towards London Bridge whereas Fenchurch Station (V) goes towards Aldgate. If you’re ever confused then look at the top of the bus stop where it will clearly state the letter of the bus stop as well as the direction it will be going in. There are signs near the bus stop which shows different bus directions as well as the different stops it will be stopping at throughout it’s journey. If you’re ever confused then it would be best to board the bus and ask the driver politely if it goes to your chosen destination - if it does then great, tap your oyster and find a seat, if it doesn’t then ask the bus driver what buses do go there and wait for that one. At the front of the bus it will have a number and direction, for example 40 Dulwich Library. The number indicates the specific bus route it’s taking and the location is where the bus will terminate and complete its journey. These letters and numbers are very clearly visible from a distance and allows passengers to see whether the bus is going in one direction or another as there will be two 40 buses - one going to Dulwich Library but the other going to Aldgate. This is a simple method to see if you’re going in the right direction if you have already researched the route but are still confused as to which bus you should get on. There is an app called Bus Times which pinpoints your location and allows users to see bus times as well as the direction they’re going in. Users can also see the amount of stops and the specific names of them, which is handy if they want to go to a specific destination.

Rules and Courtesy
There are a few rules while travelling throughout London on buses - the first being that you are not allowed to get onto a bus without paying the full fare by either showing a valid ticket or tapping your Oyster card or contactless payment card. If a bus inspector gets on, they may be in uniform or plain clothing, they will require you to present your ticket or card to which they will check whether you’ve paid. If they find out you haven’t paid they will either kick you off the bus or they will give you a fine or a penalty fare. If the bus is moving then don’t make any attempt to talk to the driver - this could distract him from driving and in turn cause a crash or harm to members of the public. Wait until the next bus stop to ask the driver something or ask fellow passengers on the bus as they may be able to advise you on your query and save you going up to the driver. You are not allowed to drink alcohol while you’re on the bus as it improves the safety and security of the public while on buses. If you take a pram onto a bus and a wheelchair gets on, you are required to move or fold your pram up to make way for the wheelchair user as they have priority over that space. If you go to the upper deck of the bus and there is no seating available, you cannot stand on the upper deck as it’s a health and safety issue - you will have to stand on the lower deck of the bus. There are a few things that you should do while on buses, but it isn’t necessary, it’s a form of courtesy. If you see a someone that’s pregnant then give up your seat for them if you can since it’s just respect, the same goes for people who are disabled, elderly or unable to stand. Don’t put your bag onto a chair - does your bag have a ticket or did it pay the full fare? If the answer is no then move your bag and allow someone else to sit down.

Hailing a Bus/Asking The Driver To Stop
London buses don’t stop at every bus stop as this would be a complete waste of time as some bus stops are completely empty when the bus drives by it. If you want to hail a bus then you simply need to stick your arm out until the bus indicates that it’s stopping or slowing down. The reason behind this being that there are a range of different buses which stop at specific bus stops, if you hailed down one bus then if there was a bus behind they would know to carry on since no one wants to be picked up nor dropped off. The same rule applies when you want to get off at a specific stop you will need to press the red button which can be found on the metal poles around the bus. Once you press the button there will be a dinging sound and the bus will come to a stop once it’s reached the bus stop. From there passengers can leave the bus without having to tap out and carry on their journey.

Night Buses
Luckily there are a range of night buses that travel around London during the late hours of the night. Not all buses have a night route, only specific ones, but most go from Central London to a range of different areas. You can spot a night bus in London as it will have the letter N before the number of its route. For example, you may see a bus that states N18 Trafalgar Square - this signifies that this is a night bus terminating at Trafalgar Square. However, the normal route during the day for the 18 route may differ from the service provided at night so it would be advisable to do your research before going out. These services also differ from the ones during the day as they are less frequent with buses coming between every 10-15 minutes.