TfL bus bashing on an oyster

[heart-of-wessex]

Not sure where to put this thread so move if need be.

Tuesday I'm looking at doing a London bus bash. I keep meaning to make a start on doing it as I need literally every bus for haulage.

I'd be doing a bus for at least 2-3 stops before getting on another one, and then doing that for 2-3 stops etc.

I'm thinking of using an oyster but will this throw a wobbly at the serious amount of tapping in on a bus every two minutes?

I'll be starting and ending at Hainult, from 9am, using the tube to Stratford or Liverpool Street and doing buses all day, then tube back. What would the oyster cap that at? I was thinking otherwise to bus it from Hainult to the City, and maybe tube it back at the end of the day.

Or should I just get a paper travelcard?

Any help appreciated!

 

[IanD]

I've never had any issues doing similar journeys. You'll just get charged £1.50 every hour or so until you reach the £4.50 cap.

 

[robbeech]

The maximum bus fare you’ll pay on any given calendar day is £4.50 . If you just use buses that is all you’ll pay. If you add some tube travel then you’ll increase that amount up to the cap for the zones you’ve travelled in.
The zone 1 to 4 cap on Oyster is £9.80 and there is no peak vs off peak pricing for this. A journey each way on the tube to Liverpool Street plus multiple buses will take you to this zone 1 to 4 cap regardless of what time of day you travel. The only way you would be able to save on this would be to travel from Hainault after 0930 and travel by tube back from Stratford after 1900. This would be £8.80 or just use buses.
A travelcard will be more expensive. The anytime zone 1 to 4 travelcard is £12.70
Some people prefer to use travelcards but you’ll pay less in this instance withe Oyster.

 

[transmanche]

I'd be doing a bus for at least 2-3 stops before getting on another one, and then doing that for 2-3 stops etc.

I'm thinking of using an oyster but will this throw a wobbly at the serious amount of tapping in on a bus every two minutes?

It'll be fine with an Oyster card.

Geoff Marshall (from All the Stations) did a 'How many buses can you ride in an hour' challenge. He managed 25 and was only charged £1.50.

 

[mmh]

Not sure where to put this thread so move if need be.

Tuesday I'm looking at doing a London bus bash. I keep meaning to make a start on doing it as I need literally every bus for haulage.

I'd be doing a bus for at least 2-3 stops before getting on another one, and then doing that for 2-3 stops etc.

I'm thinking of using an oyster but will this throw a wobbly at the serious amount of tapping in on a bus every two minutes?

I'll be starting and ending at Hainult, from 9am, using the tube to Stratford or Liverpool Street and doing buses all day, then tube back. What would the oyster cap that at? I was thinking otherwise to bus it from Hainult to the City, and maybe tube it back at the end of the day.

Or should I just get a paper travelcard?

Any help appreciated!

This will be fine, the only potential issue you might come across is if you re-enter the same (physical) bus you've recently already used. Unlikely unless at a terminus and you get the same bus on its return journey. I've experienced this once, I took a bus to its terminus to go to a shop, and was quick enough to get back to the stop to get the same bus back - it was within the time limit that the ticket machine thinks is suspicious and my card was rejected with a "Passback attempted" message. After a few moments the driver remembered me from the previous journey, explained what had happened and waved me on.

 

[heart-of-wessex]

Thank you guys!

I will hopefully be avoiding vehicles I've already been on and just go on 'new' ones instead. I suspect I'll accidentally end up going on one I did earlier and think that I needed it, but that would be hours later on so sounds like that won't be an issue.

25 buses at £1.50! Blimey! I actually thought it was £1.50 per journey but being from the west, I honestly know naff all about Oyster's for bashing!

 

[mmh]

Thank you guys!

I will hopefully be avoiding vehicles I've already been on and just go on 'new' ones instead. I suspect I'll accidentally end up going on one I did earlier and think that I needed it, but that would be hours later on so sounds like that won't be an issue.

25 buses at £1.50! Blimey! I actually thought it was £1.50 per journey but being from the west, I honestly know naff all about Oyster's for bashing!

Yeah, I think the chance of you getting the "passbook" error is pretty slim, and it's not a problem - it's only there as a way to stop people handing the same card to someone behind them in the queue, and I'm sure most drivers are used to it not being a perfect system!

For fares, 1.50 is charged on your first tap, then any taps within an hour of that are free, then the next will be another 1.50, and the hour period will start again. It's not worth worrying about times though, there's a maximum day cap to it after which every other bus is free (but you do always need to tap, even if you know it won't charge you). I could be wrong but last time I checked the daily cap was 5 pound I think. Have fun!

 

[mmh]

Thank you guys!

I will hopefully be avoiding vehicles I've already been on and just go on 'new' ones instead. I suspect I'll accidentally end up going on one I did earlier and think that I needed it, but that would be hours later on so sounds like that won't be an issue.

25 buses at £1.50! Blimey! I actually thought it was £1.50 per journey but being from the west, I honestly know naff all about Oyster's for bashing!

Oh, another thing to consider is trams have the same fare as buses and the maximum fare cap is the same, but sadly if you're arriving into Paddington they're not very easy at all to get to, and if you're bus bashing, they're not buses

I know next to nothing about physical buses, just routes, but the three that stand out to me in central London are the electric buses on 521 Waterloo to London Bridge via Holborn (possible the 5xx route from Waterloo to Victoria has also changed to these, I don't know though), the RV1 from Covent Garden to London and Tower Bridge via Waterloo and the South Bank - most buses on it will be hydrogen fuel cell buses, and the occasional routemasters on the number 15 between Trafalgar Square and Tower Hill via the Strand, Aldwych and Cannon St (most 15s are modern double deckers though)

You probably know all of this anyway, sorry!

 

[CatfordCat]

Oh, another thing to consider is trams have the same fare as buses and the maximum fare cap is the same, but sadly if you're arriving into Paddington they're not very easy at all to get to, and if you're bus bashing, they're not buses

I know next to nothing about physical buses, just routes, but the three that stand out to me in central London are the electric buses on 521 Waterloo to London Bridge via Holborn (possible the 5xx route from Waterloo to Victoria has also changed to these, I don't know though), the RV1 from Covent Garden to London and Tower Bridge via Waterloo and the South Bank - most buses on it will be hydrogen fuel cell buses, and the occasional routemasters on the number 15 between Trafalgar Square and Tower Hill via the Strand, Aldwych and Cannon St (most 15s are modern double deckers though)

You probably know all of this anyway, sorry!

Waterloo - Victoria is the 507, and yes, both it and the 521 are electric bus now (the whole of go-ahead London's Waterloo base is now electric.)

The 521 also (going from Waterloo towards London Bridge only) uses the Strand Underpass - originally part of the Kingsway tram subway

 

[robbeech]

I could be wrong but last time I checked the daily cap was 5 pound I think. Have fun!

As mentioned above the bus only cap is £4.50

 

[mmh]

Thank you guys!

I will hopefully be avoiding vehicles I've already been on and just go on 'new' ones instead. I suspect I'll accidentally end up going on one I did earlier and think that I needed it, but that would be hours later on so sounds like that won't be an issue.

25 buses at £1.50! Blimey! I actually thought it was £1.50 per journey but being from the west, I honestly know naff all about Oyster's for bashing!

For some reason I assumed you were arriving into Paddington, sorry. If you're starting at Hainault on the tube you may as well use oyster or the same contactless card all the way from Hainault and back - it'll be 9.80 for all your tube + bus fares and it gives you the flexibility of being able to use the tube or train for the same price (within zone 1-4) if anything goes wrong or you just fancy it.

In fact, looking at the fare cap tables and the tube fares, the only way to make your day's travel cheaper than 9.80 (the zone 1-4 cap) would be to use two cards and use one for the tube to Stratford and back, which would cost 3.20, and another for your bus journeys at 4.50, making 7.70 total and saving 2.10.

(Capping gets a little complicated when the tube is added in as there aren't fare caps for every zone combination, so if you went from Hainault in zone 4 to Stratford in zone 3 (actually "2/3"), then used the same card for your buses they would be charged until the zone 1-4 cap (9.80) is reached, so you may as well just go wherever you want in zone 1-4 by tube, bus or train)

 

[robbob700]

Using 1 oyster should apply the bus cap and charge the tube separately as far as I understand (unless the bus/tube cap is better value).
Using contactless instead of an Oyster would definitely work out the cheapest combination.

 

[Be3G]

Yes that's correct. What Oyster can't do (but contactless can) is cap you at one zonal combination with extension fares beyond that – it's that particular unusual case where using two Oysters can be beneficial for saving money. It's certainly capable of charging a bus cap + extra journeys on rails when that works out cheaper than a zonal cap, however.

 

[heart-of-wessex]

Thank you again guys, actually you answered a question before I could even ask it

I actually happen to have two oysters, as once I forgot my Oyster on a London visit so picked up another visitors Oyster card. To avoid Zone 1 I suppose I could speed up the journey back a little bit by getting a bus to leytonstone, Redbridge or something and getting a train, using another Oyster, to Hauinult?

Anyone know the best direct route from Stratford to anywhere in the City (even Liverpool street will do) by bus please? I cant find a bus route skeleton map from Stratford City bus station (found one for Stratford International that doesn't have any such direct routes.

 

[Hophead]

Anyone know the best direct route from Stratford to anywhere in the City (even Liverpool street will do) by bus please? I cant find a bus route skeleton map from Stratford City bus station (found one for Stratford International that doesn't have any such direct routes.

TfL Spider Maps page.

Searching for Stratford gives you the map you need. Best route is the 25. It's the only route and it'll take you to Aldgate or Bank. Every 7-8 minutes.

 

[James H]

The 388 goes from Stratford City Bus Station to Liverpool Street (and beyond)

 

[Hophead]

The 388 goes from Stratford City Bus Station to Liverpool Street (and beyond)

Oops! Obviously wasn't looking closely enough

 

[heart-of-wessex]

Thank you guys, didn't find that map! Will try that 388 bus

 

[PeterC]

Remember that there are two bus stations at Stratford. Stratford City is the small one next to Westfield north of the railway. The main bus station is between the station and the old town centre south of the railway.

 

[sk688]

Thank you again guys, actually you answered a question before I could even ask it

I actually happen to have two oysters, as once I forgot my Oyster on a London visit so picked up another visitors Oyster card. To avoid Zone 1 I suppose I could speed up the journey back a little bit by getting a bus to leytonstone, Redbridge or something and getting a train, using another Oyster, to Hauinult?

Anyone know the best direct route from Stratford to anywhere in the City (even Liverpool street will do) by bus please? I cant find a bus route skeleton map from Stratford City bus station (found one for Stratford International that doesn't have any such direct routes.

The 25 will take you the way , but watch out for the Mile End shorts . It basically parallels the Central Line from Oxford Circus to Stratford