One-day bus ticket for London

[jednick]

I usually buy the one-day off-peak travelcard when I'm in London. Last time it cost me £12.30.

I am an occasional visitor to London and I don't want to get an Oyster card.

This time, I'm not using the tube or trains, just using London's buses.

Is there a one-day ticket that would cost less than a travelcard, and enable me to travel just solely on buses across Greater London for one day?

If there is, how much would it cost; and would it be a paper/card ticket, or do I just use my Visa card to pay for it contactless?

 

[duncanp]

You can use your VISA card to pay for the bus directly by tapping it on the yellow reader at the entrance to the bus.

The single fare is £1.50, and the daily cap for buses only is £4.50.

 

[PeterC]

https://tfl.gov.uk/fares-and-payments/ways-to-pay/bus-and-tram-passes

 

[jednick]

You can use your VISA card to pay for the bus directly by tapping it on the yellow reader at the entrance to the bus.

The single fare is £1.50, and the daily cap for buses only is £4.50.

Thanks. Does it cover all London buses, say for instance to Woolwich?

 

[Robertj21a]

Thanks. Does it cover all London buses, say for instance to Woolwich?

Yes, all red TfL routes.

 

[jednick]

https://tfl.gov.uk/fares-and-payments/ways-to-pay/bus-and-tram-passes

Thanks

 

[jednick]

https://tfl.gov.uk/fares-and-payments/ways-to-pay/bus-and-tram-passes

Thanks. I am new to using contactless. So, please can you just confirm that I tap my Visa card onto the yellow reader at the entrance on each bus I board, and then it's all taken care of and I just pay the capped price of £4.50 per day?

 

[jednick]

Yes, all red TfL routes.

Thanks for the info

 

[Temple Meads]

Thanks. I am new to using contactless. So, please can you just confirm that I tap my Visa card onto the yellow reader at the entrance on each bus I board, and then it's all taken care of and I just pay the capped price of £4.50 per day?

Yes that's right

 

[CatfordCat]

Thanks. Does it cover all London buses, say for instance to Woolwich?

Yes, all red TfL routes.

possibly worth adding that any TFL bus fare / pass / daily cap also applies to TFL bus routes that go beyond the Greater London boundary, so you can go (for example) to Bluewater (but only on TFL routes, not Arriva / Fastrack services), Slough (likewise only on the 81) and so on.

 

[gazthomas]

That’s a really great deal. In today’s “i” newspaper I saw an article about London’s longest bus service from West Croydon to Heathrow. At well over 20 miles that is a bargain at £1.50, expecially as it was one of only two limited stop services in the capital

 

[Ianno87]

That’s a really great deal. In today’s “i” newspaper I saw an article about London’s longest bus service from West Croydon to Heathrow. At well over 20 miles that is a bargain at £1.50, expecially as it was one of only two limited stop services in the capital

With the "Hopper" fare you can travel from somewhere else to Heathrow and providing you touch in on the X26 within an hour of your first touch in, it's still only £1.50! Londoners have a seriously good deal!

Meanwhile, the 1.5 mile journey for me into town costs £2.70....

 

[gazthomas]

With the "Hopper" fare you can travel from somewhere else to Heathrow and providing you touch in on the X26 within an hour of your first touch in, it's still only £1.50! Londoners have a seriously good deal!

Meanwhile, the 1.5 mile journey for me into town costs £2.70....

That is even better. I am just recovering after paying over £8 for a St. Albans to Welwyn Garden City return!

 

[Statto]

That’s a really great deal. In today’s “i” newspaper I saw an article about London’s longest bus service from West Croydon to Heathrow. At well over 20 miles that is a bargain at £1.50, expecially as it was one of only two limited stop services in the capital

The X26 is a great route been on it a couple of times, also the only route that does one of the perimeter roads around Heathrow, so can get a good look at planes taking off or landing.

Doable routes using express routes would be X68 Russell Square-West Croydon afternoon peak in this direction only, first afternoon service is around 15.50, then X26 West Croydon-Heathrow, then A10 Heathrow-Uxbridge, finish on 607 Uxbridge-White City.

 

[duncanp]

With the Hopper fare, you can touch in on any number of buses within an hour of touching in on the first one, and you will not be charged an additional fare.

The capped price of £4.50 is the maximum you would pay in any 24 hour period (starting at 04:30) for buses only, but if you are using buses a lot you will easily hit that amount.

 

[alex397]

With the "Hopper" fare you can travel from somewhere else to Heathrow and providing you touch in on the X26 within an hour of your first touch in, it's still only £1.50! Londoners have a seriously good deal!

Meanwhile, the 1.5 mile journey for me into town costs £2.70....

That still won't stop Londoners moaning at how expensive their transport is

It might be an obvious thing for me to say, but make sure your card is actually contactless-enabled, in case you are not sure.

£4.50 for all-day bus travel is an absolute bargain!

 

[Busaholic]

Thanks. Does it cover all London buses, say for instance to Woolwich?

Yes, you can even venture into the badlands of Thamesmead, if that's what takes your fancy I grew up in what was the Metropolitan Borough of Woolwich, so I'm allowed to be rude about it! By the way, at Woolwich you can take the Free Ferry (a marvellous institution) to North Woolwich to continue your bus journey, and if you go up through Beckton and East Ham you'll be travelling along what was once London's most regular suburban bus route, the 101 - I once stood at the North Woolwich terminal and watched as NINE buses on the 101 arrived nose to tail in the evening peak, following a delay at the Royal Albert Dock swing bridge - at least the first five or six were full of passengers too.

 

[Wirewiper]

It might be an obvious thing for me to say, but make sure your card is actually contactless-enabled, in case you are not sure.

If not then it is also possible to buy a one-day Bus and Tram Pass for £5 at any Underground Station. I haven't used one myself but i understand it is activated once you touch in on your first bus (or at a tram stop).

 

[radamfi]

That still won't stop Londoners moaning at how expensive their transport is

Unless you restrict yourself to buses/trams or certain direct trains in Outer London, London transport is very expensive. A single trip from Zone 2 to Zone 1 involving a bus and a Tube costs £4.40 in peak hours. Is there anywhere outside Britain that charges more than that for a similar single trip?

 

[Ianno87]

Unless you restrict yourself to buses/trams or certain direct trains in Outer London, London transport is very expensive. A single trip from Zone 2 to Zone 1 involving a bus and a Tube costs £4.40 in peak hours. Is there anywhere outside Britain that charges more than that for a similar single trip?

Daily Zone caps for the outer zones are somewhat pricey - there being no Z. 2-6 cap any more.

 

[Be3G]

If not then it is also possible to buy a one-day Bus and Tram Pass for £5 at any Underground Station. I haven't used one myself but i understand it is activated once you touch in on your first bus (or at a tram stop).

From what I've seen it is unfortunately activated at the point of purchase, making it impossible to purchase it for use on a future date. It is, however, also available from Oyster ticket stops; National Rail ticket offices sell it too as an old-fashioned paper ticket.

 

[Wirewiper]

From what I've seen it is unfortunately activated at the point of purchase, making it impossible to purchase it for use on a future date. It is, however, also available from Oyster ticket stops; National Rail ticket offices sell it too as an old-fashioned paper ticket.

Thank you, it is useful to know that Oyster Ticket Stops and National Rail Ticket Stops also sell the one day Bus & Tram Pass. Although I am a dedicated convert to contactless I might just buy one one day for the hell of it.