Using London’s transport system can seem daunting but it needn’t be.
Here are our 20 essential travel tips for London.
Prices & Finding your way around
1. London’s transport system runs between zones and you are charged depending on which zones you travel in, and the time of day.
2. Check out Citymapper or Transport for London to plan your route.
3. Use an oyster card or contactless credit card it’s much cheaper than paying for individual journeys.
4. Have you heard of the hopper fare? You can use the bus/tram as many times as you like within the hour and only pay for one journey (£1.50).
Oyster card & Contactless credit card
5. Register your oyster card/contactless credit card and you can monitor spend on journeys and claim a refund if charged incorrectly.
6. Oyster cards and contactless credit cards are capped daily so you don’t pay more than a set amount each day (amount varies depending on the zones you travel in). Contactless credit cards are also capped weekly (Monday to Sunday) so you don’t pay more than a set amount each week.
7. Always use the same contactless card/oyster card when making your journey that day. If you don’t you won’t be capped and if you use one to enter and one to leave then you pay a premium on each card as it won’t recognise a journey from start to finish.
8. Keep your cards separate when going through the ticket barrier, to prevent card clash and potentially paying twice.
9. You can use your oyster card on the River Bus and Emirates Air Line.
10. If you see a pink card reader, tap your card on this when changing lines – it can save you money, for example, if you’re not travelling through zone 1.
11. When you no longer need your oyster card – return it and you get your deposit back (£5) and up to £10 credit.
Buses
12. Buses do not accept cash. Either use an oyster card, contactless credit card or travel card.
13. When using the bus only tap on the card reader to get on, not off.
14. On the bus, the next stop is displayed on the information screens and also announced. When your stop is shown press the bell once and the bus will stop for you.
Access
15. London is still accessible throughout the night. Check out night and 24 hour buses, night tube and overground night service.
16. You can hire a Santander Cycle from one of the docking stations around the city and return it to any docking station when you have completed your journey.
17. Bus routes are served by low-floor vehicles, with a dedicated space for one wheelchair user and an access ramp. Buses can also be lowered to reduce the step-up from the pavement.
18. Around a quarter of tube stations, half of overground stations, most piers, all tram stops, the Emirates Air Line and all DLR stations have step-free access.
19. Public toilets are available at some tube and rail stations.
20. WiFi is now available at over 260 Tube and 79 London Overground stations across the network.
Check out our London transport page for more information.