Fares and how to pay
A bus fare is £1.75 (rising to £1.85 on 1 November 2026), and the Hopper fare lets you take unlimited buses within an hour of your first tap. Bus travel is capped at £5.25 a day. Buses don't take cash: tap a contactless card, phone or Oyster card when you board, and don't tap when you get off.
Route 11: Fulham to Waterloo
Runs along the King's Road through Chelsea and Sloane Square, past Victoria and Westminster Cathedral to Westminster Abbey and Parliament, before ending at Waterloo.
Route 24: Hampstead Heath to Pimlico
London's oldest unchanged route (since 1912) and runs 24 hours. It goes through Camden Town, down Tottenham Court Road, past Leicester Square and Trafalgar Square, down Whitehall to Westminster and on to Victoria.
Route 9: Hammersmith to Aldwych
Kensington High Street, the Royal Albert Hall, Knightsbridge, Hyde Park Corner, Piccadilly, Trafalgar Square and Somerset House.
Route 15: Blackwall to Trafalgar Square
Heads east along the Strand and Fleet Street, past St Paul's Cathedral and the Tower of London, into the old docklands.
Route 188: Tottenham Court Road to North Greenwich
Runs 24 hours from Holborn and Waterloo through Elephant & Castle and Bermondsey to Greenwich, the Cutty Sark and the O2.
Tips
- Avoid rush hours (06:30–09:30 and 16:00–19:00) when traffic is slow and the front seats are taken.
- Routes 9, 11, 15 and 24 use the New Routemaster buses, which are ordinary buses at normal fares.
- The old heritage Routemaster route 15H no longer runs regularly, and the RV1 riverside route was withdrawn in 2019.
Fares and times checked September 2026. Prices change, so confirm with the operator before you travel.