Tapping in & out on London buses

[CaptainHaddock]

I'm in London this weekend and intend to catch a bus, but I haven't been on a London bus since the days you could pay in cash so I wonder how it works now.

My bank card is set up for contactless payment and I've used it previously on the Underground but what's baffling me is that according to the TFL website you have to tap in when boarding the bus but don't tap out when you get off. Which begs the question; how do they know where you've travelled to?

I know it's a flat £2 fare right now but up here in South Yorkshire you still need to state your destination when boarding so how does it work in London?

 

[ReeceD1993]

I'm in London this weekend and intend to catch a bus, but I haven't been on a London bus since the days you could pay in cash so I wonder how it works now.

My bank card is set up for contactless payment and I've used it previously on the Underground but what's baffling me is that according to the TFL website you have to tap in when boarding the bus but don't tap out when you get off. Which begs the question; how do they know where you've travelled to?

I know it's a flat £2 fare right now but up here in South Yorkshire you still need to state your destination when boarding so how does it work in London?

You just tap your contactless card on the scanner and take a seat on the bus.

 

[WideRanger]

It's a flat fare, no matter how far you travel on the bus. And any buses you change to (with a couple of minor exceptions) within 1 hour of boarding the first bus is included in the fare.

 

[ChrisC]

It's a flat fare, no matter how far you travel on the bus. And any buses you change to (with a couple of minor exceptions) within 1 hour of boarding the first bus is included in the fare.

I’ve been down in London for a few days this week and was absolutely amazed how cheap the bus fares are. The flat fare is only £1.65 and does indeed include more than one bus if boarded within an hour. I’ve travelled further for £1.65 than I can with a £7.70 day ticket here in Nottinghamshire. No worry about having to buy additional tickets for travelling with different operators either.

 

[danm14]

I know it's a flat £2 fare right now but up here in South Yorkshire you still need to state your destination when boarding so how does it work in London?

The London Bus and Tram flat fare is not related to the £2 fare cap elsewhere in England, and it is not a temporary scheme. London Buses have had a flat fare for the past 20 years.

The current London Bus and Tram fare is £1.65, and it is due to increase to £1.75 from March. This allows you unlimited travel by London Bus and Tram for one hour (but if you're on a bus or tram when this hour is up you're allowed to stay on it until the end of the route without being charged more).

Once you've paid three Bus or Tram fares in a day, you reach the daily cap, and get unlimited travel for the rest of the day (you still need to touch in, you just won't be charged). There's also a weekly bus/tram fare cap, and bus/tram fares also count towards the overall daily and weekly all-mode caps (Buses are counted as whatever zone is most beneficial for you regardless of where you actually travelled, and Trams count as whichever of zones 3, 4, 5 and 6 is most beneficial for you regardless of where you actually travelled).

 

[CaptainHaddock]

Thanks all for the very helpful responses. I didn't know about the one hour unlimited travel thing, so that's very useful to know.