Our number one tip for traveling to London is to get an Oyster Card (the prepaid transport card that the whole network uses – you get the lowest fare and pass through stations much more quickly). Now, there is one more reason to pick one up before you leave for London.
Starting this summer, the London bus network will no longer accept cash fares. That means that you will have to have an Oyster card to go on a bus ride as the driver will not be able to accept cash.
Apparently, only 1% of bus journey are paid with cash these days, so this won’t affect most people but it will hit tourists hard who rely on the buses to get around London cheaply (the standard bus fare is £1.45).
No final date has been set so be sure to plan ahead and get an Oyster Card before your next trip.
You can get an Oyster Card from the Visit Britain USA Shop.
If you’re outside the USA, see this website on where to get one.
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I wish they would get the same message out to tourists coming to New York City. While the buses do take cash, the machines only take coins!!! That’s $2.50 in quarters, nickels and dimes (no pennies). I don’t know how many times I’ve seen tourists get on the bus and try to pay with dollar bills. If you are going someplace you’ve never been before and plan to use mass transit, for heaven sake LOOK UP HOW TO PAY YOUR FARE!!!! When we made our trip, a Britrail pass and an Oystercard made things so simple.
Thanks Jonathan. Will be there with my 11 year old in May/June and it would have been embarassing! I’ll just be safe and get an Oyster Card, I travel to London every year, so it won’t go to waste either way!
Lisa
BTW, all London bus-stops have a serial number. If you text that number to 87287, it’ll come back to you with the next scheduled bus(es) to arrive. Of course, many key stops have this information on an LED display. There’s also a ‘BusCountDown’ app for smart phones that does the same.