Think of it this way: £1.75 is roughly the cost of a single pretzel at a train station. But that pretzel won’t take you from Camden Market to Greenwich Park. One bus ride does. And that £5.25 daily cap? That’s less than the cost of a single movie ticket in London—or two slices of mediocre pizza.
Even celebrity life is overrated compared to the bus. A private taxi from Heathrow to central London can cost £100. For that price, you could take the bus 57 times. You’d have enough change left for a souvenir keychain.
When Is the Bus Actually Better?
If you’re traveling with kids, the bus is a lifesaver. Kids under 11 ride free with a paying adult—no ticket, no fuss. And if you’re a night owl, night buses run 24/7 with the same £1.75 fare. No surge pricing, no drama.
Easy London Budget Calculator: How Much Does it Cost to Visit London?
Plus, buses go places the Tube can’t: narrow cobblestone streets, over Tower Bridge, and into neighbourhoods like Shoreditch or Notting Hill. You’ll feel like a local, not a tourist glued to a map.
