erinb

hi everyone,

I was reading a older post that basically stated she would never travel the buses in london again.

I just wondered about that and how many actually avoid the buses.

The last time in london we used the metro extensively to get across town and anyplace more than 10 blocks away, but as a rule, if we were staying within a area to shop or site see, we used the buses to get around the neighborhood.

I found out that while the metro is super convienent it has two drawbacks:

1)When you travel the metro exclusively you MISS LONDON! Using the buses within the neighborhoods allow you to reall see london. I only used metro if I was going outside a neighborhood or if I needed to be across town fast.

2)In some cases, you could have walked less above ground. In london, (say versus Paris) the tube is very spread out and the underground walks, in some cases, are the length of football fields or more.

I love riding the buses as long as they are not super crowded.

I will always buy the london vistor travelcard which covers both bus and tube so that was never an issue.

anyone else have thoughts on this?



I found by doing

janis

I use the tube and buses all the time - but actually walk even more.

I think one reason most tourists - especially Americans - use the tube more is because they do not use public transport much at home. Learning/discovering bus routes is more complicated than reading the Tube map. They can just get on and know what station to get off.

But if they are not familiar with London and the names of areas listed on the front of the buses don't mean anything to them, they have to ask where the bus goes and what stop they should get off - and often get lost because they don't know what landmarks to look for, etc.

For some (maybe most) Americans the tube is the first time they have been on any inner-city public transport.

obxgirl

Erinb, I agree with your observations that you miss some of London when you only travel underground. I'm guessing most people avoid the bus system because it's much harder to navigate unless you know the terrain. But that is true in any big city.

From my travels, I know a select group of bus routes in London, NYC, DC and Chicago that get me from place to place more easily than underground transport. I am always grateful when friends in those cities clue me into other bus routes or more direct paths to walk. Otherwise I depend heavily on the tube/metro/subway for getting from A to B. It's just simpler.

GSteed

London Tourist Board..Find a copy of the guide noting bus and underground routes to selected destinations. Bus conductors are helpful. I have asked about a stop..conductor told me when to get off! Or that I was on the wrong bus..or I was going in the wrong direction..

LVSue

I love buses too! Middleditch's MapGuide to London shows what bus lines are on what streets (right on the map). Also, if you are in London, the "regular" 7-day travelcard is much more economical than any of the visitor travelcards at £16.80.

Lesli

Well, seeing London going by from the top of a red bus is great, as long as London is actually going by.... I've given up and traveled on foot on a couple of occasions when traffic was more or less at a standstill.

The tube is just a lot faster for any great distance, and I walk a *lot*, so end up not using the buses much.

PaulR

Used the buses extensively in our visit to London in March. Two points: The tube has quite a few line and station closures that can make the trip very slow and extremely crowded. The recently implemented fees for cars entering central London have eased traffic so bus travel is much faster than it was before these rules were in place. So the bottom line is that we walked mostly but took the bus since it was almost as fast and much much more interesting.

flanneruk

The only good thing that can be said for the lunatic Mayor of London, Ken Livingston, is that he has brought about a substantial investment in the bus system in the past two years - and it's only reaaly come to fruition in the past six months. So anyone who's not used London buses since February is out of date.

The programme has produced:
- much better mapping and shelter at bus stops. The maps are now almost as clear as London Underground (and a lot clearer than the NY subway)
- more, bigger, buses.
- more, better policed, bus-only lanes
- faster bus travel within the Congestion Charge area

None of this makes up for the moron'e incompetence in every other sphere of his job (would any American visitors like to take him home as a souvenir?)

But don't dismiss the buses out of hand.

BTW: At the time of writing, no tube lines or stations are closed, though access to one or two stations is restricted at peak times.

jody

We'll take him here in Orlando if he can figure out our traffic and public transport problems!

I asked first!!!!

Lori

We use both the bus and tube in London whenever we visit and while we enjoy the "sights" from the bus more it can be horribly slow going. If you "have all day to go nowhere" then the bus is great but if you want to get somewhere in a reasonable amount of time go with the tube.

The buses in London are a little harder to figure out and I expect that throws a lot of potential riders (tourists) off. They just don't have the time (or inclination) to figure out the system. Also probably a huge percentage of Americans who visit London live in areas where there is no (or minimal) public transportation - just getting the hang of the tube for a visit is enough for most people.

SoftwareGenius

I loved the double decker on a sunny day in London- it has running commentary and you can get on and off when you want..you SEE MUCH MORE of London..I should know I lived ther 5 years and travelled by tube everyday..its miserable by tube. This is good if you just want to sit back and relax.
Of course if you NEED to be somewhere by a certain time ..then TUBE it - The bus is a flat fee all day as many rides as you want ..several routes available

Hiroshi

A bus only pass is cheaper than the other passes (which I forgot the name - Travelcard?).

I used to avoid the bus because it was more difficult to learn the routes. The tube maps are so common. However, I found out that some stations are close together so it's faster to walk or take the bus rather than change lines for a station that is close by (but you won't know by looking at the diagramatic tube map).

Some places, like Islington, aren't well served by the tube.

When taking the bus, sometimes one discovers a new place on the way. I had an enjoyable visit to Surrey Quay one time. It's only a shopping centre, but it was different from central London. I saw it on the bus to Greenwich and got off.