help a London bus-a-phobe
 

OK folks<BR>I MAY get up the courage to finally take a bus on my upcoming trip to London. Never had the courage on all my prior visits.<BR>May I please have a primer on bus etiquette?<BR>Specifically: Are route maps posted at all the stops? Are stops clearly marked by poles and signs(or do I just look for the queues)?<BR>If I have a ticket that I bought for the tube, can I use it on the bus? Do buses take coins?<BR>Do I board from the back, and then insert my ticket into a machine?<BR>Do I have to signal somehow when I want to get off?<BR>If I'm not sure about where to get off, will someone advise me if I ask?<BR>Do I disembark from the front or back?<BR><BR>Now c'mon folks, be nice to a person with a disability. Considering that I've traveled solo many times, amazing how intimidating this seems to me.

I've found that subways and buses have at least a little in common between the States and Europe. Perhaps you live somewhere that you can practise at home?

Bravo, Elaine!<BR>It's not as difficult or confusing as you may think. First off, at any tube station, ask for a Central London bus guide (it's free). It has a map showing routes by bus number for the London "theme park" area. It also lists all the bus routes by number with start, end and intermediate points. Does the same for night buses. It has detailed maps of Piccadilly Circus, Trafalgar Square, Oxford Circus and Baker Street indicating on which sides of the streets to pick up certain bus routes. <BR>Each bus will have its route number and end destination prominently displayed front and back. Bus stops may have one of three types of signs. A sign with a red circle over a white background with the words "London Buses" in red in an orange rectangle bisecting the circle identifies a stop the bus will automatically make whether or not anyone wants to get on or off. If the sign is a red square with a white circle and the word "Request" in red on a white rectangle bisecting the circlet the bus will only stop if signaled to. (Wise to signal in any case.) A black sign with an orange owl sitting on a crescent moon with route numbers and the words "Night Bus" is a stop for night buses. The bus stops will have a map and a listing of route numbers and route destinations. <BR><BR>There are bus maps for areas outside central London as well. Map Number 13 (not bus route 13) will get you to Hackney.<BR><BR>Tube passes and all day tickets may be used on buses as well as the underground.<BR>

London's new style buses have only a driver. You enter at the front and show the driver your pass or pay the fare. London's older buses have a conductor who will collect fares after you're seated. You enter these buses from the rear. How can you tell the difference between the new and old buses? They're both double deckers and both red. The old buses have the route number shown three times on the front of the bus; the new buses only once. The new buses have huge windows on both decks; older buses have a divided front driver's window and smaller windows all around.<BR><BR>Ask the driver or conductor or a fellow passenger to alert you to your stop. There is a red button set in yellow plastic near the exit door or stairs. Press it just once to alert the driver of your stop.<BR><BR>Ready for a test run? Take the underground to Sloan Square. On Kings Road at the intersection of Sloan Street and Kings Road you'll find a bus stop marked for Route 11 Liverpool Station. Take it (not Route 11 Fulham Broadway)and get a seat up top, up front. You'll pass by Victoria Station, Westminster Abbey, the Houses of Parliament, go up Whitehall past Horse Guards and the Banqueting House to Trafalgar Square then east on the Strand and Fleet Street to St. Paul's where you can either get off or continue to Liverpool Station, stay on the bus and return to Sloan Square. That ride covers a good bit of London's "theme park" at nominal expense.

Wow, wes, I think you may have made this idiot-proof for me and others who suffer from this problem. This posting's a keeper. Thank you so much!

That’s a great suggestion by Wes. A variant would be to get off at St Pauls, transfer to the 15 to the Tower of London. Get off and take the return 15 (signed to Paddington) passing Cannon Street, St. Paul's, Fleet Street, Aldwych, Trafalgar Square, Piccadilly Circus, Oxford Circus and Marble Arch.

thanks ron<BR>that route will help me with my City church visiting

Elaine, going off-topic here but responding to your last comment about City churches, I assume you are aware of the monthly folder about City churches that you can pick up at the tourist office just across the road from St Paul’s (south). It lists opening times, services times and concerts. I think it is put out by The Friends of The City Churches, http://homepage.ntlworld.com/mothersole/

Elaine,I never took buses until I took them in London! Always afraid to, in NY..in London-it was easy, people are so helpful,it is easy to ask if you are unsure and routes are well marked and easy to figure out.Just as easy as the tube-I also never take the NY subways:)

Elaine,<BR><BR>If you don't have a tube pass, each trip will cost you one pound in central London. You can buy a one day bus pass for 2 pounds, at most newspapers shops (not stands). Furthermore, do not be afraid, most of the conductors on the old fashioned double deckers are sweet and will be happy to help you. If you ask, they will tell you how to get somewhere and will not charge you if you've gotten on the wrong bus and need to get off at the next stop to change.

To find out from the horse's mouth:<BR>http://www.londontransport.co.uk/buses/index.shtml<BR>You can pick up a handy leaflet that explains everything when you arrive. <BR>If you're staying for more than a day or so, a Travelcard will cover all bus, tube and train journeys within thezones you pay for; a bus pass will cover only buses; paying by the journey is the most expensive and time-consuming way of paying...

Hi ron<BR>Yes I am aware of the tourist office across from St Paul's but I may be starting my church "trek" from nearer the Tower. I do have a wonderful book though on London's City churches with <BR>MORE than enough information on where each nail is placed.<BR>Patrick, I don't buy passes wherever I go. Just haven't found them to be worth it for me because I end up walking so much. If I take 3 rides a day (bus or subway train) that's much above my average. The walking also helps counteract my marathon vacation eating! I buy carnets.<BR>kate, I live in NYC and I take buses and subway trains all the time! I find the buses quite easy (if slow) so I can't explain why I've avoided them in London. Just fear of ending up somwhere I hadn't planned on, I guess.<BR>thanks to all

Hey,elaine! If you take the bus and train in NYC, you will be perfectly fine in London:)<BR>My fears are the same in NY, that I will end up in the wrong place, but somehow it would mortify me in NY but in London it would be part of the adventure~Kate

In my opinion, London has THE BEST BUS SYSTEM. If you can read the numbers on the bus anyone can get from point A to B. If you want an experience, try the Dublin busses.<BR>Charlie

this good thread answered most of my bus questions.But compared to the tube it is a very complicated system.There are over 700 bus numbers! (busmap.org/downloads.html).When there do you just focus on the routes provided by 1 or two stations? Which are the most important in general? Or do you carry your own bus route database ;) thanks

This page is an index to what TfL calls &quot;spider maps,&quot; each of which lays out a few bus routes in a highly schematic way similar to how the tube map does:

http://www.tfl.gov.uk/buses/spiders/borough.shtml

One more (that they keep well hidden for some unknown reason) is the tourist bus map:

http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/pdfdocs/cen_bus.pdf

A lot of the advice above is beginning to show its age: the bus system is by far the most rapidly changing bit of London's transport, and things have moved on since 2002.

First, it's no longer possible to buy tickets on buses in central London: most stops now have cash-only, no change, vending machines and the infinite number of differernt pass options has been discussed on this board almost as often as the absence of dress codes in proper cities.

Second, apart from an immense investment in bendy buses, TFL have also put a lot of money into redesigning bus stop information. Virtually wherever you are in the centre, each stop now has very understandable maps of what buses go from it to where.

I'd suggest that changes busophobes' learning strategies. You've no need to have any kind of physical or mental route database (most of those 700 or however many routes connect bits of suburban London no visitor need trouble herself about. Even if she's living in, say, Cockfosters, she needs only know about the half-dozen routes from Cockfosters station to even duller bits of North London)

You simply look at the map where you are and see what routes are available. Take the suitable one (or just the one that looks most interesting), and thus gain familiarity. You then learn other routes. Armed with a pass, it's almost impossible to go wrong: the worst that can happen is you turn round and come back again. There are buses that end up at housing estates most of us wouod prefer to avoid, but you'll know you're in the wrong direction a long, long time before you get there.

the tube is in a state of decline while the bus system is improving every day. once you &quot;discover&quot; the bus, you may never go back to the tube.

use the pass so you don't have to deal with the tickets or the new ticket machines.

not much to the etiquette...in the old buses, the conductor will require that you sit IF there are seets. generally, the locals will sit from the outside in so that people don't need to climb over you to get to a window seat.

people are generally very helpful in giving directions but casual conversation is generally not done by the locals. i've seen tourists ask the bus driver or conductor to make them aware of a stop and they are usually pretty good about this (but don't count on it).

For what it's worth I believe one of TFL's many leaflets has a bit about what the different bus stop signs indicate, how and when to signal and so on. Best to assume all stops are 'request stops' and signal when you want to get on (and off).

The most important bit of advice is not to worry too much. If you don't have a Travelcard, buy a bus pass which is very cheap: then it doesn't matter if you get on the wrong bus because you can get off and get another one. Every stop is clearly marked and has information on where the buses go (unless vandals have been at work). If you're uncertain, don't be afraid to ask: nobody knows all the bus routes, but the people waiting at the stop or sitting on the bus may well know about that bus route, and will be happy to help. Everybody makes mistakes and gets on the wrong bus sometimes, so don't worry if you do it - you'll learn so much more about London than you will by using tubes or taxis.

Good topic! We took several trips to London before we mustered the courage to ride the buses. Now we LOVE them! Not only do you see so much more of London, it will save you a lot of walking.

Like most Americans, we are not used to public transportation. The tube is easier to master because all the stops are right there on the map. You know exactly where you're going. The buses are a bit more intimidating because not every stop is marked and the bus map is very scary looking to the untrained eye (the new Spider maps are much easier to read.)

We started out by finding our hotel on the map and seeing what bus routes ran close by. We then traced the routes to see where they went. In our case, we found out that we could take the No. 9 bus from our flat in Kensington to Fortnum &amp; Mason. So that was our first bus ride - a shopping trip to Fortnum &amp; Mason. It wasn't long after that that we were taking the bus all over town.

The only thing to watch out for - traffic. If you have to be somewhere at a certain time, you need to allow plenty of time to get there on the bus. We tried to get from Knightsbridge to the Dennis Sever House during rush hour and ended up missing our appointment.

Ok I spent an hour scanning the map and bus routes between the attractions/stations.it is complicated! if 10 gets you from A to B then why isnt the bus from B-A also 10 or 11 at least? or why isnt the order of the numbering by station (1-100 waterloo,100-200 trafalgar etc)? What is the sequence behind the numbering?

I don't know how or why the bus routes were number the way they are, but you might find the Spider maps easier to use.

<b>www.transportforlondon.gov.uk/tfl/pdfdocs/tourist.pdf</b>