London Red Bus Hop on Hop Off

[Moxiefurball]

I booked this for our first  and 2nd day in London .. thought after an international flight might be a good intro to London. 
would love to hear from others experiences on this and how frequently they run .. etc .. 

[nini]

We enjoyed two HOHO buses in London. One was a route beginning from the Tower of London. One was by the Natural History Museum.

Personally, I would not do Mich on your first day, except take a short nap explore a bit around your hotel and have dinner.

Edited April 24, 2023 by nini

[John Bull]

Three of the four ho-ho operators have red buses - Tootbus (formerly London Original) with red, white & blue and some cream & red, Big Bus which are muddy red / maroon, and City Sight-seeing which are multi-coloured on a red background and which since Tootbus' re-branding of London Original are sometimes referred to as "red" ho-ho's.

 

All four operate the same main route, which takes about 2.5 hours.

Tootbus and Big Bus are the most frequent (about 10 to !5 minutes), City Sight-seeing not far behind (15 to 20 minutes).

Tootbus & City Sight-seeing offer more in the way of guided walks, Big Bus have more routes (mainly feeder routes geared to travel from train stations & hotel districts to the main route). On some buses Tootbus and Big Bus offer a live guide in English, instead of the usual recorded commentary in a choice of languages.  All include a short river cruise

Prices and offers are variable, but all seem to offer broadly the same value.

But the main route is the important thing, so any differences in the extras is pretty immaterial to most folk.

 

Especially for the day you arrive after a jet-lagged red-eye flight, I suggest a complete tour so that (for at least as long as you stay awake 😏) you get an overview, a general sense of the geography, and a glimpse of pretty-well all the major sights.

One exception is Buckingham Palace - buses aren't allowed past the front. So if you want to see it, you have to get off the bus at Buckingham Gate, a 100 yard walk to the front, then back to the same bus-stop for the next bus. Tip - a large proportion of folk get off here to do that, so when you get back to the bus stop there's likely to be a long line but that line moves quickly. If the line isn't excessively long, consider stepping aside to let others pass so that you're at or very close to the front of the line and get good seats on the following bus.  Or, if you've got an excellent seat and especially if you're feeling the effects of your flight, stay on the bus and check out Buckingham Palace later.

 

Despite the big discount, a two-day pass isn't great value. The buses are very slow because of the number of stops, the fixed route and the traffic, so with a few exceptions they take too long to get from one place where you want to get off for an inside visit to the next, which might be halfway round the ho-ho route. 

For travel between inside visits the Tube (London's extensive, fast and ultra-frequent metro system) is the way to go. Use a regular tourist map to check out the nearest tube station to where you are, and the nearest to the next place you want to visit (attractions' literature & websites always mention their nearest tube station). Then for planning your route between those tube stations use the (diagrammatic, not to scale) tube map which is inset on all tourist maps. There are also lots of tube maps in the tube stations etc.

 

London is one of the cities in the world where a ho-ho makes a great deal of sense

 

JB 🙂

Edited April 24, 2023 by John Bull

[nini]

Thank you @John Bull for this info. The hobo buses are a great overview and way to get your bearings 

[Globaliser]

2 hours ago, nini said:

The hobo buses ...

 

That's one of the best descriptions of those abominations that I have ever seen.

[John Bull]

33 minutes ago, Globaliser said:

 

That's one of the best descriptions of those abominations that I have ever seen.

 

I just knew that'd appeal to your sense of humour and loathing of ho-ho's 😀

 

Globaliser's "abomination" comment isn't as a ho-ho passenger, it's as a London motorist stuck behind them. 

If you get a back seat on a ho-ho, be sure to wave 🖐️ to the folk in cars behind - one of them might be Globaliser. 😏

 

JB 🙂

[nini]

12 hours ago, Globaliser said:

 

That's one of the best descriptions of those abominations that I have ever seen.

OOOPs!

 

[nini]

11 hours ago, John Bull said:

 

I just knew that'd appeal to your sense of humour and loathing of ho-ho's 😀

 

Globaliser's "abomination" comment isn't as a ho-ho passenger, it's as a London motorist stuck behind them. 

If you get a back seat on a ho-ho, be sure to wave 🖐️ to the folk in cars behind - one of them might be Globaliser. 😏

 

JB 🙂

 

I will do that!

[Tyskie]

@John Bull

Thank you for this information.  This is exactly what we have planned after the red eye from NY.

 

Silly question, I know we can start at any stop (Big Bus - Victoria Sta #25) - do the buses go in one direction - the next stop being #26 ?

[John Bull]

d

23 minutes ago, Tyskie said:

@John Bull

Thank you for this information.  This is exactly what we have planned after the red eye from NY.

 

Silly question, I know we can start at any stop (Big Bus - Victoria Sta #25) - do the buses go in one direction - the next stop being #26 ?

 

 

 

Yes, they only go in one direction - one reason why the Tube is usually a lot quicker for most point-to-point journeys.

#25 to #26 ✔️

#26 to #25 ❌

 

JB 🙂

[pink845]

We plan on using the tube to get around. I was listening to someone on utube mention that London Public transit bus route 11 does a pretty good job of hitting a good number of the London highlights as well. We will not be paying exorbitant price of ho ho bus in London. From what I recall from previous vists, tube and walking for us was wonderful.

[Island2Dweller]

47 minutes ago, pink845 said:

London Public transit bus route 11

Sadly no longer true.  The bus route was shortened last month, and isn't really a good sightseeing route any more.  If using London service buses to sightsee (very cheap option),  route 15 from Trafalgar Square to Tower is a good option.

Remember you can't pay cash on buses in London.  Contactless bank card or phone payment is the easiest

[Globaliser]

Also try the new route of the 26 between Victoria and St Paul's Cathedral.

[pink845]

Will our Oyster cards work to pay fare on the public transit buses. Thank you all for the bus numbers and routes. Buses are last resort for us as prefer walking or using tube to get around. We are always surprised when we come up from underground, a new locale, more historic sights. London so lovely.

[Globaliser]

20 minutes ago, pink845 said:

Will our Oyster cards work to pay fare on the public transit buses.

 

Yes.

 

Touch in on the reader by the driver as you board the bus. You do not need to touch out when you alight at the end of your journey.

 

Once you have touched in on a bus, the fare you've paid covers any subsequent bus trips started within one hour of that first touch-in. You still need to touch in when you board a subsequent bus, but you will be charged a zero fare.

 

There is also a special daily fare cap for bus travel only, which is much lower than the fare cap applicable if you have used some form of rail transport too. ISTR that it's set at three bus trips.

[Cotswold Eagle]

11 hours ago, pink845 said:

Buses are last resort for us as prefer walking or using tube to get around.

Ah, but the things you see from the top of a double decker! 😀

[nini]

On 6/23/2023 at 1:05 AM, Cotswold Eagle said:

Ah, but the things you see from the top of a double decker! 😀

Agreed! It worked very well for us. We could get off when and where we choose.