{"version_indpt_url":"http://london.openguides.org/wiki/Category_Buses","node_image_licence":"","formatted_content":"
London has a large and efficient (although slow) bus network that should, in theory, be able to take you almost anywhere in the city. At night the system switches over to the night bus network, which is often the only cheap way to get home at 4 in the morning since the Tubes stop running at around midnight.
\nEach route is numbered, and the larger bus stops with shelters bear maps showing the routes of all buses that stop at them. However, the old realistic bus shelter maps showing a large area with all the bus routes are now being replaced with so-called spider maps which is not such a good thing if you don't know how you're getting to your destination. Most if not all stops should also have notices showing the frequency of the service throughout the day and night, and some even have electronic displays showing how long a wait you have until the next bus.
\nThe red Routemaster bus is one of the enduring symbols of London, along with the black Taxis.
\nAnyone under the age of 11 can travel free on buses at any time. Children aged 11-16 have reduced fares.
\nYou can pay for a bus journey in one of several ways: by cash on the bus itself, by buying a book of bus saver tickets, with a bus pass, with a travelcard, or with Oyster Card pre-pay.
\nAs of January 2005 all cash fares for single bus journeys within London are £1.20. This is to encourage you to use one of the other methods of payment, hence making it quicker to board.
\nWith pre-pay the cost is 80p per bus journey, and with bus saver tickets the cost is £1 per bus journey. Note that if you need to use more than one bus to complete your journey, you will be charged more than once, and this still applies if your bus is halted short of its final destination and you need to swap to another of the same number.
\nAt some point this year, pre-pay fares will increase to £1 during peak hours (6:30am-9:30am weekdays). This was meant to be implemented in January 2005, but the infrastructure wasn't ready in time.
\nAny travelcard is valid across all zones for bus travel. This very useful fact seems not to be very widely known.
\nSince 2004, central bus routes require that tickets are bought before boarding. If you wish to pay for your journey with cash, you'll need to buy a ticket from the machine beside the bus stop. \"Pay Before You Board\" routes are indicated by the route number on the bus stop sign having a yellow background.
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