Hi Mark, been following your channel for a while now but only just come across this one. As I was born and brought up in London it reminded of my bus spotting days when my friend and I used to get an allday Red Rover ticket for 5 shillings and travel all over the capital on the Trolleybuses and the famous AEC Regents (RT's) no tap on tap off tickets in those days just friendly conductors. Hope you make more bus journeys enjoyed the one travelling across Wales as I live in North Wales now. Cheers.
If a local boy from Shrewsbury can survive the Far East and Sarfend pier..surely travelling on a few London buses is doable..even if its yr first time..!
I was in a lucky situation in 2022 where I had the time to ride every day bus route in London, it took about a year and a half (a couple days a week) to ride all 540+ routes. I was going through a tough time in life and somehow riding the bus helped me get through it and feel better. London has so much variety and growing up in North London, I got to see so many interesting places down south including Greenwich and Sidcup. I loved going round Kingston, Richmond and Ealing by bus. I live 2 miles beyond the Greater London boundary now and it's crazy how much worse the bus services get already. Some places outside London have decent services but where I am now there are very few buses in the evening and on Sundays despite a very good and frequent train service everyday. It's funny how you say the red bus is cheap, it never used to be, just fares in London were frozen at the same time as everyone else massively increasing their own fares and council subsidies were being cut. Also cool to see you on the river boat, they are a little pricey at full price but really fun to ride, because I have a concession I paid just over £10 for unlimited river bus services for the day. The bigger boats on the RB1 and RB6 let you sit outside but it can get surprisingly cold riding on the Thames!
The 188 bus takes me back. In the 70's and 80's we used to visit my Aunt Rose in Bermondsey and the 188 bus was the connection from Waterloo station. Nowadays it would be Bermondsey station on the Jubilee Line which is 5 minutes walk from where she lived.
London buses are brilliant. My wife and I use them all the time when holidaying there. If you want to take another journey take the number 9 and the number 11. They are as good as a London Tour Bus. Enjoy.
Nice one mate 👍 Can't believe you've never been on a London bus before! But for short ferry crossings, come back to Norfolk and ride the Reedham ferry - it even takes cars (two at a time!)
How enterprising to make full use of the bus hopper fare, Mark. So many opportunities for bus rides around London. Besides the regular services there's the new SL routes around the capital. And what about the Woolwich Ferry ? It's free of charge and probably a shorter crossing than the one you took to Canary Wharf. However just check that it is running when you plan a trip as the ferry has reduced frequency (one boat service at weekends, Bank Hols etc).
I did SL6 a few weeks ago but had some camera issues so I doubt I’ll release it tbh. The Woolwich ferry - really enjoyed that. A bit longer than RB4 but free. Video on my channel 👍
One thing I’d say using google maps to anticipate the bus time isn’t always accurate. Sometimes there is diversions in place or traffic that holds the bus up.
Plenty of choice for buses to ride. The 108 through the old Blackwall Tunnel (northbound only) is fun (but beware some weekend closures), single deck only though thanks to hight limit. Obviously routes through Central London, 26 and 139 (double deckers) might be thought the best ? - a W3 (double deck) through Alexandra Park for splendid views, a 210 (double deck) across the top of Hampstead Heath and squeezing through the Spaniards. There are some rural routes, the best ride on a double deck is 313 through Botany Bay. A few single deck London routes go out into the countryside, such as 246 to Westerham and 465 to Dorking, a long ride for £1.75!, but single decks on the 146, 464, R5, R8, R10 (and northbound only on the B14) probably serve the narrowest lanes.
Welcome to London buses. Easy to use and great connections. Edit: no the drivers don't hang about. My sister drives for Stagecoach. And if the timings are messed up, they tell her what to do to get her route times back. Like terminating early, changing routes etc.
Cheers yes definitely easy to use in my (limited) experience. And if you mess up, there always seems to be another one coming along. Google Maps is great for checking all that as well. They are quick off the mark but I never felt unsafe as they never really seemed to go very fast.
do'n't forget at request stops put your hand out to stop the bus and ring the bell once to stop it Outside London treat them all as request stops or they may drive on by
Further to Cotty360 comment below, try the tram from Beckenham to East Croydon change there and then get the 75 bus to Lewisham Railway station then change onto the Docklands Light Railway (DLR), then anywhere in East London could be your final destination. Try Royal Albert station where you'll get a view of City Airport, cross over the Connaught Bridge where you can catch a (DLR) to reverse your journey back to ????
Superb video. I’ve been to London many many times since the 70s but it wasn’t until 2017 that I decided to take the bus around the place. What a pleasant surprise. I always thought it would be chaotic but armed with iPhone maps and a contactless card I found it to be a doddle. Together with the bus stop name displays on the bus which made it even easier. Thank you!
In terms of London buses I would recommend the 211 (Hammersmith-Waterloo) or the 108 at Stratford, brilliant services. I travelled on many London buses, even on the old Routemasters and bendy buses. Sadly, TFL has a bit amended the service in Central Londo and some routes that were brilliant have been curtailed.
@@LetsMakeaTrip Apart from the 405 and 465 which somebody mentioned, I'd recommend two Bromley routes: the 146 to Downe & the 246 to Westerham (and on to Winston Churchill's home at Chartwell in the summer); the 464 to sleepy Tatsfield (connects with the Croydon Tramlink at Addington) and the 375 from Romford to the remote Passingford Bridge. If you have a travelcard you get a third off riverboats - check out the labyrinthian Oyster card T&Cs..!
@@LetsMakeaTrip if I may also recommend another route that would be the N9, which, whilst being a night bus, is the only London all stop bus Route which connects Heathrow to Central.London
I was going to suggest doing the limited stop X routes, by doing the X68 Russell Square to West Croydon, X26 West Croydon to Heathrow, and X140 Heathrow to Harrow Bus Station. But, they are no more. Instead they are the SL6 (X68), SL7 (X26) SL9 (X140). So it could be your Super Loop challenge. Russell Square to Harrow Bus Station using Super Loop. The SL6 only runs from Russell Square afternoon peak M-F from 15.40 until 18.50. It's quite a rapid bus route (for London), after the Waterloo Stn stop, it runs for half an hour to West Norwood without calling at any bus stops. Harrow Bus Station is by the Underground and Chiltern Line station, within the TfL zones. A point of interest is that the X26 runs on part of the route the former Green Line 726 service ran along. Good luck
Be carefull, the Routemasters are on a tourist route T15, and are nothing to do with TfL, so Oyster and usual passes & fares are not valid. However a single is only £2.50 at present, not bad for a heritage ride. Runs Tower Hill to Piccadilly Circus (although Saturdays these days is often cut back to Charing Cross because of protest marches).
The telemetry system TfL use is far better than our local one in Merseyside. On the bus stop displays where approaching buses are listed, they actually swap around as buses pass each other at stops as they head to you, and they do arrive in the sequence displayed. I lived in SW London for a few decades before living in Merseyside.
This was fun and interesting! The ferry was unexpected and charming. I’m sure it would be a lot busier when it isn’t winter. And please do more bus trips - they give a close view of everyday life.
Londoners will probably chip in and declare they are hard done by despite having the most frequent, the most accessible public transport in the country
Cheers mate, I really appreciate that. The variety doesn't always work in my favour tbh but life would be boring if I just stuck to trains or coaches all the time wouldn't it.
hopper fairs you get up to 70 minutes,as there is a small allowance built in. Another great video, thank you for taking us along. You might have just seen a background view of a 199 at Canada Water, which recently converted to double deck electric buses. I hope you do get a chance to do more of London. There are a few routes like the 465 or 405, which leave London totally and make a great trip.
That was fun. Love the Uber boats. We remembered your previous “voyage”. We love London but it’s been a while so we’d be happy to live vicariously thru you if you do other jaunts there.
Another great video Mark! A route to try is the 108 under the Blackwall tunnel. It uses a mix of Mercedes-Benz Citaro and also BYD Alexander Dennis Enviro 200 MMCs (battery electric) buses
@@LetsMakeaTrip See the comment I posted regarding the former limited stop X routes, now part of the Super Loop. Russell Square to Harrow on the SL6 (Wst Croydon), SL7 (Wst Croydon - Heathrow), SL9 (H'row - Harrow). I put more detail on my posted comment.
Great video looked nice busses. Maybe if your looking to do more London bus videos you could find out which is the longest bus journey in London or the most scenic.
Yes it be great to see you going on more London buses rounds be nice to see you getting bus from Victoria bus station different parts of London me and my partner are planning on going up to London in the spring and info about the buses and where they do will be very useful
TfL are hot on penalising bus operators if they are outside a time window before or after the timetable. It's not uncommon for a bus to sit at a stop for several minutes as it's running early, especially on Bank Holidays when the traffic is much lighter. I've been on a bus that got swapped over mid route due to tracking problems. Our bus wasn't displayed on the live departure indicator at the stop I boarded the bus. Also, no announcements or stop information displayed in the bus. It was invisible to TfL, so it looked like the service wasn't running, so a fine for the company. A fitter, in overalls brought an exchange bus from the garage, and we swapped buses near Tower Bridge. Some routes are deemed high frequency. Say every 6, 8, or 10 minutes for example, so the bus stop timetable doesn't show departure times, just the frequency. It may display times for morning, evening and Sunday services where they may be less frequent.
Well I was completely wrong. When the second bus said Tottenham court oh I thought the London Transport Museum. Great video though. Really enjoyed it 🙂
I’ve always been impressed how easy it is to use the London buses, with all the stops announced in advance, so you can’t really go wrong even if you’ve never used them before. My longest journey on one bus was 80 minutes on a 140 (before Covid) from just outside Heathrow Airport to Harrow & Wealdstone railway station (Euston was closed for the Easter weekend), for £1.50!
You should come up to my neck of the woods and come to Leigh, one of the biggest towns without a train station and see which bus is the quickest to Manchester, the V1 or the 35
Interesting to see some of my old haunts - my god it's changed in the last 30/40 years!!! Has it changed for the better? Well, I guess so, because (as the names suggest - Canada Water, Custom House, Surrey Quays etc) these are the former docks and were pretty run down when I knew them.
I'd love to explore those old docklands though before they all get swallowed up. It is good that some of the stuff has been preserved (like the cranes and the bridges). Massive sense of history about the place.
Enjoy your trips FYI there is a Bus ( double decker vehicle ) runs from Portsmouth to Brighton and return. “ Coast liner 700 “ 50 .1 miles each way may be worth a video on a nice day.
Unless rules changed since 1st January, you should get 69 minutes 59 seconds (it's a 10 minute buffer that's not advertised). Check the time of your 1st charge against the time of your last charge. I'll bet its 70 minutes+ apart. Maybe try TFL's longest bus route from West Croydon to Heathrow Airport?
I must admit, there does seem to be some conflicting time periods here and maybe I should check the times to be sure. I believe you can get all this info from the TfL website once registered and it comes up the next day so you can verify your journeys.
Never been before Fred. Tbh, I was only there because I was supposed to be heading somewhere else. This video came about because I had to change my plans so it really was a last minute substitution!!
You are right with the hopper fare. Just make sure that you make the journeys within the hour using the exact same payment method. Don't mix your devices to get the hopper fare.
On one of my first days in 2017 in London I took a bus from Victoria station. It brought me alongside Buckingham palace, Oxford Street and Marble arch. No idea what number. It is on my channel somewhere. Instead of taking a bus or the tube, walking on top of the central line from Bank westwards to Marble Arch is interesting, lots of stuff to see.
Great film. Well done. I have never been on a London Bus believing the The Tube to be easier to navigate. Can you buy a "Rover" ticket for both giving you unlimited travel for a day. Challenge how far can you travel in one day?? Thanks again.
Cheers Kevin. I believe there’s a daily cap so you shouldn’t go over that when you’re tapping in and out. Others may have more knowledge on that than me tbh.
Great video as always. Would love more London bus videos. I’ve been a tourist in London many times but never had the confidence to try the regular bus network. Many thanks for this.
Great report. I travelled on many bus routes in central and outer London and to be fair for the most they offer a great service. Sadly TFL had withdrawn some historic brilliant routes such as the 521, 507 (formerly branded as the Red Arrows) and one that I miss is the RV1 route (Covent Garden-Tower Hill), whichwas operated by low emission buses in its entirety. I also remember riding on bendy buses whilst they were still on core routes in Central London.
Cheers mate, I really am a beginner when it comes to this but I certainly feel more confident now. And like I said, Google maps is great for plotting something - just a start and end point and see where it takes you 😊👍
You've done everything by the book there with your bank card. The 286 isn't the fastest bus route by any standard so that would have eaten into most of your 60 minute Hopper fare. People moan about London's public transport being expensive but £3.50 for three bus journeys when outside the TfL area that would have been £6, what can you say?
Cheers mate, yep we stopped for a while at Eltham too then I guess if you live in London you get to know the best way of doing these things. For me, great value - really enjoyed it.
How about doing public transport in Dublin using a leap card, and the travel 90 leap card fare. Also I have done that boat trip in 2012, when I staied in that Hilton hotel.
@@farrahw7804 The cap will automatically apply. Your best bet is to set yourself up with a TfL account to keep an eye on your journeys. Remember all journeys on the day are estimated and payment is deducted approx 12am 3am the following day.
When I speak to people here in Jersey about using the buses in London rather than the tube they look at me funny! In many cases the bus is quicker especially taking into account the time and faffing to get into the tube station. C10 great bus for Vic coach station from Waterloo area.
Hi Mark, been following your channel for a while now but only just come across this one. As I was born and brought up in London it reminded of my bus spotting days when my friend and I used to get an allday Red Rover ticket for 5 shillings and travel all over the capital on the Trolleybuses and the famous AEC Regents (RT's) no tap on tap off tickets in those days just friendly conductors.
Hope you make more bus journeys enjoyed the one travelling across Wales as I live in North Wales now. Cheers.
More London Bus please. My favourite is the 26 from Victoria to Liverpool Street
Noted Paul. If this vid does well, it'll be worth me going back down there for some more definitely.
The trams work in a similar way, you tap in but not out, its £1.75 however long you go. I recently did West Croydon to Bekenham Junction.
That’s a good shout! Forgot about the trams 👍
If a local boy from Shrewsbury can survive the Far East and Sarfend pier..surely travelling on a few London buses is doable..even if its yr first time..!
Haha, I just about managed it mate!
I was in a lucky situation in 2022 where I had the time to ride every day bus route in London, it took about a year and a half (a couple days a week) to ride all 540+ routes. I was going through a tough time in life and somehow riding the bus helped me get through it and feel better. London has so much variety and growing up in North London, I got to see so many interesting places down south including Greenwich and Sidcup. I loved going round Kingston, Richmond and Ealing by bus. I live 2 miles beyond the Greater London boundary now and it's crazy how much worse the bus services get already. Some places outside London have decent services but where I am now there are very few buses in the evening and on Sundays despite a very good and frequent train service everyday. It's funny how you say the red bus is cheap, it never used to be, just fares in London were frozen at the same time as everyone else massively increasing their own fares and council subsidies were being cut. Also cool to see you on the river boat, they are a little pricey at full price but really fun to ride, because I have a concession I paid just over £10 for unlimited river bus services for the day. The bigger boats on the RB1 and RB6 let you sit outside but it can get surprisingly cold riding on the Thames!
The 188 bus takes me back. In the 70's and 80's we used to visit my Aunt Rose in Bermondsey and the 188 bus was the connection from Waterloo station. Nowadays it would be Bermondsey station on the Jubilee Line which is 5 minutes walk from where she lived.
Cheers Tony, think I’ll be doing a few more buses next time I’m down there 👍
London buses are brilliant. My wife and I use them all the time when holidaying there. If you want to take another journey take the number 9 and the number 11. They are as good as a London Tour Bus. Enjoy.
Noted, thanks for the tip 😊👍
City Mapper is your best friend in London for buses, tubes, trains and trams in Greater London.
I'm not aware of that Gareth, will give it a go, cheers.
@@LetsMakeaTrip it works in a lot of cities
What would be the best non internet way of getting around? I'm guessing it would be a combo of simply looking at timetables at stops and asking people
You still need to do the big trip - Land's End to John O' Groats
It's definitely on the agenda.
As someone who knows the area you don''t do "th" in Eltham, you ignore the H
Ta.
Nice one mate 👍 Can't believe you've never been on a London bus before! But for short ferry crossings, come back to Norfolk and ride the Reedham ferry - it even takes cars (two at a time!)
I'm definitely up for that (though you must allow me to show you around Shrewsbury at some point too don't forget!).
How enterprising to make full use of the bus hopper fare, Mark. So many opportunities for bus rides around London. Besides the regular services there's the new SL routes around the capital. And what about the Woolwich Ferry ? It's free of charge and probably a shorter crossing than the one you took to Canary Wharf. However just check that it is running when you plan a trip as the ferry has reduced frequency (one boat service at weekends, Bank Hols etc).
I did SL6 a few weeks ago but had some camera issues so I doubt I’ll release it tbh. The Woolwich ferry - really enjoyed that. A bit longer than RB4 but free. Video on my channel 👍
One thing I’d say using google maps to anticipate the bus time isn’t always accurate. Sometimes there is diversions in place or traffic that holds the bus up.
This has given me a good idea for a day out in London. Thank you!
No worries, I'll be doing the same next time I'm down there!
A first for me as well! Cheers mate!
Cheers Steve, I can see you on one of these next time you're in the capital mate.
Great journey Mark. Super use of public transport in London. Like you I have never been on a London bus. Keep the super reviews coming🙃🙃❤
Thanks mate. I hope this helps in terms of how to do it. I didn't know tbh but now I'm much more confident in using them. Easy really.
Such gentle viewing… brilliant
Thank you, glad you enjoyed it.
Plenty of choice for buses to ride. The 108 through the old Blackwall Tunnel (northbound only) is fun (but beware some weekend closures), single deck only though thanks to hight limit. Obviously routes through Central London, 26 and 139 (double deckers) might be thought the best ? - a W3 (double deck) through Alexandra Park for splendid views, a 210 (double deck) across the top of Hampstead Heath and squeezing through the Spaniards. There are some rural routes, the best ride on a double deck is 313 through Botany Bay. A few single deck London routes go out into the countryside, such as 246 to Westerham and 465 to Dorking, a long ride for £1.75!, but single decks on the 146, 464, R5, R8, R10 (and northbound only on the B14) probably serve the narrowest lanes.
Nice one Brian, thanks very much for all the suggestions. Ive screenshot your comment for future reference, cheers. 😊👍
Welcome to London buses. Easy to use and great connections.
Edit: no the drivers don't hang about. My sister drives for Stagecoach. And if the timings are messed up, they tell her what to do to get her route times back. Like terminating early, changing routes etc.
Cheers yes definitely easy to use in my (limited) experience. And if you mess up, there always seems to be another one coming along. Google Maps is great for checking all that as well. They are quick off the mark but I never felt unsafe as they never really seemed to go very fast.
Hi mark it’s Paul so funny you doing this video when you contacted me I live. 3 miles from the location great video
Cheers Paul, yep and I've gotta say, I really enjoyed it - more than I thought I would. Here's to the next trip!
do'n't forget at request stops put your hand out to stop the bus and ring the bell once to stop it Outside London treat them all as request stops or they may drive on by
Have a trip on the classic routmaster double decker bus
If I can get on me Alan, I will do. I believe there are some tourist routes still using them.
Further to Cotty360 comment below, try the tram from Beckenham to East Croydon change there and then get the 75 bus to Lewisham Railway station then change onto the Docklands Light Railway (DLR), then anywhere in East London could be your final destination. Try Royal Albert station where you'll get a view of City Airport, cross over the Connaught Bridge where you can catch a (DLR) to reverse your journey back to ????
Superb video. I’ve been to London many many times since the 70s but it wasn’t until 2017 that I decided to take the bus around the place. What a pleasant surprise. I always thought it would be chaotic but armed with iPhone maps and a contactless card I found it to be a doddle. Together with the bus stop name displays on the bus which made it even easier. Thank you!
Yes totally agree Michael. I was the same as you only in 2024 and I guess if anything, it's even easier now! Cheers.
They are a couple of TH-cam bus channels to give you inspiration
London bus and london bus rider
I'll take a look Timothy, thanks for the recommendations.
Can you do the London Cable car? You weren’t far from it. Some excellent views there!
I've done it a couple of times before but that was prior to me doing the TH-cam thing. I found it a bit terrifying tbh!!
In terms of London buses I would recommend the 211 (Hammersmith-Waterloo) or the 108 at Stratford, brilliant services. I travelled on many London buses, even on the old Routemasters and bendy buses. Sadly, TFL has a bit amended the service in Central Londo and some routes that were brilliant have been curtailed.
108 has the advantage of going through the Blackwall Tunnel. The number 9 is a great bus to see the sights from the top deck for £1.75
@@craigthurston7731 not to mention the 15 as well to Trafalgar Square. Another brilliant route.
Thanks for more recommendations guys. Comments on this vid are going to be invaluable next time I go down to London 👍
@@LetsMakeaTrip Apart from the 405 and 465 which somebody mentioned, I'd recommend two Bromley routes: the 146 to Downe & the 246 to Westerham (and on to Winston Churchill's home at Chartwell in the summer); the 464 to sleepy Tatsfield (connects with the Croydon Tramlink at Addington) and the 375 from Romford to the remote Passingford Bridge. If you have a travelcard you get a third off riverboats - check out the labyrinthian Oyster card T&Cs..!
@@LetsMakeaTrip if I may also recommend another route that would be the N9, which, whilst being a night bus, is the only London all stop bus Route which connects Heathrow to Central.London
Yes more bu journies, please. I may join you.
You are welcome if you do Andrew!
I was going to suggest doing the limited stop X routes, by doing the X68 Russell Square to West Croydon, X26 West Croydon to Heathrow, and X140 Heathrow to Harrow Bus Station. But, they are no more. Instead they are the SL6 (X68), SL7 (X26) SL9 (X140).
So it could be your Super Loop challenge. Russell Square to Harrow Bus Station using Super Loop.
The SL6 only runs from Russell Square afternoon peak M-F from 15.40 until 18.50. It's quite a rapid bus route (for London), after the Waterloo Stn stop, it runs for half an hour to West Norwood without calling at any bus stops.
Harrow Bus Station is by the Underground and Chiltern Line station, within the TfL zones.
A point of interest is that the X26 runs on part of the route the former Green Line 726 service ran along.
Good luck
I took the SL6 but had a few issues filming it so I’m not sure atm whether to release it or not.
good idea. Try the 15. Best cheap bus tour in London and they also run routemasters on that route too. Good fun
Be carefull, the Routemasters are on a tourist route T15, and are nothing to do with TfL, so Oyster and usual passes & fares are not valid. However a single is only £2.50 at present, not bad for a heritage ride. Runs Tower Hill to Piccadilly Circus (although Saturdays these days is often cut back to Charing Cross because of protest marches).
Good shout both and £2.50’s pretty good for a go on one of the routemasters I would’ve thought 👍
The telemetry system TfL use is far better than our local one in Merseyside. On the bus stop displays where approaching buses are listed, they actually swap around as buses pass each other at stops as they head to you, and they do arrive in the sequence displayed. I lived in SW London for a few decades before living in Merseyside.
Interesting, I’m up on Merseyside soon, must take a look 👍
Love London I’d love to see you travel around around on bus and tube 😊
Thanks Mick. I do enjoy it, normally on the underground as this was my first time on the buses I'll give it another go for sure.
Yes more busses
Cheers mate.
This was fun and interesting! The ferry was unexpected and charming. I’m sure it would be a lot busier when it isn’t winter. And please do more bus trips - they give a close view of everyday life.
Cheers Ozgirl, glad you liked it 😊👍
😮 wow Mark so cheap the transport in London 😲 nice little trip m8 ✅
Cheers John, yes I think I did ok price-wise.
Londoners will probably chip in and declare they are hard done by despite having the most frequent, the most accessible public transport in the country
A pleasure to meet you in Shrewsbury town centre this morning! Lovely little chat. Keep up the good work!😊
Hi Phil, likewise mate and I hope you had a good lunch! Thanks for the support - much appreciated.
love ya diverstity of travel videos ...great viewing pal seriousley
Cheers mate, I really appreciate that. The variety doesn't always work in my favour tbh but life would be boring if I just stuck to trains or coaches all the time wouldn't it.
@LetsMakeaTrip you make us wanna travel and that's good 👍
hopper fairs you get up to 70 minutes,as there is a small allowance built in. Another great video, thank you for taking us along. You might have just seen a background view of a 199 at Canada Water, which recently converted to double deck electric buses. I hope you do get a chance to do more of London. There are a few routes like the 465 or 405, which leave London totally and make a great trip.
The hopper period was changed a couple of years ago from 70 minutes to 62 minutes
Interesting video could do a north south lobdon
@@HonarySpock Yes you are right, I work with the ticketing system and if you are a minute out no hopper fare.
Cheers all and thanks for the suggestions 😊👍
there are over 20 routes that go outside the M25, and several more that leave greater London but don't leave the M25
You should definitely do superloop
I did SL6 but I'm not particularly happy with the video results tbh.
First one was a Wright Streetlite DF, DF meaning Door Forward
Cheers for the info 👍
Deptford Creek is the rather mucky end of the River Ravensbourne, where it flows into the Thames. Much more attractive nearer its source.
I would take the 24 as the best london route at the present time
Duly noted, thanks.
That was fun. Love the Uber boats. We remembered your previous “voyage”. We love London but it’s been a while so we’d be happy to live vicariously thru you if you do other jaunts there.
guys. If this video does well, it'll definitely be worth me going back down there.
Definitely !
Thanks Mark lovely video I would often go for for bus trips round london while on holiday 👍
Cheers James, I’ll be doing that myself from now on too I reckon 👍
Really enjoyed this , Mark. We are going to London this summer for the first time in many, many years so will be hopping on the buses😊
Thanks Sheila and have a good trip! I’ll definitely use the buses more now I know what to do.
more bus journies - maybe incorporate the woolwich free ferry.
Done that already Richard. Video on my channel about two months back.
Can’t beat wandering around London on a bus or tube with a visitor Oyster card in hand. Good video mark very interesting.
Cheers Colin and thanks for the comment. PS, I agree 👍
Another great video Mark! A route to try is the 108 under the Blackwall tunnel. It uses a mix of Mercedes-Benz Citaro and also BYD Alexander Dennis Enviro 200 MMCs (battery electric) buses
Chinese electric buses through the Blackwall Tunnel? Er, no thanks 🔥🚫🙅♀️
@AndreiTupolev there's not been one fire related to the E200 MMCs since their introduction in 2016
I went through the Blackwall Tunnel on the Flixbus from Paris recently but yep, definitely be up for doing that again on a 'local' bus.
You will need to try out the new super loop services as this will give you a good view of other locations in London
I’m actively looking👍
@@LetsMakeaTrip
See the comment I posted regarding the former limited stop X routes, now part of the Super Loop. Russell Square to Harrow on the SL6 (Wst Croydon), SL7 (Wst Croydon - Heathrow), SL9 (H'row - Harrow). I put more detail on my posted comment.
I enjoyed watching this video, Thank you for uploading this 😊😊
Thanks for watching (and leaving a comment) 😊
Great video looked nice busses. Maybe if your looking to do more London bus videos you could find out which is the longest bus journey in London or the most scenic.
That is definitely on the agenda, might need some help from the experts but I reckon Heathrow into Central London would be a good choice.
I wonder if there is a big clock in Greenwich that shows the mean time lol
Yes the clock is not that big and has a pole on the top with a black ball that drops at noon (GMT) daily to give ships an accurate time check.
@@tonys1636 ah ok 👍
there is one on the old town hall which I think is now a hotel and there is quite a large clock at ground level that I think is a 24hr clock
I need to go back to Greenwich for more sightseeing - including that clock 👍
Hi Mark, interesting as always excellent..👍🏻
Thanks Michael.
Yes it be great to see you going on more London buses rounds be nice to see you getting bus from Victoria bus station different parts of London me and my partner are planning on going up to London in the spring and info about the buses and where they do will be very useful
Cheers, well I’m not an expert as you saw but if I do anymore, I’ll post them up here 😊👍
A very good Friday evening Mark from Alan in Lowestoft awesome to buddy
Hi Alan, hello to you too mate.
TfL are hot on penalising bus operators if they are outside a time window before or after the timetable. It's not uncommon for a bus to sit at a stop for several minutes as it's running early, especially on Bank Holidays when the traffic is much lighter.
I've been on a bus that got swapped over mid route due to tracking problems. Our bus wasn't displayed on the live departure indicator at the stop I boarded the bus. Also, no announcements or stop information displayed in the bus. It was invisible to TfL, so it looked like the service wasn't running, so a fine for the company. A fitter, in overalls brought an exchange bus from the garage, and we swapped buses near Tower Bridge.
Some routes are deemed high frequency. Say every 6, 8, or 10 minutes for example, so the bus stop timetable doesn't show departure times, just the frequency. It may display times for morning, evening and Sunday services where they may be less frequent.
Thanks Mark, interesting content as always bud 👍
Cheers mate, thanks as always for your comment.
Class video again mark. You should do a journey in and around Llandudno at some point on the buses
Cheers Jack. I've done the train to Llandudno and the Great Orme tramway a year-or-so back.
@@LetsMakeaTrip I know mark, be good to see you do the open top bus to conwy
Well I was completely wrong. When the second bus said Tottenham court oh I thought the London Transport Museum. Great video though. Really enjoyed it 🙂
Cheers mate and that’s given me an idea for next time 😊👍
I’ve always been impressed how easy it is to use the London buses, with all the stops announced in advance, so you can’t really go wrong even if you’ve never used them before. My longest journey on one bus was 80 minutes on a 140 (before Covid) from just outside Heathrow Airport to Harrow & Wealdstone railway station (Euston was closed for the Easter weekend), for £1.50!
Total bargain for £1.50. I really must try the bus as an alternative to the tube next time I fly into LHR.
You should come up to my neck of the woods and come to Leigh, one of the biggest towns without a train station and see which bus is the quickest to Manchester, the V1 or the 35
It's not a place I'd thought of Neil tbh but that's only because no one had mentioned it before. I'll make a note, cheers.
Lovely trip, thanks very much.
Glad you enjoyed it, cheers Simon
Interesting to see some of my old haunts - my god it's changed in the last 30/40 years!!! Has it changed for the better? Well, I guess so, because (as the names suggest - Canada Water, Custom House, Surrey Quays etc) these are the former docks and were pretty run down when I knew them.
I'd love to explore those old docklands though before they all get swallowed up. It is good that some of the stuff has been preserved (like the cranes and the bridges). Massive sense of history about the place.
Thought you was going to the cable car at North Greenwich or Royal Victoria. Maybe next time
I've done the cable car before I got into this TH-cam thing. I would do it again but I did find it a bit scary at the time!!
You know it's getting serious when the glasses come on😂
Oh very, very serious! lol
Just a secret tip, the hopper actually lasts for 70 minutes
It had reduced to 62 minutes few years ago
Enjoy your trips FYI there is a Bus ( double decker vehicle ) runs from Portsmouth to Brighton and return. “ Coast liner 700 “ 50 .1 miles each way may be worth a video on a nice day.
Cheers, I have heard of that one and it’s on my growing list of routes to try 😊👍
Unless rules changed since 1st January, you should get 69 minutes 59 seconds (it's a 10 minute buffer that's not advertised). Check the time of your 1st charge against the time of your last charge. I'll bet its 70 minutes+ apart.
Maybe try TFL's longest bus route from West Croydon to Heathrow Airport?
I thought it had been cut back from 70mins to the hour some time ago (that annoyed me)
I must admit, there does seem to be some conflicting time periods here and maybe I should check the times to be sure. I believe you can get all this info from the TfL website once registered and it comes up the next day so you can verify your journeys.
I noticed your hotel was at Sidcup, I love that place
Never been before Fred. Tbh, I was only there because I was supposed to be heading somewhere else. This video came about because I had to change my plans so it really was a last minute substitution!!
Good to see the buses being on time for you, wow that Uber boat is very expensive !!
Yes, I was kind of compelled to do it once I'd got there. A bit diferent though I guess.
You are right with the hopper fare. Just make sure that you make the journeys within the hour using the exact same payment method. Don't mix your devices to get the hopper fare.
Got you mate, thanks for the tip.
Sometimes there are special events where they run old classic buses on London bus routes, it's free.
Yes I’d definitely like to do one of those 👍
Try the 185 from where it starts (don't know) but ends up in victoria which seems to be your favourite place 😮
Haha, my favourite place indeed! If I do finish there, I’ll be struggling not to end up on a coach!
On one of my first days in 2017 in London I took a bus from Victoria station. It brought me alongside Buckingham palace, Oxford Street and Marble arch. No idea what number. It is on my channel somewhere. Instead of taking a bus or the tube, walking on top of the central line from Bank westwards to Marble Arch is interesting, lots of stuff to see.
More London buses please
Great film. Well done. I have never been on a London Bus believing the The Tube to be easier to navigate. Can you buy a "Rover" ticket for both giving you unlimited travel for a day. Challenge how far can you travel in one day?? Thanks again.
Cheers Kevin. I believe there’s a daily cap so you shouldn’t go over that when you’re tapping in and out. Others may have more knowledge on that than me tbh.
yes was great
cheers mate.
Do some more London bus journeys
I will do at some point. 👍
@@LetsMakeaTrip ok
Great video as always. Would love more London bus videos. I’ve been a tourist in London many times but never had the confidence to try the regular bus network. Many thanks for this.
Cheers Duncan, I hope this have given you a bit more confidence to try it. If I can do it, anyone can!
❤❤ live in central London work premier inn great vlog
I always enjoy a premier inn - great staff so thanks.
Used to work in the tall one Canada square building and we could see the ferry ⛴️
I get the impression you were very high up. Not sure I'd like that but great views I bet!
Great report. I travelled on many bus routes in central and outer London and to be fair for the most they offer a great service.
Sadly TFL had withdrawn some historic brilliant routes such as the 521, 507 (formerly branded as the Red Arrows) and one that I miss is the RV1 route (Covent Garden-Tower Hill), whichwas operated by low emission buses in its entirety.
I also remember riding on bendy buses whilst they were still on core routes in Central London.
Cheers mate, I really am a beginner when it comes to this but I certainly feel more confident now. And like I said, Google maps is great for plotting something - just a start and end point and see where it takes you 😊👍
You've done everything by the book there with your bank card. The 286 isn't the fastest bus route by any standard so that would have eaten into most of your 60 minute Hopper fare.
People moan about London's public transport being expensive but £3.50 for three bus journeys when outside the TfL area that would have been £6, what can you say?
Cheers mate, yep we stopped for a while at Eltham too then I guess if you live in London you get to know the best way of doing these things. For me, great value - really enjoyed it.
Not like the old days, the last time I was on a London Bus, when they had Routemasters and clippies taking your fares!
I think you can still do some of these as a bit of a 'tourist thing' Tim. I'd like to do it myself some time.
premier inn sidcup recommended nice chippy opposite
If only I'd have known. My tea was rubbish.
How about doing public transport in Dublin using a leap card, and the travel 90 leap card fare. Also I have done that boat trip in 2012, when I staied in that Hilton hotel.
I don’t know much about that card tbh but it’s a great suggestion, thanks 😊👍
The card is a €5 deposit works similar to the oyster card but contactless payments aren't available on public transport in Dublin unfortunately
Daily bus/tram cap for adults is £5.25, so 4 or more journeys are essentially free.
Do you still have to tap your card then after the 4th bus journey be my first time using the London buses when go up to London in thew months time
@@farrahw7804 Always tap
@@farrahw7804 The cap will automatically apply. Your best bet is to set yourself up with a TfL account to keep an eye on your journeys. Remember all journeys on the day are estimated and payment is deducted approx 12am 3am the following day.
@@farrahw7804 yes. Tap your card all the time and it'll combine the fare the next day and only charge the cap.
Great advice all and very useful to know about the cap 👍
What is coming up in next week video 😊
Haven't quite decided yet Joshua.
When I speak to people here in Jersey about using the buses in London rather than the tube they look at me funny! In many cases the bus is quicker especially taking into account the time and faffing to get into the tube station. C10 great bus for Vic coach station from Waterloo area.
And of course you can see more of central London from the bus - especially the top deck of a double decker. 👍
A great pity other cities haven't got the same standards of public transport, then again 'only yer landon that matters innit'
I sometimes get that impression but it's great to be able to easily navigate the capital when you're down there.
Wasnt there a direct bus to London from Sidcup at one time (the 21)?
Quite possibly. I had an agenda to get to the RB4 so just plugged it into Google Maps and it did the rest.
you could try the chair lift/ ski lift., its high
Yes I’ve done it before. Bit scary in the wind I thought!
I really need to go do this.. Is it easy to do in London?
Well if I can do it. Judging by the comments, I don't think I did too much wrong so if you follow what I did you should be ok.
@@LetsMakeaTrip thank you for the great advice mate :)
Buckingham palace lol 😅
Not this time but could be an idea for the next one 😊👍
You were lucky to end up on clean buses as most london buses are dirty, and ive found london buses to be the least hygenic in the entire country
I've got to admit, I didn't have that impression at all on my trip. Maybe I just got lucky this time lol.
Oh dear, the very first bus you choose is a StreetLite 😖
I didn't choose it, it chose me lol!
How can anybody who has ever been to London have never been on a London bus?
can't hang about at stops they are working on go ahead timetables
They were pretty quick tbf 👍
Can you purchase tickets with cash on London buses or do you have to use an oyster card?