Tickets and Fares
Tickets should be bought before boarding any bus in central London,
and are also required before boarding any bendy bus, in order to
decrease waiting time at bus stops. Routes which require a pre-paid
ticket are indicated as such on bus stop signs. Despite being run
by the same companies, buses outside central London will generally
still accept cash, though it is advisable to buy a ticket before
boarding any London bus. Ticket machines are available at most bus
stops in central London, but take only the exact change. Single
and all-day tickets are available from these machines, and expire
in the early hours of the following morning even if not used.
'Saver
tickets' can be bought from newsagents at a reduced price, but
have an expiry date. Fares have recently been creeping up and
up, to the point that the off-peak fare seems to have been abolished
in favour of a more expensive fare all of the time. There are
various schemes dictating who can travel for free, with children
under 16 generally being able to travel for free on buses while
the elderly are supplied with 'Freedom Passes' by their local
council. However, with the exception of younger children, most
free fares are only available to Londoners. |
