2024 London Transport guide: How to get around in London

London has one of the best public transport systems in the world. The best way to travel in London for tourists and locals alike is via public transport. In London this is called Transport For London (TFL). This includes:

• Tube

• Bus

If you choose not to take public transport in London you can also opt for:

• London Black Cabs

• Ubers or Bolts

• Driving

• Train

• Walking

• Cycling 

And the best thing about London public transport is that you don’t need a specific transport card or ticket, you can use your bank card or credit card and tap the barriers or the gates when you enter and exit the station. There is an option to purchase an Oyster Card which is the London travel card or a daily ticket, however given how easy it is to tap on and off with your bank card I’d recommend using that. 

If you do decide to take Ubers, Bolts or Taxi’s around London it will be more expensive and sometimes take more time (depending on traffic) than taking public transport.

If your travelling outside of the city or outside of London, you’ll need to take a train. Depending on how far you are travelling outside of London you may be able to use your bank card, although you’ll need to purchase a ticket for most journeys. 

Cost of public transport in London

The cost of using public transport in London depends on the method of transport (tube, bus, train, tram, boat or cable car) and how far you are travelling. To determine the cost of public transport, London is split into “Zones” There is a daily cap on the amount your bank card is charged for travelling around London. The amount you are charged is dependent on what zone you travel to and from. You can travel as many times as you like in one day.

The Daily Cap rates are:

• Between Zone 1 and Zone 2: £8.50

• Between Zone 1 and Zone 3: £10.00

• Between Zone 1 and Zone 4: £12.30

• Between Zone 1 and Zone 5: £14.30

• Between Zone 1 and Zone 6: £15.60

• Between Zone 1 and Zone 7: £17.00

• Between Zone 1 and Zone 8: £20.10

• Between Zone 1 and Zone 9: £22.30

London Travel Card Zones:

Each tube stop or bus stop is allocated to a “Zone”. The further away from central London the higher the zone. You can see where the zones are in this map:

How to use public transport in London

Once you’ve used London public transport a few times it will be second nature to you, however it can be confusing when you first arrive in London. If I could make one recommendation for navigating the public transport in London it would be this - download the Citymapper app and use it! Citymapper was an absolute life-saver for me when I moved to London. You put in your destination and it will also tell you the specific tubes or busses you need to take at what time to get there.

Once you know where you are going, you’ll need is your contactless pay bank card, Apple pay or Google pay.

At the gates of the station you tap your card on the yellow circles and the gates open. If you do not have a bank card or Apple/Chrome pay you’ll have to buy a one way ticket or a daily pass from the ticket machines that are usually located by the pay gates:

How to ride the tube in London:

Stations are pretty easy to navigate. There are signs everywhere indicating the tube line you’re trying to find and the direction that tube line is going in (north, south, east west). There are also large maps at multiple areas on the platform that indicate the stops that the tube line goes to. You’ll most likely have to switch to a different tube line to get to your desired location so make sure you're checking which stop you need to get off at.

There are also announcements on the rube at every stop telling you where the tube is about to stop at so its quite easy to get to your destination

How to ride the London bus:

London busses are different to the tube to navigate, as the stops are on the street, not in a station. The bus usually takes longer to get to your destination, however its a cheaper and great way to site see if your new to London and want to see your surroundings.

There can be multiple bus stops within a short distance of each other and on opposite sides of the road too. To find the right bus stop you need to look for the the small letter on the top of the bus stop:

Like the tube the bus will announce the stop it is about to arrive at so its easy to navigate. You enter the bus at the front of the vehicle and unlike the tube you only need to tap onto the bus when you get on, you do not need to tap on.

Are Taxis in London expensive?

In comparison to public transport, yes, Taxi's or Ubers can be expensive. However if you need convenience and comfort Taxis or Ubers can be a great option. London Black Cabs are one of the most iconic images associated with London so I’d recommend taking a Black Cab at least once while you visit or live in London. They also take bank and credit card and during busy periods can be easier to flag down than ordering an Uber.

The most common form of taxis in London are Uber or Bolt. Most of the time they are cheaper than a Black Cab but on busy periods like Thursday, Friday or Saturday evenings, London Black Cabs can actually be cheaper as their rates are fixed and do not apply surcharges.

Driving in London and the UK

Driving in London is expensive and usually takes more time than public transport. However if your planning on travelling around the UK or even to Europe, it can be worth having a car in London.

If you do consider driving in the UK you’ll need to have a UK licence. As a foreigner you’ll have two options:

• Convert your local country licence to a UK licence. Bonus tip - You’ll need to convert it within 5 years of living here. I didn’t know this and almost missed the cut off date!

• If you can’t convert your local licence you’ll have to sit driving test to get your UK licence

You’ll also need to take into account the cost of vehicle insurance per year as this can be quite expensive if you live in London.

Transport outside of London

If you don’t decide to drive, don’t fret - you’ll be able to take plenty of weekend trips from London by train or bus. Besides from a car, train is usually the quickest way to travel to travel outside of London although Busses (or coaches as they call them in the UK) are cheaper.

The easiest way to check bus (coach) or train prices, is via Trainline. You can also book and pay for your ticket on the Trainline website or app too. With high speed trains all over the country I have enjoyed weekend trips to York, Cardiff, Cambridge and Oxford, just to name a few.

Whether you choose to travel around London using public transport, taxis or by driving, London is a very easy city to get around. It may take you a couple of weeks to feel fully comfortable and familiar with the transport however once you get the hang of it, it will be second nature!