How Much Does London Public Transport Cost? 2026 Fares Guide

In this guide

💡 The Short Version: A London bus costs £1.75 and the daily bus cap is £5.25; on 1 November 2026 they rise to £1.85 and £5.55. A Tube single in Zone 1 costs £3.10 at peak and £3.00 off-peak (Zones 1–2: £3.60 and £3.10). The Zones 1–2 daily cap is £8.90 across Tube, bus, tram, DLR, Overground and Elizabeth line, as long as you tap the same contactless card, phone or Oyster every time. A paper single costs £7.00, so never buy one. Under-11s travel free and 11–15s pay half. Tube caps are frozen until March 2027.

Contactless or Oyster pay as you go is normally the cheapest choice for an adult visitor, because eligible journeys are capped automatically.

🌟 3 Golden Rules for London Transit.

1. Always use Contactless or Oyster: Never buy single paper tickets at station ticket machines.
2. Stick to one card or device: A phone and a bank card count as two accounts, and capping stops working.
3. Let daily capping work for you: it is almost always cheaper than a paper Day Travelcard.

Not sure which payment method to choose? Read the complete Oyster card and contactless guide, including the current card fee, where Oyster works and when your own bank card is the better option.

This is the price companion to our complete London transport overview. To choose between the Tube, Elizabeth line, DLR and Overground, see the Tube and rail lines guide, which covers which line goes where.

London bus fares 2026

A London bus or tram costs £1.75 a journey, and the Hopper fare makes every further bus or tram you board within one hour free; the daily cap is £5.25, the 7-Day Bus & Tram Pass £24.70 and the monthly pass £94.90. From 1 November 2026 the fare is £1.85, the daily cap £5.55, the 7-Day pass £26.10 and the monthly pass £100.30. Buses and trams charge one flat fare at any time of day, however far you ride. They don’t take cash: pay with contactless or Oyster.

The passes load onto an Oyster card; a contactless bank card pays the single fare and the daily cap. For boarding instructions, live arrivals, and key routes, read our complete guide to How to Use London Buses and Trams. The new prices are on TfL’s bus and tram fares page.

How the Hopper Fare works

The Hopper Fare allows you to make unlimited bus and tram journeys across London within 60 minutes for the price of a single fare.

• Touch in only: Always tap your card or device on the yellow reader when boarding a bus or tram, but never touch out when alighting.
• Use the same payment method: You must use the exact same contactless card, phone, or Oyster card for every tap so TfL can automatically link your journeys.
• 60-minute window: Any additional bus or tram you board within 60 minutes of your first touch-in is automatically free.
• Tube transfers: Taking the Underground between two bus rides does not cancel the Hopper window. The Tube fare is charged separately, and the second bus is still free if you board within 60 minutes of the first.

For detailed journey scenarios, read the worked examples in our bus and tram guide.

Peak and off-peak times

Peak and off-peak pricing mainly affects the Underground, DLR, London Overground, Elizabeth line and National Rail journeys using pay as you go.

The time you touch in at the start normally determines whether a single rail fare is peak or off-peak.

There are important exceptions:

• Journeys starting outside Zone 1 between 16:00 and 18:59 and ending in Zone 1 are charged an off-peak fare.
• On the Elizabeth line Reading extension, the evening contra-peak rule applies more widely to journeys heading towards London.
• It does not apply in the same way on Southeastern high speed, Gatwick Express or Heathrow Express.
• Tube and Elizabeth line journeys to or from Heathrow that start, end or pass through Zone 1 are charged peak fares.

Because the exceptions are journey-specific, check unusual or expensive routes in the Single Fare Finder.

Tube fares 2026: single fares by zone

A Tube single in Zone 1 costs £3.10 at peak and £3.00 off-peak; a Zones 1–2 journey costs £3.60 at peak and £3.10 off-peak. A paper single costs £7.00 whatever the distance. The same zonal fares apply on the DLR, London Overground and Elizabeth line.

Adult Oyster and contactless pay-as-you-go fares since 1 March 2026. Some National Rail services and airport routes charge their own fares.

Journeys including Zone 1

Journeys avoiding Zone 1

Single Fare Finder: check any journey’s exact price

The tables above are the standard zonal fares. For a specific journey — particularly one that touches National Rail, an airport, or any of the peak-time exceptions listed earlier — use TfL’s Single Fare Finder. Enter any two stations and it returns the exact pay-as-you-go single for Oyster and contactless, peak and off-peak, including any Railcard discount loaded on the card.

Tube daily and weekly caps

The Zones 1–2 daily cap is £8.90 and the Monday–Sunday cap is £44.70. A cap limits what you pay for eligible journeys when you keep using the same Oyster card or the same contactless card or device. The TfL day runs from 04:30 to 04:29 the following morning. Caps are frozen until March 2027.

For Zones 1–6 the 2026 daily peak and off-peak caps are the same. Some outer-zone combinations have a lower off-peak cap; consult TfL’s complete 2026 caps table.

The weekly cap follows a fixed Monday-to-Sunday week, not a rolling seven days. If your trip starts mid-week, a 7-Day Travelcard may be better value.

Heathrow Express and Southeastern high-speed journeys are excluded from these caps and from Travelcards. River Bus and Cable Car fares are also separate.

Comparing Daily Capping vs. 7-Day Travelcards

A 7-Day Travelcard is only worth buying if you will travel a lot on 5 to 7 consecutive days and your trip starts mid-week, spanning two Monday-to-Sunday weeks. Otherwise pay as you go is cheaper.

• Flexible Start Date: Unlike contactless weekly capping (which strictly runs Monday to Sunday), a 7-Day Travelcard can start on any day of the week you choose (e.g. Wednesday to Tuesday). It is valid for 7 consecutive days starting at 04:30 on your chosen start date, and can be purchased up to 30 days in advance.
• Bonus River Discount: a valid Travelcard takes 33% off standard Uber Boat River Bus fares.

Quick Example (Zones 1–2).
The daily contactless cap for Zones 1–2 is £8.90, while a 7-Day Travelcard costs £44.70.

• If you travel over 4 days, contactless capping costs £35.60 (saving you £9.10 compared to a Travelcard).
• If you travel heavily for 5 full days, contactless capping reaches £44.50 (5 × £8.90), making a 7-Day Travelcard virtually identical in cost.

A 7-Day Travelcard costs the same as the Monday–Sunday cap for its zones.

Avoid paper Day Travelcards. A Zones 1–2 Day Travelcard is £16.60, against the £8.90 daily cap. Zones 1–6 is £23.60 anytime or £16.60 off-peak, against the £16.30 cap. TfL has frozen Travelcard prices, and with them the caps, until March 2027.

National Rail and airport rail fares

Trains inside London fall under two fare systems: TfL zonal fares, which count towards daily caps, and National Rail operator fares, which may carry their own rates or exclusions.

⚠️ Key Rules for National Rail & Airports.

• Oyster vs. Contactless Boundaries: Contactless is accepted much farther out than Oyster. Both work to Gatwick, but only contactless works to Luton Airport Parkway, Stansted Airport (since March 2026) and Southend Airport.
• Excluded Premium Express Trains: Heathrow Express and Southeastern high-speed trains are excluded from TfL caps and Travelcards. Gatwick Express is excluded from the Gatwick Airport pay-as-you-go cap.

To check exact pay-as-you-go rates, use TfL’s Single Fare Finder. For long-distance, return, or Railcard tickets, book via National Rail.

💡 The one case where a paper rail ticket beats contactless. If you are travelling into London on National Rail and plan to visit paid attractions, keep the ticket — it unlocks 2FOR1 entry at the Tower of London, Kew, Westminster Abbey and more than a hundred other London offers through the Days Out Guide scheme. Contactless, Oyster, Freedom Passes and Travelcards bought at Tube stations do not qualify, and there is no way to print a TfL journey history as a substitute. Pay for the Tube with contactless, but keep the rail ticket out of the barrier. Full rules, the attractions that are only a third off, and the blackout dates are in our National Rail 2FOR1 guide.

Heathrow Airport Links

Heathrow has three rail options at very different prices: the Piccadilly line is the cheapest and counts towards your daily cap, the Elizabeth line is faster and also capped, and Heathrow Express is the fastest but is excluded from caps and Travelcards. Current fares, terminal breakdowns and route advice by destination are in the Heathrow Airport Transport Guide.

Gatwick Airport & Other Airport Links

• Gatwick (LGW): Compare Thameslink (serving London Bridge, Blackfriars, and St Pancras) with Southern Trains and Gatwick Express to Victoria. Thameslink is often cheaper and more convenient for Central London. Read our Gatwick Airport Transport Guide.
• Stansted, Luton & Southend: trains to all three accept contactless, but not Oyster.
• Complete Airport Overview: Read our London Airport Transport Overview for all six London airports.

River Bus prices

River Bus services in London are operated by Uber Boat by Thames Clippers under a separate fare structure from the Underground and buses.

⚓️ Key Rules for River Bus Fares.

• Caps & Capping: Oyster cards and contactless payments are accepted at pier gates, but river journeys do NOT count towards TfL daily or weekly caps.
• 1/3 Travelcard Discount: Presenting a valid Travelcard (or having a 7-Day Travelcard loaded on your Oyster) gives you a 33% discount on standard River Bus fares.
• Peak vs. Off-Peak Timing: Uber Boat uses a unique time schedule: weekday mornings between 06:35 and 09:27 are billed as Off-Peak, while all other times—including weekends and bank holidays—are billed as Standard/Peak.

Uber Boat Pay-As-You-Go Fares (Through 31 October 2026)

Day Passes & Hop-On Hop-Off Tickets

An adult River Roamer 1-Day Hop-on Hop-off Pass (unlimited river travel for a full day) costs £29.30 online / in app or £32.60 at the pier. Children aged 5–15 pay half, and under-5s travel free.

For pier maps, recommended scenic river routes, and commuter tips, read our Complete Guide to London River Boats.

London Cable Car prices

The IFS Cloud Cable Car crosses the Thames between the Greenwich Peninsula (near The O2 Arena) and the Royal Docks.

Key Cable Car Rules & Discounts

• Payment Methods: You can tap at the turnstiles using a contactless card, phone, or Oyster card. You can’t top up an Oyster at the terminals.
• No Daily Capping: Cable Car rides are billed separately and do NOT count towards TfL daily or weekly caps.
• Online Booking Discount: Booking online saves up to 30%; the full 30% is only on off-peak round trips booked 7 days ahead.
• The O2 Event Ticket Discount: Show a same-day ticket for The O2, indigo at The O2 or Up at The O2 at the terminal ticket office for 50% off walk-up one-way and round-trip tickets (details on The O2’s cable car page).
• Multi-journey ticket: £20 for 10 one-way journeys, valid 12 months, sold only at the terminal ticket offices.

---

Woolwich Ferry

The Woolwich Ferry is a 100% free public ferry service crossing the Thames between Woolwich and North Woolwich for pedestrians, cyclists, and motor vehicles.

⛴️ Travel tip: the ferry is sometimes suspended for high tides, severe weather or maintenance, so check live status on the TfL website before a dedicated trip.

---

Santander Cycles (London Bike Hire)

London’s public bike-sharing scheme (Santander Cycles, known as “Boris Bikes”) has over 800 docking stations. Hire a pedal bike with a bank card at any docking station terminal or in the Santander Cycles app; e-bikes can only be hired in the app.

🚲 How to avoid extra charges: Dock your bike within the included time limit (30 minutes for single rides, 60 minutes per trip on a Day Pass). Once docked, you can immediately unlock another bike to continue exploring for free.

---

Black cabs and private hire (Taxis & Uber)

Official London Black Cabs (Metered)

Black cabs can be hailed on the street, picked up at designated taxi ranks (major train stations all have one), or booked through apps like Gett. Fares are strictly metered based on time and distance:

• Minimum fare: £4.40 upon entering the cab.
• 1-mile journey: Approx. £8.40 – £13.20 (depending on traffic and time of day).
• 4-mile journey: Approx. £21.00 – £35.00.
• Heathrow Airport to Central London: Approx. £70.00 – £120.00.

Every licensed black cab has been required to take card and contactless since 2016, with the reader fixed inside the passenger compartment — see our money in London guide for what else does and doesn’t take cash across the city.

Private Hire & Ride-Hailing (Uber, Bolt, FreeNow)

Private hire vehicles must be pre-booked through a licensed operator or app. Unlike black cabs, private hire apps show an exact upfront fare quote before you confirm your ride. Prices rise with demand.

(Visiting from abroad? Make sure your phone has mobile data for ride-hailing and transit apps with our UK Travel SIM & eSIM Guide.)

---

Top 10 money-saving transport tips for London

1. Always use contactless or an Oyster card: a paper single costs £7.00 whatever the distance.
2. Use the same card or device all day: a phone and a bank card count as two accounts, and capping stops working.
3. Travel off-peak when possible: Avoid peak hours (06:30–09:29 and 16:00–18:59 on weekdays) for significant savings on longer Tube and rail trips.
4. Use the Hopper Fare: every further bus or tram you board within 60 minutes is free.
5. Tap the pink card readers: On a journey that avoids Zone 1, tapping the pink reader mid-journey proves it and cuts the fare. See the pink readers below.
6. Skip paper Day Travelcards: a Zones 1–2 Day Travelcard is £16.60 against the £8.90 contactless cap.
7. Show a Travelcard on the river: it takes 33% off Uber Boat River Bus fares.
8. Load a Railcard onto your Oyster: staff at a Tube station can add a 16-25, 26-30, Senior, HM Forces or Veterans Railcard for a third off off-peak pay-as-you-go fares. Other Railcards, such as Two Together, can’t be added.
9. Skip Heathrow Express: the Elizabeth line and Piccadilly line cost a fraction of the price and count towards the daily cap.
10. Claim child fares: under-11s travel free and 11–15s pay half (see below).

---

What are the pink card readers?

Stand-alone pink card readers, on the platform rather than at a gate. They exist for one job: to prove you travelled between two outer zones without going through Zone 1, which is cheaper.

Without it, the system assumes you went through Zone 1 and charges you for it.

Tap the pink reader when you change trains, and only then. You still touch the normal yellow readers at the start and end of the journey.

Where they are: on or between the platforms at interchange stations including Highbury & Islington, Stratford, Canada Water, Gospel Oak, Willesden Junction, Clapham Junction, Richmond and Wimbledon (TfL’s full list). If there is no pink reader where you change, there is nothing to do.

It only helps if your journey skips Zone 1. Going through the centre and tapping pink on the way does nothing.

---

Child fares: what children and teenagers pay

Under-11s travel free on almost everything, and 11–15s pay half.

🧒 How to get the 50% Young Visitor Discount.
Buy a standard Oyster card for each child aged 11–15 and ask TfL staff at a Tube or London Overground station, or at a Visitor Centre, to apply the Young Visitor Discount. The child must be present. It takes 50% off adult pay-as-you-go fares and daily caps for up to 14 days (the Zones 1–2 daily cap becomes £4.45).

👴 Senior & Overseas Concessions.
Free senior travel passes (such as the 60+ London Oyster or Freedom Pass) are strictly reserved for London or UK residents. Overseas senior citizen cards, student IDs, or international disability badges are not accepted for discounts on TfL services. A visitor’s 16-25, 26-30, Senior, HM Forces or Veterans Railcard can be added to an Oyster card (see tip 8).

---

Penalty fares and incomplete journeys

Travelling without a valid ticket or failing to touch in and out can lead to extra charges:

Official Penalty Fare: £100 (or £50 if paid early)

If a TfL Revenue Protection Inspector inspects your contactless card or ticket and finds you do not have a valid fare, failed to touch in, or used an Oyster card beyond its valid zone boundary (e.g. at Stansted or Luton):

• Standard Penalty Fare: £100
• Discounted Rate: Reduced to £50 if paid within 21 days.
• (Fare evasion is a criminal offence and can lead to prosecution.)

Maximum fares for incomplete journeys

If you make a mistake and forget to touch out at the end of your trip (or forget to touch in at an un-gated station):

• TfL cannot calculate where you travelled, so it charges a maximum fare instead.
• A maximum fare does not count towards your daily cap.

💡 How to claim a refund for a forgotten tap.
Wait 48 hours, as most are refunded automatically. If yours isn’t, claim through your contactless and Oyster account or on 0343 222 1234 within 8 weeks of the journey.

---

Prices in force in October 2026. Adult prices are shown unless a child or concession fare is explicitly stated. For an exact station-to-station price, use the TfL Single Fare Finder.

Common questions

How much is a bus in London?

A London bus costs £1.75 a journey, and the Hopper fare makes every further bus or tram you board within one hour free. The daily bus cap is £5.25; from 1 November 2026 the fare is £1.85 and the cap £5.55.

How much is the Tube in London?

A Zone 1 single costs £3.10 at peak and £3.00 off-peak with contactless or Oyster, and a Zones 1–2 journey costs £3.60 at peak and £3.10 off-peak. A paper single costs £7.00 whatever the distance.

What is the maximum fare on TfL?

On pay as you go the most you pay in a day is the daily cap: £8.90 for Zones 1–2 and £16.30 for Zones 1–6. A separate 'maximum fare' is charged if you forget to touch in or out; it does not count towards the cap, and you can claim it back within 8 weeks.

How much is a monthly bus pass in London?

The Monthly Bus & Tram Pass costs £94.90 until 31 October 2026 and £100.30 from 1 November, loaded on an Oyster card. The 7 Day pass is £24.70 (£26.10 from 1 November).

What is the daily cap in London?

The Zones 1–2 daily cap is £8.90 on any mix of Tube, bus, tram, DLR, Overground and Elizabeth line, and the bus and tram only cap is £5.25. Use the same card or device all day, and the day runs from 04:30 to 04:29.

Do children pay on London buses and the Tube?

Under-11s travel free on buses and trams, and on the Tube with a fare-paying adult. Visitors aged 11–15 pay half the adult fare for up to 14 days once staff add the Young Visitor discount to an Oyster card.