The city of London in the UK receives lots of tourists a year. Whilst the transport system may be amongst the oldest on the globe, it can also leave a great deal to be desired, because of its age and restrictions. However, when travelling in London, you won’t always have to make use of the transport system put in place (although this is often more convenient) because there are many ways in which to travel around the city.
London buses cover every area of the city, and there are an abundance of routes covered. The traditional London red bus still exists, but it’s changed over time. No longer can you see the old open door route master bus, instead, in its place you can find either long, single deck bendy busses, or red double decker buses, that happen to be an update to the route master. As mentioned previously, these buses cover every section of the city, and you may either pay with cash once on the bus (£1.50 for adults, cheaper for children), or make use of an oyster card. Should you be paying by cash, please pay with coins whenever possible, or a very small note, as the drivers don’t carry very much change, and will probably get frustrated, or ask you to get off the bus if they do not want to handle the large note you’ve given them. Not to mention the frustrated passengers, who’ll need to wait because of you, as the driver counts the change. The simplest way to board the bus is to use an oyster card. The oyster card is London’s method of covering travel via a debit card of sorts. This is more convenient, as no longer will you be required to physically count change any time you board the bus. You just top-up the oyster card with the amount you would like to place on it and then board the bus by placing the oyster card on the oyster card reader which deducts your travel journeys expense automatically. The oyster card may also be used on the London Underground, which is probably the most used method of transport in London. Again, you top-up your oyster card with sufficient money to cover your travel, and then place your oyster card on the oyster card reader at the station when entering and exiting the station, and the oyster card system deducts the exact amount for ones journey automatically. Should you be a tourist, the oyster card can be bought from the Transport for London website. Just as before, you can also use cash to cover train travel. You’ll receive a ticket in return for your cash, which will either cover you for the journey explicitly, so only from points A and B, or will cover you to travel inside a certain zone over a specific period. The periods can either be a single day, 3 days, 5 days or a week.
Black cabs are a popular means of travel, but could often work out pricey. It is possible to normally locate them outside most train stations, and can simply hop on board at the designated taxi rank, or by just hailing one whilst walking about the street when you see one in passing. Minicab companies also exist, but please don’t just jump into any car that claims to be driven by a mini cab driver. You ought to either go straight to the mini cab office personally, or ask for a cab, or call their number, and request a mini cab to be delivered to your physical location. Over the past several years there have been many incidents of folks jumping into the back of cars, to be driven away by drivers who claim to be mini cab drivers, but who were acting under false pretences. Do not make this mistake. Even if the cab driver claims to be a mini cab driver, be sure you either go to the office personally or telephone the cab company yourself. ID cards can be forged, so it’s insufficient to be reliant upon this as a means of identifying whether the guy sat in his car is a mini cab driver or not.
Lastly, cycling is an additional popular mode of transportation. Cyclists in London are only permitted to cycle on the road, not on the pavement, so please be sure to have adequate head protection in the form of a bike helmet, and elbow and knee pads also if you prefer. Cycling in London is usually viewed as dangerous, because of the busy lifestyle of those that are in the city, so please be fully focused if you travel via this method.