London Public Transport Guide: Tube, Elizabeth Line & Buses

London's public transport network covers the entire city and runs around the clock on weekend nights across major Tube and Overground lines. Transport for London (TfL) oversees the Underground, Overground, Elizabeth line, DLR, cable car, buses and river services from a single integrated ticketing system.

The Underground

The London Underground has 272 stations across 11 colour-coded lines and is divided into nine fare zones, with Zone 1 covering the city centre. Contactless bank cards and Oyster cards both work at all barriers. A daily cap means passengers never pay more than a fixed amount per day regardless of the number of journeys taken, making the network cost-effective for regular users.

The Elizabeth Line

The Elizabeth line, which completed its full opening in 2022, transformed east-west travel across London. It connects Reading and Heathrow in the west to Shenfield and Abbey Wood in the east, passing through a new central underground section. Journey times from Paddington to Canary Wharf dropped from around 40 minutes by Tube to under 20 minutes on the Elizabeth line.

Buses

London operates more than 700 bus routes and does not accept cash on board. All fares require an Oyster card or contactless payment. A flat rate applies for any single bus journey, and passengers can transfer between buses within 60 minutes of their first tap without paying an additional fare.

Cycling

TfL's Santander Cycles hire scheme provides docking stations across central and inner London. The Mayor's cycling infrastructure programme has added protected lanes on several major arterial roads, making cycling a practical option for short commutes.

Sources: TfL: Tube, TfL: Elizabeth line, TfL: Buses.

This article was compiled by AI from the sources linked above and screened before publishing. See our editorial standards.