If you are making several journeys on the bus you can purchase a Bus Saver.
     A Saver ticket is a book of six bus tickets valid on all buses, including those in central London and night buses. They are transferable but valid for one journey only. If you plan to use only buses during your stay in London, you can buy a One Day Bus Pass valid throughout London.  Unlike the one-day Travelcards, these are valid before 9.30am. All-zone weekly/monthly passes are also available.  A Carnet is a booklet of ten single Underground tickets for Zone 1 only, which can be bought in advance of your journey. They are valid for 12 months and they can be used by you or by anyone you wish to give them to.
 

• Each Bus line has a different number and colour. This makes it easy for you to follow your route on the map. When you arrive at a bus stop, you might have to request the bus to stop if it is written in it "Request", if not, the bus will stop although anyone gets on or off the bus.
• Some Buses run for 24 hours every day. You'll recognise the lines because of this sign: For more information about them, please go to the 24 hours bus service page.
• If your line doesn't run for 24 hours, you'll have a Night Service between Midnight and 7.00 A.M. Most of the Night Services (66%) depart from Trafalgar Square and you have to Request the Stop or it won't do it.
• Try to avoid the busiest times between 08.00 and 09.30 and 17.00 to 18.30, Mondays to Fridays.
• Buses are divided into four fare zones. Zone 1 covers central London.
• You must buy the right ticket for your destination before you begin your journey or you will be liable to a £10 Penalty Fare.
• Always check for the nearest station to you, plan your route in advance.
• From 1st September 2005 children under 16 goes for free in the Bus, upon that date, only children under 11.

• Travelcards offer the best value for money.
• Family Travelcards can be used from 0930 Mondays to Fridays, (all day Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays), on the day of validity and for any journey that starts before 0430 on the following day.
• Ticket halls display a list of fares.
• If you know what you want why not use the ticket machines- they can save you time. Just follow the instructions. They usually give change, but please try to use the correct money if you can It helps to keep change for customers who really need it.
• Magnetic interference caused by some handbag clasps, security passes and keys may damage your tickets. Avoid delays by keeping them separately.
• All children under 5 travel free on the Underground. 5 to 15 years and ‘New Deal’ Photocard holders can travel at a reduced rate, but children aged 14 or 15 years need an ‘11-15’ or Child Photocard, or 14/15 CitizenCard.
• Adults and children need a Photocard to buy a Travelcard for seven days or longer.  Adults don't need a photocard to buy and use any adult rate Travelcard or Bus Pass charged to an Oyster card.
• To obtain your Photocard take a passport-size photo of yourself to any ticket office.
• Central London stations have ticket gates. You pass through them to enter and to leave the system. To pass through the gates simply insert your ticket (face upwards) into the slot on the front of the machine. Your ticket will pass through the machine and appear from a slot at the top. Take your ticket from the slot and the gates will open to let you through. If you have completed your journey (and your ticket is used up) the gates will open but the machine will retain your ticket.

     One of the best ways to explore London is to buy a Travelcard and jump on a bus. Some of the most useful bus routes include the following:

• Line 7: With this line you'll go from the British Museum to Marble Arch (near Hyde Park Corner) going along Oxford Street. => Acton (Sundays only) - East Acton - Ladbroke Grove - Paddington - Edgware Road - Marble Arch - Bond Street - Oxford Circus - Tottenham Court Road - British Museum - Russell Square.
• Line 8: From east to west, or the reverse, this route comes from Bow in east London, then goes along Bethnal Green Rd and passes the markets at Spitalfields and Petticoat Lane, Liverpool Street station, the City, the Guildhall and the Old Bailey. It then crosses Holborn and enters Oxford St, travelling past Oxford Circus and turning down New Bond St to Piccadilly, Hyde Park Corner and Victoria. => Victoria - Hyde Park Corner - Bond Street - Oxford Circus - Tottenham Court Road - Holborn - Chancery Lane - St.Paul's - Bank - Liverpool Street - Bethnal Green - Old Ford - Bow
• Lines 9 & 10: These are also good bus routes, leaving Hammersmith and going through Kensington and Knightsbridge, passing the Albert Memorial, Royal Albert Hall and Harrods before reaching Hyde Park Corner.
      The No 9 then goes along Piccadilly to Piccadilly Circus and Trafalgar Square before carrying on down the Strand to Aldwych (good for Covent Garden), where it terminate. => Aldwych - Trafalgar Square - Piccadilly Circus - Hyde Park Corner - Knightsbridge - High Street Kensington - Hammersmith.
      The No 10 heads northwards from Hyde Park Corner to Marble Arch and heads down Oxford St and then up Tottenham Court Rd to Euston, King’s Cross and eventually Archway tube station. => Hammersmith - High Street Kensington - Knightsbridge - Hyde Park Corner - Marble Arch - Bond Street - Oxford Circus - Tottenham Court Road - Euston - Kings Cross - York Way - Holloway - Tufnell Park - Archway.
• Line 11: This route is generally recognised as a good sightseeing route, taking passengers past St Paul's Cathedral, along the Strand, past Trafalgar Square, and then on to Westminster. => Fulham Broadway - Kings Road - Sloane Square (Victoria and Albert Museum, Natural History Museum ...) - Victoria - Westminster - Trafalgar Square (For the National Gallery) - Aldwych - Blackfriars - Mansion House - Bank (near Saint Paul's Cathedral)- Liverpool Street.
• Line 15: This is a good route to see most of the monuments in the North Side of the River Thames and it lets you near the major attractions y London. => Paddington - Marble Arch - Bond Street - Oxford Circus - Piccadilly Circus - Trafalgar Square - Aldwych - Blackfriars - Mansion House - Monument - Tower Hill (near the Tower of London) - Aldgate - Limehouse - Blackwall - Canning Town (daytime) - Plaistow - West Ham - East Ham (evenings and Sundays).
• Line 19: This is another north–south route worth trying, and is now a Routemaster bus. It departs from Finsbury Park tube station, travels down Upper St in Islington, through Clerkenwell, Holborn and Bloomsbury, then goes along New Oxford St and down Charing Cross Rd and Shaftsbury Ave to Piccadilly. It then travels along the northern edge of Green Park to Hyde Park Corner, before carrying on down Sloane St and along King’s Rd. If you get off at the southern end of Battersea Bridge, you’ll be well placed for Battersea Park. Battersea Bridge - Kings Road - Sloane Square - Knightsbridge - Hyde Park Corner - Piccadilly Circus - Tottenham Court Road - Holborn - Rosebery Avenue - Angel - Highbury & Islington - Finsbury Park.
• Line 24: This bus is especially good for travelling north to south (or vice versa). Beginning at South End Green in Hampstead Heath, it travels through Camden and along Gower St to Tottenham Court Rd. From there it goes down Charing Cross Rd, past Leicester Square to Trafalgar Square, then along Whitehall, past the Palace of Westminster, Westminster Abbey and Westminster Cathedral. It reaches Victoria station and then carries on to Pimlico, which is handy for the Tate Britain. Pimlico - Victoria - Westminster - Trafalgar Square - Tottenham Court Road - Warren Street - Camden Town - Chalk Farm - Hampstead Heath.
• Line 77A: This is a good way to go near the Tate Gallery (please, don't confuse it with the Tate Modern) and see some of the most known monuments from London. Aldwych - Trafalgar Square - Westminster - Millbank (near the Tate Gallery)- Vauxhall - Wandsworth Road - Clapham Junction - Wandsworth.

Central London Buses Map | More London Buses Maps | BBC - London Travel Information