London Hopper fare 2026: bus changes on a single payment

A single journey on a London bus or tram costs £1.75 when you pay by contactless card or Oyster. But thanks to the Hopper fare, that same price buys you as many changes as you like within an hour — with no second charge.

How does the Hopper work?

Once you touch in on your first bus or tram, every further bus and tram journey within one hour is free. There is no limit on the number of changes — only the time counts, as long as each new journey starts within the hour of your first touch-in. The Hopper is applied automatically; you do not need to activate it.

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What makes the Hopper work?

Use the same card or device on every journey. If you pay for the first trip by phone and the second by a plastic card, the system cannot link them and charges £1.75 again. One more detail: if your Oyster has a negative balance after the first journey, the Hopper will not apply unless you top up within that same hour.

What if there was a Tube trip between buses?

Journeys on the Tube, DLR, Overground, Elizabeth line, cable car and River Bus between buses are charged separately at their own fares. But this does not break the one-hour Hopper window: a bus or tram after the Tube is still free if it falls within the hour of your first bus touch-in.

What is the most you pay in a day?

Buses and trams have a daily cap of £5.25: you will not be charged more than that for surface transport in a day, however many journeys you make. The £1.75 single and the daily cap are frozen until 5 July 2026.

Can you save even more on buses?

If you make several bus trips a day, your total is limited by the £5.25 daily cap: after roughly three single fares, further buses are effectively free that day. Children under 11 travel free on buses and trams, and under-18s can travel free with a Zip photocard. The Hopper also works when you change from a bus to a tram. Keep enough balance on an Oyster, or use a contactless bank card, so a negative balance never blocks the Hopper. For a longer stay, a 7-day Bus & Tram Pass at £24.70 can beat daily caps over a full week.

Full details are on TfL's Hopper page.