Buses from Maida Vale?

Kantankrus_Mare

We are planning a three day trip to London in September and will be stopping at Marriott in Maida Vale.

We have stopped here before and I vaguely remember using the 98 bus to take us to Victoria bus station for our journey home.

Think buses could be the cheapest option for our family getting about... (2 adults and two teenagers aged 16 and 14.)

Can anyone give me advice on which are best busses to central London and also to Campden.

Would be much appreciated.

The bus time table routes make my head spin :rolleyes:

KeithP

Get your head spinning with the TfL Journey Planner.

Neil_B

KeithP wrote: »

Get your head spinning with the TfL Journey Planner.

I see what you mean! I know the area a bit and couldn't make head nor tail of the results.

The old maps were easier with boxes of bus numbers at crucial points you just matched a number in the two boxes.

there are so many anyway you could just walk out of Victoria, ask or open your eyes for the front of any bus around or the simpler info at bus stops.

For Central London to Camden avoid the 29. The later you travel the more you die.

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Buy PAYG Oyster cards as soon as you arrive. You will recoup the the £3 (is it still?) on the first day.

If on tube, make sure you scan in AND out. IN only on buses.

Neil_B

Oyster.

Big advantage is that you really needn't worry about your question.

If you intend making more than one trip out and back a day and using maybe 4 buses then you automatically get the capped daily pass. You can go wrong and jump off - and decide to visit extra places - and make short 'lazy' trips cos you're gonna get capped out.
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Kantankrus_Mare

Have heard of oyster but thought we would have to buy a card each per day at a fiver a go?

Forty quid for a couple of days?

flyingscotno1

Kantankrus_Mare wrote: »

Have heard of oyster but thought we would have to buy a card each per day at a fiver a go?

Forty quid for a couple of days?

£3 a card I think but it is refundable- only a deposit.

Kantankrus_Mare

And then how does it work? Have looked on the site but it is vague about how much you need to put on it?

AirlieBird

This map should help. Bus stop W is the closest to the Marriott where you get the #16 to Victoria and the #98 for the West End. Take a short walk from the hotel to Cambridge Ave for the #31 to Camden from stop Z. You'll see the stop letters at the top of the bus stop poles.

Oyster is a re-useable card. You are charged a £3 refundable deposit on obtaining a card (to encourage you to keep and reuse it). If you are only going to use buses, then each bus trip will cost £1on Oyster, but once £3.30* has been deducted from your Oyster each day for trips on buses you will not be charged any more for buses for the remainder of the day. So you put on it as much as you want, but you can top it up as and when you need to.

* Oyster caps at 50p less than the equivalent paper ticket, in this case a 1 day bus pass costing £3.80. The cash fare for a single bus trip is £2.

Neil_B

Kantankrus_Mare wrote: »

And then how does it work? Have looked on the site but it is vague about how much you need to put on it?

without checking I think it is still £3.It's a one-off.
refundable if you register it on-line - but you can probably do that later from home.

then you top up any amount you like. I've done it @ £1 a time before!
Machines for top up at tube stations and thousands of newsagents, etc.

saving is massive. More than 50% still I think.

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If you didn't buy them (yes, one each) then you will pay far more! £2 everytime you hop on a bus will come to a lot of money and you lose the flexibility of hopping on and off when you feel like it.

Big saving on the tube as well.

just one thing -- not sure about the kids. 14 may well be free still and 16 is borderline -- also may be free.

Neil_B

AirlieBird wrote: »

If you are only going to use buses, then each bus trip will cost £1on Oyster, but once £3.30* has been deducted from your Oyster each day for trips on buses you will not be charged any more for buses for the remainder of the day. So you put on it as much as you want, but you can top it up as and when you need to.

* Oyster caps at 50p less than the equivalent paper ticket, in this case a 1 day bus pass costing £3.80. The cash fare for a single bus trip is £2.

Sorry didn't read that first.

There ya go Kantankarus, clear saving.

I actually think it reduces to only 80p on the bus. It certainly did at one time but maybe they've put it back up.

Neil_B

These are the capped rates for using ALL services.

http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tickets/faresandtickets/singlefares/5196.aspx

I think there is a bus only one and i thought it was £3.30 as Airlie said above.

off-peak is 'After 9.30am.'

note the child reductions. So 16 is different

More in a mo.