Buses in London

Buses have been used as a mode of public transport in London since 1829, when George Shillibeer started operating a horse-drawn omnibus service from Paddington to the City of London. In the decades since their introduction, the red London bus has become a symbol of the city. In 2019, buses accounted for 11 percent of trips taken in the city.

As of 2025, London has 675 bus routes served by over 8,700 buses, almost all of which are operated by private companies under contract to (and regulated by) London Buses, part of the publicly owned Transport for London.[1][2] Over 2,000 buses in the fleet are battery electric and hydrogen fuel cell buses, the second largest zero emission bus fleet in Europe (behind Moscow).[3] In 2006, London became one of the first major cities in the world to have an accessible, low floor bus fleet.[4][5]

  1. ^ "What we do". Transport for London. Retrieved 10 May 2021.
  2. ^ "Bus fleet audit—31 March 2025" (PDF). Transport for London. 31 March 2025. Retrieved 24 July 2025.
  3. ^ "Transport for London has more than 2,000 zero-emission buses". BBC News. 6 June 2025. Retrieved 6 June 2025.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference :1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference :8 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
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