London Blog 2- Transport

 Transport. An incredibly strange topic, yes, but extremely important if you want to truly understand London. The famous underground which for many is a top thing to do on their London Bucket list (though I cannot understand why) and the iconic red double decker buses which are aesthetic until the Heavens open up,( unpredictable British weather 🙄). Jokes aside, I genuinely believe the system’s quality but would nevertheless like to share my experiences and tips on things to avoid while using public transport.

1. The Underground and Overground 

My London

I’ll include these two together as they aren’t so different from one another. The London Underground or Tube as people like to refer to it as, has a fairly large network running through Central London and outlying areas of the city. It’s clean, convenient and doesn’t have a large net pollution, so it’s largely preferred by people who live here. 

The London Overground is quite similar, just instead of dank tunnels, you can experience the sometimes clear and sometimes blue sky London and beyond. The Overground’s network is much larger spanning further beyond London. It’s the preferred mode of transport for most people living in areas outside of London, but slower than the Underground.

Now, here’s a fun story about the London Overground. It was close to summer and me, my mum and my brother were going back to London from Watford after visiting some friend of my mum’s who lived there. That day, my mum had left her Oyster card at home so she bought tickets instead. Then, the worst thing possible happened; the ticket barrier didn’t accept the ticket. So, for the next two hours my and my brother sat near the escalators not allowed to go anywhere, while my mother argued with the officials at the ticket counter. In the end, we were let go of course, but it taught me a very important lessson: never forget your Oyster card at home. Even if you are a tourist, you can buy Visitors’ Oyster card, because it is definitely better to be safe than sorry like we were that day.

2. Buses

Wikipedia

The beautiful red London double decker buses. Very aesthetic and awfully convenient. I mean you can find a bus stop in England and easily as one can find gravel in the pavement. Again, all it required, like the rest of the transport in London is a single Oyster card to unlock the almost infinite potential of the bus system with its numerous stops and reliable timing. However, the delays between the arrival of the buses can get quite long depending on how outside of London you are staying. I remember how I loved to press the red stop buttons throughout the bus, but advice; don’t. I can become quite a nuisance to the people around you as it makes a tiny sound whenever you press it, and pro tip, no matter how wide and tempting running around in the section of the bus reserved for disabled people can look, do not do it. It will definitely get you some side eyes from strangers even if you are just 5. I had to learn this the hard way, sadly.

3. Taxi

Trip Advisor

Last but not least, the much hated( at least by me) London black taxi service. Yes, I know they have an “aesthetic” but is it really worth ruining your entire day to deal with this nonsense? Ok, I understand they used to be extremely reliable, a genuinely worth it experience and London cab drivers have knowledge about London like no one else but they are very entitled from my person experience, mind you and 

not particularly accommodating either, I guess one can get past that but the prices. Oh the prices. A simple cab ride can cost up to £20! Outrageous, honestly I feel that’s it’s simply better to take Ubers, although it may be in part why London cab drivers are as annoying as they are today or use the other cheaper, and more reliable forms of transportation.

Hope this helps!