List of bus routes in London

This is a list of bus routes in London, England. They are run by Transport for London (TfL) and other companies. TfL has seven bus operators that run its routes across the city. These include Arriva London, Go-Ahead London (which has several smaller companies like London Central and London General), Metroline, First Bus London (with companies such as London Sovereign and London United), and Stagecoach London (including East London and Selkent).

Some bus routes are not run by TfL but still travel through Greater London. These buses have a special permit from TfL, so they can stop at TfL bus stops. Companies like Arriva Herts & Essex, Carousel Buses, and Diamond South East are examples of these non-TfL operators.

The tables below show all these bus routes, helping people travel around London. These buses connect many neighborhoods and make getting around the city easier.

Classification of route numbers

In the past, people could only know which bus they were on by its name and colors. In 1906, a man named George Samuel Dicks started numbering his bus routes from 1 to 5, making them easier to remember. Soon, other bus companies did the same, and route numbers became common.

Later, in 1924, new rules were made to organize bus route numbers better. These rules were created by a police officer named Arthur Ernest Bassom. The numbers helped show which company ran each route. In 1934, the rules changed again when a new group called London Transport was formed.

List of routes

All bus routes in London run every day of the week and in both directions, unless otherwise noted.

1–99

100–199

200–299

300–399

400–499

500–599

600–699

Bus numbers from 600 to 699 are special school buses. Most of these buses run one trip each weekday during school hours.

900–999

Bus numbers from 900 to 999 are for special buses that help people get around. These buses usually run once a week to nearby shopping places from areas where there aren’t many buses. Because more buses now can fit everyone, including people using wheelchairs, there are fewer of these special buses. As of 2026, only one special bus route is still running: route 969.

East London Transit routes (EL-prefixed)

Main article: East London Transit

Superloop routes (BL- and SL-prefixed)

Main article: London Superloop

Other letter-prefixed routes

Silvertown Tunnel cycle shuttle

Main article: Silvertown Tunnel cycle shuttle

Night Bus routes (N-prefixed)

Main article: Night buses in London

Night Bus routes often follow the same path as their daytime bus routes but may go a little further to help people get to places that trains or tubes serve during the day. Some night routes, like N5, N20, and N97, go to different parts of London than their daytime routes. Others, like N118, N472, N550, and N551, don’t have matching daytime routes at all. There are also buses that run all day and night, but they might not come as often during the night. With the Night Tube, some daytime routes now also run late on Friday and Saturday nights to help people get to train stations.

Non-TfL bus routes in Greater London

These bus routes are not run by Transport for London, so they are not called London Buses. Most of these buses start from villages and towns just outside Greater London and go to places inside the city. They are not red like the regular London buses and do not use Oyster cards. Even though they are not run by Transport for London, they have a special permit and can stop at Transport for London bus stops and appear on their maps.

Former routes

Future routes

Temporary routes

All routes go both ways unless we say otherwise.