Big Bus Tours London - Reviews and experiences

Honestly, skip this route — unreliable. I waited because two stops weren’t even in service and nobody bothered to put up a sign. When a bus finally arrived it sat for fifteen minutes to change drivers. Not as bad as total disaster, but still annoying overall, really.

Got in on a rainy Tuesday, expected a mellow ride but driver tried to pass on the wrong side at lights — honestly my stomach dropped. App itself is fine to use, easy to book, but customer support sent a canned reply and closed it. Not terrible overall, but felt brushed off.

30 p.m., but three blue buses rolled by at Big Ben and he insisted none of them were the right one. We ended up waiting nearly an hour, watched most of the red and blue runs finish for the night, and almost got left behind as the evening closed in. Hop-on/hop-off should be straightforward — instead it felt random and poorly coordinated. Had smoother experiences with other companies, so this was pretty disappointing. Not something I'd recommend at all.

Halfway through the blue route the bus just stopped — I remember thinking "not again" because I almost didn't book this at all. A colleague had recommended Big Bus and I saw the route on the city tourism site, but reviews were hit-and-miss so I hesitated. We climbed to the top deck because of the drizzle, and for about 30 minutes the commentary actually made sense and the views were fine (when you could see anything). Then we sat. For roughly an hour. The driver kept saying "ten, fifteen minutes" and that was the pattern, which was annoying and felt sloppy. When it finally restarted we were told the bus wouldn't finish the full loop and we'd have to switch — so we waited at the designated stop. After another 30 minutes in the rain we bailed. Annoying. Having said that, customer service later credited the tickets and offered a discount for a future ride, which calmed my doubts more than I expected. Communication on the ground was poor, but the aftercare was decent and that changed my initial scepticism into cautious approval. Won't forget the wait though — and bring a hood next time.

a bus showed up, then it sat until it filled before leaving, so you end up waiting longer than you expect. For the money we paid, I guess I expected more engagement or at least a smoother cadence. Still, I’m kind of relieved it wasn’t worse — clean bus, decent views, no drama — and I’m glad we only tried it once. Next time I’ll take the subway or pick a tour with a live guide.