TfL answers whether you actually need to hail London buses (2024)

For the thousands of people taking a bus every day in London, a certain sight will be familiar.

As the bus approaches some confident martyr will stick their hand out into the road ensuring the bus stops and so saving everyone a ten minute wait for the next one.

Or so they think.

While they float onto the bus on a cloud of their own saviour complex, they might not have considered whether their little semaphore act was actually necessary.

MyLondon spoke to TfL, who run the London buses, and they gave us the definitive answer to whether you need hail buses to make sure they stop.

The answer is no, you don't need to stick your arm out.

A spokesperson for TfL told MyLondon: "People don't have to hail. We brief every bus driver to stop at all stops where there are people waiting."

So arm or not, if you're there the bus will stop.

The Big Red Book, which is the guide given to all bus drivers when they start the job, expands this requirement.

"Stop at any stop on your route if someone is waiting by, sitting down or has signalled to you", the book advises.

It says: "Slow down while approaching the stop to check there are no customers waiting.

"If there is any doubt, stop."

So even if you're facing the wrong way picking your nose, the driver should still stop.

Now just to confuse people, around London you might see what's called a request stop, marked by a red sign with a white ruondel.

But these are a relic of a time gone by.

In the noughties bus drivers and passengers alike started to move away from hailing, even at these stops.

Then in 2008 after a consulting with the public, TfL formalised this practice and changed the rules to mean that all bus stops would be served unless the driver is certain no-one wishes to get on or off the bus.

The money of changing all the existing signs was considered too great and that's why you can still see request stops scattered about.

People still flagging down the buses in Central London either developed the habit in the bygone era of request stops or have seen the signs and thought they still apply.

Hail and Ride bus routes do exist but only in quiet outer areas of London.

These have no fixed stops but the buses can be flagged down at any safe point along the route.

Despite the solid guidance for bus drivers to stop at the mere glimpse of a possible passenger there is always the possibility of human error.

Therefore TfL do give some advice to passengers: "We encourage everyone to make their presence known to a driver, either by catching their eye or giving a little wave."

Or you could just put your arm out.

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