London Big Bus HOHO vs Original HOHO

Any opinions on these HOHO buses? Is one better than the other? Price wise they seem about the same.

 

Thanks

I'd like to know this too.. :)

I'd like to know this too.. :)

 

Well, we were there in June. We choose the Original, as they had a special going..buy one day and get the second day free. But as 2 days went by felt we had made a mistake. There were very long waits for these buses, many unhappy customers. Several BIG BUS HOHO would stop while we were waiting for the Original, and when our bus did come, many were full so we had to wait for the next bus. Some waits were more than 45 minutes. So next time we would go with the BIG BUS…just IMO.

I have a slight preference for the Big Bus HOHO as I think their buses are slightly newer and in better shape. Both offer the same routes. They offer very different guided walks, so if those interest you that may make the difference.

There's little to choose on price or service or reviews, as you've probably figured - itsanita was perhaps unlucky with the balance that day.

 

As mommabear's post, the main routes are the same, but there are differences in the feeder routes so your hotel location might be more convenient for one rather than the other. I know that Original's yellow route has a live English-only commentary rather than the earphones set-up. Amusing off-the-cuff commentary - well, first time round at least :p.

I don't know if Big Bus has a live route.

 

I would caution you against the hop-on service of a third operator, Golden Tours - if its still running.:rolleyes:

Golden Tours have been around a long time & offer perfectly good day-tours out of the city, and a fixed city tour.

But they're new kids on the block for hop-on and suffering from start-up blues - inadequate frequency & route choices to attract customers, and too few customers to improve that frequency & route choices.

Best steer clear of Golden Tours hop-on.

 

I'd choose Original

- because they are the original

- because they're operated by a local bus operator rather than a multi-national conglomerate

- because their red & white livery is at least halfway the right colour for buses in London, & not a dirty brown colour.

But there's a lot of pretty irrelevant bias in my choice ;)

 

JB :)

Thanks for the replies everyone..

 

We'll be going at the beginning of May next year so hopefully crowds won't be a major factor. Our hotel is across from the Eye so both buses will be convenient..

 

Should I flip a coin or pick a bus for its colo(u)r? :p

Frankly I would choose none of them, but just get an Oyster and use real London buses.

 

Much cheaper, and much more frequent. And if you want a scenic bus ride, have a ride on the number 9 -

 

http://golondon.about.com/od/London-Bus-Routes/fl/Number-9-London-Bus-Route.htm

http://blog.visitlondon.com/2014/01/best-bus-routes-for-sightseeing-in-london/

http://www.londonforfree.net/outdoors/bustour/bustour.shtml

Any opinions on these HOHO buses?

Yes: the sooner that they are all banned, the better. They display the most insensitive, selfish, inconsiderate and obstructive driving to be found in London. And given that this is London, that is saying something.

 

If you want to be inconsiderate to your hosts and clog up the city's roads, take one of these.

Yes: the sooner that they are all banned, the better. They display the most insensitive, selfish, inconsiderate and obstructive driving to be found in London. And given that this is London, that is saying something.

 

If you want to be inconsiderate to your hosts and clog up the city's roads, take one of these.

 

I agree that all the bus driving in London is a bit scary...the thing about the HOHO is the commentary. I read a lot of travel books before coming, but I learned so much listening about what I was seeing. Great up to date commentary, and wonderful history lessons. That's the part you don't get on a city bus or the tube. I learned so much about London...priceless.

They display the most insensitive, selfish, inconsiderate and obstructive driving to be found in London.

 

Quite -

 

Golden Tours bus driver tries 'throttle woman who filmed her run red light' - http://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/london-tour-bus-driver-leaps-on-to-street-to-throttle-woman-who-filmed-her-run-red-light-10330946.html

Ho-hos are great if you're on them.

Not so great for Londoners like Globaliser who get stuck behind them :D

 

Time you got out of the Big Bad City, G.,

come & live in the countryside :)

 

JB :)

We've taken both over the years, and we preferred the red bus.

The London Toolkit has a comparison and comes to much the same conclusions as JB, although slightly more positive about Golden Tours' offering :)

 

http://www.londontoolkit.com/blog/daytrips/tours/comparing-londons-hop-on-hop-off-sightseeing-buses/

 

I think a tour can be a good orientation and provide useful information, perhaps on the first day of a visit, but it is a mistake to think of the HOHOs as a means of point-to-point transportation. It might be tempting to use them that way if you have paid for two days and done the tour, but there are ALWAYS better ways of just getting around.

The London Toolkit has a comparison and comes to much the same conclusions as JB, although slightly more positive about Golden Tours' offering :)

 

http://www.londontoolkit.com/blog/daytrips/tours/comparing-londons-hop-on-hop-off-sightseeing-buses/

 

I think a tour can be a good orientation and provide useful information, perhaps on the first day of a visit, but it is a mistake to think of the HOHOs as a means of point-to-point transportation. It might be tempting to use them that way if you have paid for two days and done the tour, but there are ALWAYS better ways of just getting around.

 

My info on Golden Tours being a little out-of-date and London Toolkit being a little more positive about their offering, I checked recent T/A reviews.

Sadly they're just as poor as earlier reviews. The main gripe being long waits while rivals' buses passed frequently. Plus a fair number complaining that buses stopped mid-tour because the driver's shift had finished :confused: Sounds ridiculous & not mirrored by Original or Big Bus - it clearly isn't difficult to arrange hand-overs. Until / unless they get their act together it's still best to use one of the others.;)

 

Yep, the main value of hop-on is the orientation, the overall "flavour" of the city, seeing all the sights that your time in London doesn't allow you to see in detail, and the pointing out & the background of many comparatively minor sights that you'd otherwise pass on a regular bus or even on foot without knowing, or completely miss by using the tube.

Much the same as other cities around the world, but more especially in London because of the plethora of sights spread around the city centre.

 

But for simply getting from A to B, yes, best to put your hand in your pocket for the couple of pounds fare on the tube rather than use your ho-ho tickets and waste a great deal of precious time.

 

BTW, a plug for that London Toolkit website.

An excellent source of info on all sorts of logistics on its many pages, including London's airports & the cruise ports of Southampton, Dover & Harwich. Just be aware that private transfer services etc advertised on their site may not be the best value.

 

JB :)

Time you got out of the Big Bad City, G., come & live in the countryside :)

You've got green stuff out in the countryside. Scaaaaaary!

Any opinions on these HOHO buses? Is one better than the other? Price wise they seem about the same.

 

Thanks

 

Hotel said to use Red Bus and ask if there is a live person doing the tour, not a recording. We had to wait two buses to get the one we wanted and it was really great. The man who does it is also on a radio show weekly, he was super good.

Edited July 31, 2015 by 2ashevillesailors

We took the Big Bus HOHO and had a great experience. They do have live guides, and we took two different buses and had great guides both times. Also wait times were not long. We also took the included river cruise from the Tower to Westminster pier and enjoyed that as well. I do understand the concern about the HOHO buses in London traffic--the drivers are pretty aggressive, but they are certainly convenient for tourists. We also stayed near the London Eye, and both the major HOHO buses have convenient stops in that area.

Golden Tours - Oh Dear...

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-33762637