Black Cab Tour or Hop-On Hop-Off Bus?
A London black cab tour against a hop-on hop-off bus: price per person for 2, 4 and 6, time, who guides you, where each can take you, and which one suits your group (October 2026 prices).
A hop-on hop-off bus is the cheap way to see London’s landmarks at your own pace, from about US$43 a person for a day; a black cab tour costs several times more per head but gives your group a private driver-guide, door-to-door, who goes where the buses do not. For one or two people on a budget the bus wins on price. For four to six people, or anyone short of time or mobility, the cab narrows the gap and wins on the day itself.
Side by side
| Black cab tour | Hop-on hop-off bus | |
|---|---|---|
| Price (October 2026) | Sightseeing Black Cab Tour from US$426 for the cab, up to 6 people | Big Bus hop-on hop-off from US$43 a person; City Sightseeing from US$34 |
| Who it is for | your group only, up to the cab’s cap | everyone on the bus |
| Commentary | the driver-guide, live, and you can ask questions | recorded audio commentary in several languages |
| Route | the driver’s, adjusted to what you want to see | fixed loops; City Sightseeing’s Red Route runs every 15 to 20 minutes |
| Pick-up | many cab tours collect you at your hotel | a stop on the route |
| Getting off | at each sight, with the cab waiting | at any stop, then wait for the next bus |
| Time | 2 to 8 hours, booked as one block | as long as the ticket runs, often 24 or 48 hours |
The real cost per person
The bus is priced per person; the cab per group. So the cab’s price per head falls with every seat you fill. On the sightseeing cab tour that is US$213 each for two people, US$107 each for four and US$71 each for six, against US$43 a head for a one-day Big Bus ticket.
The bus ticket also runs for a day or more, so you can come back to it; a cab tour is one block of hours. On a two-day visit the bus can be your transport between sights, which a cab tour is not.
Where the cab is better
- Time. A cab drives straight from sight to sight and parks near each one. A bus loop is the same for everyone, and on a busy day you queue for the next one.
- Hard-to-reach places. The cab tours stop at places the bus loops pass by or miss: mews, back lanes in the City, film and music locations.
- Mobility and weather. You step out at the door and back in, and in the rain you watch from a dry seat. Every licensed London taxi is wheelchair accessible; the vintage bus tour is listed as not suitable for wheelchair users.
- Questions. The commentary is a conversation. Ask the driver to linger, or to skip something you have already seen.
Where the bus is better
- Price for one or two people. Nothing in London is cheaper per head for the landmarks than a bus pass.
- Freedom. Get off at the Tower, spend three hours there, and pick up the next bus.
- The view. An open top deck gives a height a cab cannot, which is the best seat for photos of the bridges.
For more on the bus side, london-bus.tours compares the open-top guided tours with the hop-on hop-off passes in depth.
A middle way
The vintage open-top bus tour with a live guide is a fixed tour like a cab tour, on a shared bus, from US$40 a person. It gives you a live guide without the cab’s price, but not the door-to-door pick-up or the freedom to change the route.
Which to pick
Pick by your group:
Sightseeing Black Cab Tour
A private driver-guide, hotel pickup and the landmarks in 3 to 4 hours.
Check dates →Big Bus Hop-On Hop-Off
A day or more of open-top buses, with a river cruise on the longer tickets.
See the bus ticket →Vintage Open-Top Bus Tour
90 minutes on a Routemaster with a guide on board, from a central meeting point.
See the vintage bus →Prices and review counts as listed on GetYourGuide in October 2026, not a quote.
The calendar below is for the Sightseeing Black Cab Tour, the most reviewed London cab tour on GetYourGuide:
London From a Black Cab of Your Own
London Sightseeing Taxi Tours' private black cab tour collects you anywhere in central London and spends 3 to 4 hours on the landmarks, with photo stops at each and a route you can change. Rated 5.0 from 320 reviews, from US$426 for a cab of up to six as of October 2026, with free cancellation up to 24 hours before.
Check Cab Tour Dates