Uber Boat by Thames Clippers is London's river bus: a fast, covered commuter boat that stops at 24 piers between Putney in the west and Barking Riverside in the east. You can pay by touching in with contactless or Oyster, but the fares are higher than the Tube and do not count towards the daily cap, so treat it as a scenic trip rather than a cheap one.
Despite the name, you do not need the Uber app to use it. The boats are run by Thames Clippers under a sponsorship deal with Uber, and they work much like a bus on water: you turn up at a pier, wait for the next boat, touch your card on the yellow reader and get off at any stop along the route.
Transport for London (TfL) includes the service in its network, and several of the main piers are TfL piers. For visitors, the central stretch is the attraction: the boats pass the Houses of Parliament, the London Eye, St Paul's, Tower Bridge and the Tower of London, then continue to Canary Wharf and Greenwich. It is not a guided cruise, so there is no commentary, but the views are the same.
The river bus in brief
- Operator
- Uber Boat by Thames Clippers
- Piers
- 24, from Putney to Barking Riverside
- Main route
- RB1, daily, via Westminster, London Eye, Tower and Greenwich
- Fare zones
- West, Central and East
- Pay as you go, Central zone only
- £9.90 off-peak, £11.90 peak (adult, until 31 October 2026)
- Counts towards daily cap?
- No
- Children
- 4 and under free; 5 to 15 half price
- Tower to Greenwich
- About 23 minutes
The four river bus routes
The network is simple once you know that almost every visitor uses one route: the RB1. The others serve commuters or fill specific gaps.
| Route | When | Where it runs |
|---|---|---|
| RB1 | Daily, early morning to late evening | Battersea Power Station or London Eye (Waterloo) to Barking Riverside, depending on the time of day, via Westminster, Tower, Canary Wharf and Greenwich |
| RB2 | Weekends | Embankment to Battersea Power Station non-stop in about 10 minutes; the return trip also stops at Vauxhall (St George Wharf) and Millbank |
| RB4 | Daily | Cross-river ferry between Canary Wharf and Rotherhithe |
| RB6 | Daily, early morning to late evening | Putney to Canary Wharf or North Greenwich, depending on the time of day, with more stops than the RB1 |
Which piers each boat calls at changes with the time of day and the day of the week, so check the timetable on the Thames Clippers route map before a specific trip. The operator says boats usually run every 10 to 20 minutes at the key London piers, and the service runs every day of the year except Christmas Day, with the weekend timetable on bank holidays.
The piers that matter for sightseeing
Going downstream (east), these are the piers most visitors use, with what is nearby.
- Westminster Pier - the Houses of Parliament, Big Ben and Westminster Abbey.
- London Eye (Waterloo) Pier - directly below the London Eye and next to the South Bank.
- Embankment Pier - close to Embankment Tube station, Trafalgar Square and Covent Garden.
- Bankside Pier - outside Tate Modern and a short walk from Shakespeare's Globe.
- London Bridge City Pier - near HMS Belfast, Borough Market and the Shard. This pier is not step-free.
- Tower Pier - beside the Tower of London, with Tower Bridge just downstream.
- Canary Wharf Pier - the business district and its restaurants.
- Greenwich Pier - next to the Cutty Sark, a short walk from the Royal Observatory and Greenwich Market.
- North Greenwich Pier - for The O2 and the Cable Car across the river.
Upstream (west) of Westminster, the boats call at Millbank (for Tate Britain), Vauxhall, Battersea Power Station, Cadogan (Chelsea), Chelsea Harbour, Wandsworth and Putney. Further east, beyond North Greenwich, are Royal Wharf (the nearest pier to ExCeL London), Woolwich and Barking Riverside.
Fares: zones, peak times and the missing cap
The river is divided into three fare zones: West, Central and East. Your fare depends on which zones you pass through, much like the Tube. The Central zone includes the piers visitors use most, from Westminster to Tower. A trip from Tower to Greenwich, or from Embankment to North Greenwich, crosses into the East zone, so it needs a Central and East fare.
These are the adult pay as you go fares with contactless or Oyster, which the operator says are valid until 31 October 2026. New fares will be issued after that date.
| Zones travelled | Off-peak | Peak |
|---|---|---|
| East only, or West only | £6.20 | £7.40 |
| Central only | £9.90 | £11.90 |
| Central and East, or Central and West | £11.40 | £13.70 |
| All zones | £19.30 | £22.90 |
Which hours count as peak is set by the operator, not by TfL, and the times differ from the Tube's peak hours. The table on the operator's ticket information page is the one to check before you travel.
Reaching your Tube cap does not make the boat free. River bus journeys never count towards TfL's daily or weekly caps. If you have already paid £8.90 for a day of Tube travel in Zones 1-2, the boat still costs the full fare on top. Plan a boat trip as a separate cost in your budget.
Tickets bought at the pier cost more
You can also buy a ticket online, in the Thames Clippers Tickets app, in the Uber app, or at the pier ticket office and machines. The pier price is the most expensive. For example, a single adult ticket in the Central zone costs £16.40 at the pier and £11.70 online or in the app, while pay as you go is cheaper still. The operator also sells Hop-on Hop-off tickets for unlimited travel: £29.30 for one day online, or £58.70 for a family of two adults and up to three children.
Hop-on Hop-off only pays off if you make three or more journeys that include the Central zone in one day. For a single trip to Greenwich and back, touching in with a bank card is simpler and cheaper.
Touching in and out on the boat
Pay as you go on the river works slightly differently from the Tube, and small mistakes are common.
- Wait on the pier until staff tell you to board.
- Touch your card or phone on the yellow reader. A member of staff must see you touch in.
- Touch out on the reader at the pier where you get off. If you change boats, touch out and in again.
- Use the same card or device for both, as on the Tube.
You cannot top up an Oyster card at the piers, so make sure it has enough credit before you set off. Each passenger needs their own card. If you use a card issued outside the UK, the operator warns that overseas transaction fees may apply; our guide to contactless and Oyster fares explains how to avoid unnecessary charges.
Discounts for Travelcards, children and seniors
Holders of a TfL Travelcard get one third off river bus fares. If the Travelcard is loaded on your Oyster card, the discount is applied automatically when you touch in. With a paper Travelcard, show it when buying a ticket. The operator says the discount only applies when the TfL Travelcard is printed on a paper ticket or loaded onto an Oyster card. Our guide to London Travelcards explains whether a Travelcard makes sense for you.
Children aged 4 and under travel free (up to two per ticket holder), and children aged 5 to 15 pay half the adult fare. To get the child rate on pay as you go, the child needs a Zip Oyster photocard or an Oyster card with the Young Visitor discount; otherwise buy a child ticket online or in the app. Children up to the age of 10 must be accompanied by an adult. Our page on children's fares in London covers the discounts in full.
Freedom Pass, 60+ London Oyster and Veterans Oyster photocard holders get 50% off. These concessions are mostly for UK residents.
How long the journeys take
The river bus is not the fastest way across London, but on some routes it competes well with the Tube, and you are guaranteed a seat once on board. These are the operator's own journey times.
| From | To | Journey time |
|---|---|---|
| Tower | Greenwich | 23 minutes |
| Battersea Power Station | London Bridge City | 37 minutes |
| North Greenwich | Blackfriars | 44 minutes |
| Putney | Blackfriars | 54 minutes |
| Woolwich (Royal Arsenal) | Canary Wharf | 32 minutes |
| Royal Wharf | North Greenwich | 4 minutes |
The operator recommends arriving at the pier 10 minutes before you want to board, and earlier if you need to buy a ticket. Boarding is first come, first served, though season ticket holders and passengers with disabilities may board first at staffed piers.
A river day from Westminster to Greenwich
The most rewarding way to use the river bus is to make it part of a day out. A good plan for a first visit:
- Morning at Westminster. See Parliament and the abbey, then board at Westminster Pier or the London Eye Pier.
- Stop at Tower Pier. Spend the late morning at the Tower of London, and walk over Tower Bridge.
- Afternoon in Greenwich. Board again at Tower Pier for the 23-minute ride to Greenwich. Visit the Royal Observatory and the Cutty Sark and the rest of Greenwich. The Observatory closes after 2 November 2026 until summer 2027; after that date, the free National Maritime Museum and Queen's House fill the afternoon.
- Home by rail. Take the DLR back towards central London. Unlike the boat, the DLR counts towards your daily cap; our guide to the DLR and Overground explains the network.
For a couple paying by contactless at off-peak times, the two boat legs cost £9.90 each for Westminster to Tower (Central) and £11.40 each for Tower to Greenwich (Central and East). That is £42.60 for two people, on top of any Tube or DLR travel. Two one-day Hop-on Hop-off tickets bought online would cost £58.60, so separate pay as you go fares are cheaper for this plan.
Another option is to continue from Greenwich to North Greenwich and ride the IFS Cloud Cable Car (London Cable Car) over the river to the Royal Docks. For a longer look at the business district, get off at Canary Wharf instead.
Sit at the back for the open deck. All the boats are covered with indoor seating, and the operator says most also have an open deck area. Photographs of Tower Bridge and the Houses of Parliament are far better from outside than through the cabin windows.
River bus or sightseeing cruise?
The river bus is transport, not a tour. There is no commentary, it stops frequently, and it is used by commuters during the week. Sightseeing cruises, run by several other companies, offer guided commentary and sometimes food or drink. TfL notes that you cannot pay for those river tours by touching in with contactless or Oyster, although you can use Oyster credit to buy a paper ticket at the pier ticket office, and a Travelcard gives one third off most of them.
Choose the river bus if you want to get from A to B with a view, and a cruise if you want to learn about what you are seeing. Our guide to Thames river cruises compares the tour options.
On board: accessibility, bikes and luggage
The boats are covered, with indoor seating and a small bar selling drinks and snacks. The bars take card payments only. The operator asks passengers to buy refreshments from the on-board kiosk rather than bring their own. The service runs in all conditions except extreme fog.
- Wheelchairs: all boats are wheelchair accessible, and ramps are used for boarding. All piers are step-free except Cadogan, Wandsworth Riverside Quarter and London Bridge City. Larger boats take up to four wheelchairs. Temporary maintenance can take a pier's step-free access out of use (the operator listed Millbank Pier this way in September 2026), so check the service alerts before you travel. See our guide to step-free transport in London.
- Bikes: allowed at no extra cost, with ten spaces on larger boats on a first come, first served basis.
- Dogs: allowed on a lead.
- Luggage: allowed as long as it does not block gangways, stairs or safety equipment, and is not placed on seats. Items over 2 metres long are not allowed.
For concerts at The O2, the boats run a regular service to North Greenwich Pier, and on selected event nights the operator adds post-show sailings about 20 minutes after the show ends. Pre-booking is the only way to guarantee a seat on those.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use my Oyster card or contactless on the Thames Clippers?
Yes. You can pay as you go with contactless or Oyster on all Uber Boat by Thames Clippers river bus services. Touch in on the yellow reader where staff can see you, and touch out when you leave, including when you change boats. You cannot top up Oyster at the piers.
Do I need the Uber app to use Uber Boat?
No. Uber sponsors the service, and you can buy tickets in the Uber app if you like, but it is not required. Contactless, Oyster, the Thames Clippers Tickets app, the operator's website and the pier ticket offices all work.
Does the river bus count towards the daily cap?
No. River bus journeys are not included in TfL's daily or weekly caps, so you always pay the full river fare, even if you have already reached your Tube cap that day. A Travelcard on your Oyster card does give one third off.
How long does the boat take from Tower Bridge to Greenwich?
The operator gives 23 minutes from Tower Pier to Greenwich Pier. Tower Pier is next to the Tower of London, just upstream of Tower Bridge. The fare covers the Central and East zones, which is £11.40 off-peak with contactless under the fares valid until 31 October 2026.
Is the Thames Clippers a sightseeing tour?
Not really. It is a commuter river bus with no commentary, but it passes many of London's landmarks, so it works well as a cheaper alternative to a cruise if you do not need a guide. The operator also sells Hop-on Hop-off day tickets aimed at visitors.
Sources
- Transport for London - About River Bus (checked September 2026)
- Transport for London - River fares (checked September 2026)
- Uber Boat by Thames Clippers - Our routes (checked September 2026)
- Uber Boat by Thames Clippers - Ticket information (checked September 2026)
- Uber Boat by Thames Clippers - FAQs (checked September 2026)
- Transport for London - RB1 route sequence (open data) (checked September 2026)