Big Bus Tours: Hop On, Hop Off

• Free

Last verified 26 Sep 2026

• Free to download

Last verified 5 Aug 2026

4.8 24430 ratings · App Store

1. 5/5Absolutely the best

   After researching both major tour buses for NYC (big bus tours and gray line), I decided on Big Bus because their fleet is 100% wheelchair/scooter accessible. We visited from Nov 7-11. The app was very handy. The staff at Madame Toussauds were great and gave helpful information. The bus reps at the stops very very helpful making sure we were all on the correct bus and were very accommodating to us. We had a large 16 person party and one scooter. The guides were funny and entertaining. Some were better than others but we enjoyed all of them. Each offered different information along the tour and all made sure we were comfortable and had earbuds. I was so worried after reading mixed reviews, but we were completely satisfied with this company and would recommend it! The bus stops were easy to find. We had NO problems at all hopping on and off and we did that a lot. We did the downtown tour two days and the uptown tour one day. We skipped the night tour and the cruise because it was so cold when we visited. Buses ran so frequently we never waited more than a few minutes at each stop/pick up. I would absolutely recommend this company!!

   genifurh · 26 Sep 2026

2. 4/5Fun service sometimes hard to find the stops

   My family had only one day in London and this was a great option to get around freely while also seeing the top sightseeing attractions. Audio tour was okay but would have loved a really person presenting. Did the walking tour with Julia, she was amazing, very informative and funny. Only think I had trouble with was knowing the right stops. I using both the paper and the phone and still had trouble with getting to the right stops. Then also transferring from the red line to the blue line was also difficult. But overall a great option to do when in London and just want to try and see as much as you can! Also, River cruise is a must! The live tour guide was funny and very informative. Both highlights where the walking tour and the river cruise!

   a$hca$sh21 · 26 Sep 2026

3. 2/5Not sure I’d call it Hop on Hop off

   We purchased a two day pass & good thing. The app worked great on Sunday; we could see when busses were arriving, how much time we had before it arrived etc but by Day 2 (Monday), the app was not working at all. We couldn’t even plan to utilize the other perks that came along with purchasing a deluxe pass b/c you never knew when your rude would show up?! There was no way to know when the next bus would arrive. It was taking over an hour & a half for the next bus to arrive. For this reason we had to skip our next 2 desired stops b/c we didn’t want to get stranded & had made plans to meet up with friends later. In fact, once we arrived at Pier 39; we ended up taking a taxi to our hotel near Union square since we were told they needed to sanitize the bus which is understandable, but would have to wait 30 min before we could leave. Obviously it became apparent that they don’t run multiple busses on weekdays. Next time I’ll wait until the cable cars are operational or spend my $ on a taxi driver to take me around to see the sights.

   rather be walking · 26 Sep 2026

4. 3/5Didn’t get what I was expecting

   I was only in San Francisco for 2 days and was looking forward to a great bus tour with a guide telling me all about the city. I paid $49 each for my daughter and myself because we were expecting an actual tour. The first bus we got on was so packed, we had to stand and couldn’t see a thing out the windows. We got out at the first stop just to get off. We skipped the next bus because it was just as full, and got on a nearly empty one that came up behind it. There was no tour guide, and the driver did not tell us that we needed ear buds to hear the recorded tour. Thank goodness that after we went over the Golden Gate Bridge and stopped, a guide got off another bus and gave us a choice to join him. FINALLY we got what we paid for and he was fabulous! Unfortunately, we had to get off after a few stops so we could get a different bus to the stop we needed to get to. Luckily we had a tour guide on that bus, too, but we missed so much of the tour beforehand. A crowded bus with no guide to explain the city was not what we paid for.

   Twinkletoes 63 · 26 Sep 2026

5. 1/5Unacceptable waste of time and money

   We are writing to request a refund for our hop on hop off San Fran experience. Yesterday, my family of four took the big bus tour which explore San Francisco. We only were able to make it to one stop. There was no hop on/hop off. We boarded at 10:30 at stop 1. This is after having to wait for 30 minutes because the bus that arrived originally was filled. When the bus stopped at Union square, the line of people to get on was insanely long and most people were not able to board. So we decided to hold off on that stop until later, not realizing this was a problem of not enough buses and not just the moment. We got off at the Golden Gate Park, enjoyed the sights and went to the stop to board the next bus which was theoretically to be within 15 minutes. An hour later, the bus still had not arrived. By the time the bus arrived, we were running out of time. Horrible traffic left us stranded on the bus for another hour. We first went to the bus stop at Golden Gate Park at 2:15, but the bus did not come for us until around 3:20. Pictures enclosed as proof. We were the only ones able to board the bus at that time given that we had been waiting for over an hour. We were unable to make anymore stops because it was so late. The bus was way over crowded, hot and an all together awful experience. We paid for a hop on/hop off to visit the sites, but only was able to go to one place. This was irresponsible- more buses should have been in circulation. Zero stars.

   Sharif Omar · 26 Sep 2026

4.3 6276 ratings · Google Play

1. 5/5

   My son and I used this app to get around Paris. Excellent way to see the sites on your own time and pace.

   Lisa Hadley · 5 Aug 2026

2. 5/5

   Just a suggestion: improve bus tracking. The bus was on the waiting spot, another tour bus from a rival company was blocking the view and it was the Big Bus driver that found me waiting by chance. Meanwhile, the app still claimed a 34-min wait time, instead of alerting that your Big Bus had arrived abd was parked, all of this under a scorching sun in the Farmer's Market/The Grove. SEND ALERTS OF BUS ARRIVING. Make it easier to track them in real time.

   Windows XP Blue · 5 Aug 2026

3. 5/5

   great experience!

   Mike Thomas · 5 Aug 2026

4. 2/5

   The interface is very awkward. After purchasing a ticket, you can't find information about the date or time of travel. When you want to find out how to get to a stop, the app doesn't help you navigate to the navigation app. Finding help is very difficult. There is a useless AI agent who doesn't know the answers to questions.

   Théo Dianov · 5 Aug 2026

5. 1/5

   This app is terrible. Do not book anything in advance. You pay less at the stop point. France, England, New York Paid lots of money booking in advance.

   Jbs Smith · 5 Aug 2026

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• 6.4.0 · 21 Jul 2026