So, the purpose of this note is not just to say 'bye for now' of course. Would I do that to you? I just wanted to give you all a run down on the public transport in London (from b to t - bike to tube and everything in between).
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Bike: The hire bikes were introduced to London (in zone 1 and a teeny bit of zone 2, though extensions were planned) and so my expertise on them is fairly limited. Pay a fee, and you can hire the bike out day by day, or of course you can get a membership which is more cost effective. Unlike in Australia, you don't need to wear a helmet, but the sheer amount of traffic may make you want to invest in one anyway. London has hoons, don't assume the English are as polite as their reputations may make you think.
Bus: Much cheaper than the metro and, if you live in zones 1 or 2, again, just as effective as the tube. Old Boris has been slowly jacking up all public transport prices, but the bus still beats the tube costwise, and, you'll find, sometimes it's just as fast (particularly if you know how to bus-hop). Also, when you're new, it's a wonderful way to see London and get your bearings.
DLR: The information under 'metro' (particularly regarding strikes) will be of great value for you as well. The DLR is fairly fast, and a great way to get to Southern areas like Greenwich, but be prepared for lots and lots of works going on the weekend.
Metro (tube, underground): The tube is a bit love/hate. Firstly, it's more expensive than the bus. Secondly, 'signal failures' are much more common than you would hope (and spending an hour underground waiting for the bleeding tube to move whilst you run ever more late for work) is hell. Thirdly, the staff are not paid enough and like to strike, I would say 3 - 5 times a year, at inconvenient times, it causes supreme havoc. Also, catching it in peak hour is disgusting. On the brightside, when it works, it really works. And you will get wherever you need to go super super fast. The best (i.e most reliable lines) tend to be Piccadilly, Central and the Northern. Stay the flip away from the District and Circle.
Overground: Similar to the tube really, links you to a lot of places that weren't accessible via the tube previously (Dalston, Haggerston, etc) therefore I also blame it for a huge jump in rental prices in the east. Having said that it's quite nice and modern.
Taxi (cab): This really threw me off when I arrived in London. There are two forms of taxis: the very cute, horrifically expensive 'Black Cab' (like you see in all those pictures) and private cabs, much cheaper, from the outside, look like a normal car. The general rule is, you can't hail a private cab down, I've tried before, they thought I was a prostitute. The issue is, they are all run by little call centers (you'll know the numbers when you see them, they look like any other business number), and, if you don't know where you are (this will happen), you're a bit screwed. Also, if you're too far away from the number you called, you are also screwed. The lesson is, be prepared for paying a lot in a black cab, store millions of private cab numbers in your phone for any occasion, remember all your local nightbuses and, ideally, never leave zone 2 after 10pm!
Funny story on that note - a friend used to have a 'no-one-nighter-or-relationship' policy with anyone living further than zone 2, that transport issue just gets awkward. 2 hour train ride of shame early Sunday morning? No, ta.
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P.S: www.tfl.gov.uk - a lifesaver, that's no lie. (At least I had *warning* I had to make the 1 hour journey to my work by foot at 5am, in December, at least 3 times). *sobs*
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