Need Advice on second year

Ive got a dilema and need advice, bit of background info first:
Started univeristy in september (decided to choose my local university due to having be in court for april aimly reasons). However my local university is 1hr bus ride due to it having go around the whole estate, i dont drive and havn't started taking lessons yet.

So far i haven't been able to join any clubs or go to any parties with the long ride back or do any real socilizing although i am really enjoying my course, for my second year i really dont want to do the same thing as i cant even go to the library to do any studying.

I was told by a few friends that because i live within 15 mile radius i would never get into university housing, so now I have two choices which are learn to drive and see if i can pass my test by september or find suitable accomodations in my area.
The other factor to consider though is I dont have a job at the moment and there is no where local that has any, as well as living with my singe lving parent (mother) who has just got a job finally so money is based on student loans.

So what would you do, need your opinions.

It would be nice to go there, but it is actually staffordshire university that im attending at the stoke campus. To be honhest I haven't really asked my friends yet as dont want to seem to rush it or impose due to only knowing them a few months.

Ah right. Just a guess, because I know we have a distance limit for accommodation and, off the top of my head, a lot of places an hour away from Cambridge by bus involve complicated rides around estates.

That's fair enough, don't think I'd feel comfortable with it either. Apart from the socialising side, would you be happy to continue living at home?

If I was able to drive then I believe I might be happy living at home however im not 100% positive as with not going to stay at university a part of me feels like im missing out on the experience of true university life. Although I believe that if i do live away i may get bored of it after a while.
Sorry to sound so confusing, just the way it is I guess.

Hmm - that's quite a pickle. Learning to drive and staying at home would certainly being the easiest option, because if you're not unhappy now then having more potential for socialising is unlikely to make you unhappier.

I live at home as well; there's the odd moment when people at uni are sharing in some in-joke and I don't understand because I wasn't there that it feels like I'm missing something ... but, most of the time, I compare what I want to what my current living situation gives me, and it's better this way.

Could you possibly share a house with your friends next year?

Yeah it is a tricky decision, I do agree that learning to drive whilst living at home would be the easiest choice. An to admit it the inside jokes are part of the experience im mising, feeling like an outsider amongst familiars.

An I have spoke to one of my friends I know living in private accomodation and he has said that one of the rooms are coming free. However the reason I am not completly for it is that there is no internet as well as the room is smaller than three doors width, five in length (that is average door *only way i can explain the size). So the real things that are defering me away from that is the comfortable bonuses like you said.
P.s Thankyou for spending time helping me out with this decision