Questions about bike vs bus for the first year.

Hi there,

Sorry if this has been asked elsewhere, I've tried to look for the answers but haven't quite found them yet. I'm coming from East London and really haven't travelled elsewhere within the country without a car so am not used to how public transport works outside of London (we use an Oyster and have to top it up for trains or free transport on buses - pretty simple). Obviously going to Bath I'm aware things will be a bit different so I'm split between either buying a bus ticket through FirstBus or buying a new bike to use to get around. I plan to stay on campus (Westwood hopefully) and would need to buy a new bike if it was going to be used regularly. With this I have a few questions if you don't mind:

- For a first-year would you recommend getting around on a bike or bus? Is there really a need to travel by bike in the first year if I'm staying on campus?

- If you recommend getting a bus ticket which one would I get? I noticed for free unlimited travel on the buses it's about £500 but this seems to be split into different zones: Bristol, Bath, Weston-super-Mare, West of England - would it be worth paying more and getting the WoE one?

- If I did get a bike, is it possible to leave it at the University over the holidays (I assume its a no to the summer ofc but for the two holidays after the first and second term)?

- Unrelated to the rest of the questions but if I take my PC to university with me, can it be left in my accommodation over the two end-of-term holidays or is this something that can vary depending on what accommodation I eventually stay in?

Cheers in advance

Hi there,

I hope I can help with these questions

First of all, just to note most university students in Bath travel around by either bike, bus or walking (as it is a small, accessible city). The university campus is about 10-15 minutes on bus into the centre of the city and is on a big hill, so if you do get a bike you need to be a confident and experienced cyclist.

In your first year, you are right you will spend most of your time on campus and will not need to travel as much, therefore I would recommend to not get a bus pass and just get singles or a day pass as you need. With a student ID you also get student discount. In your subsequent years, a bus pass may be more useful if you travel up to campus frequently and I would recommend just getting the student bus pass for the University of Bath, which covers all buses in Bath.

There is bike storage on campus, but it is not designed for long term storage. I would imagine the holidays after the first and second term could be okay to store your bike as this is shorter than the summer holiday, but you can email [email protected] to double check. In regards, to your PC it should be okay to leave over the holidays as your room will be securely locked. All university managed accommodation also has contents insurance for peace of mind.

I hope this helps, if you have any more questions, please feel free to ask

Isobel (A Final Year Sociology Student)