How to Save on Transport (London/UK) Add Your Tips!
Hi everyone,
Travelling around London and the UK can start to add up so I thought I would share some cheap ways I have found to travel around
Please share any more you may have!
Buses
In general busses are usually a cheaper way to travel costing £1.75 per trip. This can also be a cheap option when travelling late at night as there are lots of night buses.
Bikes
This can be a convenient way to travel. If you have your own bike as many stations have places you can store it safely. Or you can rent/hire the bikes around London through various companies (such as Lime, Forest, Santander) many companies offer you 10 minutes free per day. It is usually through the companies bike apps you can find available bikes near you.
Off peak travelcard
This has become one of my favourite ways to travel into central London as currently it is £11 a day for zones 1-6 if you have 16-25 railcard. This can be used on trains, tubes, buses and DLR services. This can be a great deal as on the weekends it can be used all day as there are no peak times and during the week the peak times you cannot travel are just 6:30-9:30am and 4:00-7:00pm.
You can also get a travelcard where you can travel at any time, but this will cost £23.60 with a railcard for zones 1-6, so it may be cheaper to tap with a student oyster card.
Student oyster card
As I mentioned sometimes it is cheaper to tap with a student oyster card, especially if you will be travelling at peak times. The daily cap for both peak and off peak is £16.30 for zones 1-6. This can also be a good option if you are just traveling a short distance and by one mode of transport like a bus.
It costs £20 to get a student oyster card and lasts for the duration of your studies.
Railcard
As mentioned off peak travelcards are a great price if you have a 16-25 railcard.
You can also connect this to your student oyster card to get 1/3 discount for off peak travel.
This is also a great option if you are traveling out of London and around the UK as you get a 1/3 discount on trains.
This is currently £35 for 1 year or £80 for 3 years. I have already saved as much as I spent on the card as I use it to travel home and with the travelcards.
National express and coaches
Again, if you are travelling out of London and across the UK choosing to travel by coach can be a really cheap way to travel (with companies such as National Express and Flixbus).
This usually takes longer than it would be on a train but can be well worth the price. I once travelled from Liverpool to Falmouth on coaches which took just over 11 hours for around £30 for a return journey.
There are definitely a lot of options to consider when travelling and it’s worth checking all the options, but I hope this helps by making things a little clearer.
Again please share any tips and deals you have found!
-Grace (Kingston Rep)
Travelling around London and the UK can start to add up so I thought I would share some cheap ways I have found to travel around
Please share any more you may have!
Buses
In general busses are usually a cheaper way to travel costing £1.75 per trip. This can also be a cheap option when travelling late at night as there are lots of night buses.
Bikes
This can be a convenient way to travel. If you have your own bike as many stations have places you can store it safely. Or you can rent/hire the bikes around London through various companies (such as Lime, Forest, Santander) many companies offer you 10 minutes free per day. It is usually through the companies bike apps you can find available bikes near you.
Off peak travelcard
This has become one of my favourite ways to travel into central London as currently it is £11 a day for zones 1-6 if you have 16-25 railcard. This can be used on trains, tubes, buses and DLR services. This can be a great deal as on the weekends it can be used all day as there are no peak times and during the week the peak times you cannot travel are just 6:30-9:30am and 4:00-7:00pm.
You can also get a travelcard where you can travel at any time, but this will cost £23.60 with a railcard for zones 1-6, so it may be cheaper to tap with a student oyster card.
Student oyster card
As I mentioned sometimes it is cheaper to tap with a student oyster card, especially if you will be travelling at peak times. The daily cap for both peak and off peak is £16.30 for zones 1-6. This can also be a good option if you are just traveling a short distance and by one mode of transport like a bus.
It costs £20 to get a student oyster card and lasts for the duration of your studies.
Railcard
As mentioned off peak travelcards are a great price if you have a 16-25 railcard.
You can also connect this to your student oyster card to get 1/3 discount for off peak travel.
This is also a great option if you are traveling out of London and around the UK as you get a 1/3 discount on trains.
This is currently £35 for 1 year or £80 for 3 years. I have already saved as much as I spent on the card as I use it to travel home and with the travelcards.
National express and coaches
Again, if you are travelling out of London and across the UK choosing to travel by coach can be a really cheap way to travel (with companies such as National Express and Flixbus).
This usually takes longer than it would be on a train but can be well worth the price. I once travelled from Liverpool to Falmouth on coaches which took just over 11 hours for around £30 for a return journey.
There are definitely a lot of options to consider when travelling and it’s worth checking all the options, but I hope this helps by making things a little clearer.
Again please share any tips and deals you have found!
-Grace (Kingston Rep)
I still meet a surprising number of people reluctant to get a 16-25 railcard, usually saying they don't get trains regularly enough - and i urge you if you have any ability to do so, that it is nearly always worth it. Even one long-haul train in a year (i.e. London to Lancaster) can make a 16-25 railcard worth it as those long trains scale up in price massively and 1/3 is a huge amount off that cost. And if you regularly make shorter journeys, it will still save you money over the span of a full year.
There is a 26-30 railcard which is similarly worth it if you're someone that travels even semi-regularly, in my case I don't live in the same town as either of my parents so i'm always travelling at least semi-regularly, even if I don't have other specific plans. The only difference being you're locked into renewing them every year instead of the option for 3 year-long 16-25 cards (at a discounted price).
And mature students can be eligible for 16-25 railcard while in full-time education (yes, even if you're over 30!)
There is a 26-30 railcard which is similarly worth it if you're someone that travels even semi-regularly, in my case I don't live in the same town as either of my parents so i'm always travelling at least semi-regularly, even if I don't have other specific plans. The only difference being you're locked into renewing them every year instead of the option for 3 year-long 16-25 cards (at a discounted price).
And mature students can be eligible for 16-25 railcard while in full-time education (yes, even if you're over 30!)
Reply 2
Hi, would you advise getting both the 18+ oyster and the 16-25 travel card for daily commute to uni into central London from zone 4? Would that be worth it considering main commute would take place in peak times and within London
Reply 3
Buses outside London are a lot more expensive
If you’re travelling to other towns and cities then think about adding “PlusBus” to your ticket. It’s unlimited bus travel within certain areas of the destination town/city and if you have a railcard discount then that applies to plusbus too. It’s usually a lot cheaper than buying tickets when you arrive (and saves any embarrassment when you find that non London buses don’t all have tap on/tap off options to pay)
If you’re travelling to other towns and cities then think about adding “PlusBus” to your ticket. It’s unlimited bus travel within certain areas of the destination town/city and if you have a railcard discount then that applies to plusbus too. It’s usually a lot cheaper than buying tickets when you arrive (and saves any embarrassment when you find that non London buses don’t all have tap on/tap off options to pay)
Reply 4
Original post
by fizzywizzybizzyHi, would you advise getting both the 18+ oyster and the 16-25 travel card for daily commute to uni into central London from zone 4? Would that be worth it considering main commute would take place in peak times and within London
Hi @fizzywizzybizzy
Yes I would recommend the student oyster card paired with the 16-25 railcard. You will most likely be using the tube or buses.
I would check which mode of transport you will be using first and then check the travelcard options on the TFL website as there may be monthly and yearly passes/travel cards that are cheaper. If not then I would recommend the oyster, but best to double check first. Also travel cards are sometimes cheaper with the railcard, but usually when off peak, so again just double check the website first. Travelcards and group tickets - Transport for London
Caps and Travelcard prices - Transport for London
Fares from 2 March 2025 - Transport for London
I hope this helps
-Grace (Kingston Rep)
Reply 5
Hi folks,
See if First Bus do any university-specific bus tickets for your uni's term/semester dates. For example, First Bus do a specialised bus ticket tied to the Uni of Bath's semester dates - I would suggest googling 'First Bus university of XXX' and seeing what comes up. The Uni Year ticket is particularly good because it is cheaper than a calendar year ticket and does not include time when you'll likely be going home, for example for the summer.
I hope that helps!
University of Bath
See if First Bus do any university-specific bus tickets for your uni's term/semester dates. For example, First Bus do a specialised bus ticket tied to the Uni of Bath's semester dates - I would suggest googling 'First Bus university of XXX' and seeing what comes up. The Uni Year ticket is particularly good because it is cheaper than a calendar year ticket and does not include time when you'll likely be going home, for example for the summer.
I hope that helps!
University of Bath
(edited 8 months ago)
Reply 6
Original post
by University of BathHi folks,
See if First Bus do any university-specific bus tickets for your uni's term/semester dates. For example, First Bus do a specialised bus ticket tied to the Uni of Bath's semester dates - I would suggest googling 'First Bus university of XXX' and seeing what comes up. The Uni Year ticket is particularly good because it is cheaper than a calendar year ticket and does not include time when you'll likely be going home, for example for the summer.
I hope that helps!
University of Bath
See if First Bus do any university-specific bus tickets for your uni's term/semester dates. For example, First Bus do a specialised bus ticket tied to the Uni of Bath's semester dates - I would suggest googling 'First Bus university of XXX' and seeing what comes up. The Uni Year ticket is particularly good because it is cheaper than a calendar year ticket and does not include time when you'll likely be going home, for example for the summer.
I hope that helps!
University of Bath
First bus are the local company in Bath. In other towns and cities there will be different companies. That may include First or it might not.
Reply 7
I travel around quite a lot, and whilst I'm still younger enough to get a 16-17 Railcard (1/2 fares) there are a few tips I've learnt:
1.
Look at all the trains in a day; occasionally there is a really cheap one for no reason! (I'm travelling to Edinburgh in the summer, even with my card most are 100+ then there is just one train a day which is £40!
2.
Look at splitting up journeys and prices, eg. It's cheaper to go Norwich to York splitting tickets at Peterborough, where you change over - but not always!
3.
If you can, travel early in the day, even bus at 5.00am eg national express, whilst it's slower, you'll probably get there about the same time as the train for 1/4 of he price, and you can catch up your sleep on the bus.
4.
When staying in a city, you can buy a plus bus ticket for a tiny bit extra over your rail fare - but this gives free bus journeys in your entire area for the days you are travelling!
5.
Be flexible! Advance tickets are very cheap - but they only let you go on one train. If that gets cancelled however - you can go on whatever train you like!
6.
Claim money back if your train is late - you could put it towards something else
7.
If you can, avoid London and other big cities - it might be 10mins slower but it can be up to £20 cheaper
Good luck! Hope this helps
Reply 8
For railcards: a santander student account gives you a 4 year railcard. So is well worth getting just for that (especially if you’re a mature student who wouldn’t be eligible for the railcard after graduating!)
Reply 9
Hi,
I've got a few tips on how to save on transport as a student:
Hope this helps,
-Jasmine (Lancaster Student Ambassador)
I've got a few tips on how to save on transport as a student:
•
Check if your local bus operator does termly or yearly tickets for students. In Lancaster, stagecoach offers termly or yearly bus passes which work out cheaper than buying daily tickets if you travel to university 3/4 times per week.
•
If you use the bus less frequently, see if you can buy a bundle of single or day tickets, as buying these in 10 or 20 multipacks on an app, works out cheaper than the individual price.
•
Get a railcard for 1/3 of train tickets, they cost about £30 per year, so you usually make your money back in one long return journey.
•
Use Split ticketing apps for train tickets, as these can provide big savings without adding any extra inconvenience to your journey.
•
See if you can hire a bike from your university for a term, to save money on bus fairs
-Jasmine (Lancaster Student Ambassador)
Reply 10
20
Original post
by AnnoyinHumanBe flexible! Advance tickets are very cheap - but they only let you go on one train.
This is true.
If that gets cancelled however - you can go on whatever train you like!
But this bit is not true.
This is what the terms and conditions for Advance tickets say: "8.4 If the train you purchased a ticket for is cancelled or is delayed and you still decide to travel, special arrangements will be made to accommodate you on another train (although a seat cannot be guaranteed)." [source: https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/tickets-railcards-and-offers/ticket-types/advance-tickets/advance-tickets-terms-and-conditions/]
There's nothing there to suggest you can "go on whatever train you like".
At least some train companies say that if your train is cancelled you can travel on either use your ticket on either of the two services before your scheduled train, or the two services afterwards. [sources: https://www.southeasternrailway.co.uk/help/support/faqs/tickets/advance-tickets , https://www.lner.co.uk/support/refunds-compensation-faq/cancelled-trains/ ]
Given that it's a criminal offence to travel on a train without a valid ticket, it pays to be careful with things like this.
Reply 11
Original post
by martin7This is true.
But this bit is not true.
This is what the terms and conditions for Advance tickets say: "8.4 If the train you purchased a ticket for is cancelled or is delayed and you still decide to travel, special arrangements will be made to accommodate you on another train (although a seat cannot be guaranteed)." [source: https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/tickets-railcards-and-offers/ticket-types/advance-tickets/advance-tickets-terms-and-conditions/]
There's nothing there to suggest you can "go on whatever train you like".
At least some train companies say that if your train is cancelled you can travel on either use your ticket on either of the two services before your scheduled train, or the two services afterwards. [sources: https://www.southeasternrailway.co.uk/help/support/faqs/tickets/advance-tickets , https://www.lner.co.uk/support/refunds-compensation-faq/cancelled-trains/ ]
Given that it's a criminal offence to travel on a train without a valid ticket, it pays to be careful with things like this.
But this bit is not true.
This is what the terms and conditions for Advance tickets say: "8.4 If the train you purchased a ticket for is cancelled or is delayed and you still decide to travel, special arrangements will be made to accommodate you on another train (although a seat cannot be guaranteed)." [source: https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/tickets-railcards-and-offers/ticket-types/advance-tickets/advance-tickets-terms-and-conditions/]
There's nothing there to suggest you can "go on whatever train you like".
At least some train companies say that if your train is cancelled you can travel on either use your ticket on either of the two services before your scheduled train, or the two services afterwards. [sources: https://www.southeasternrailway.co.uk/help/support/faqs/tickets/advance-tickets , https://www.lner.co.uk/support/refunds-compensation-faq/cancelled-trains/ ]
Given that it's a criminal offence to travel on a train without a valid ticket, it pays to be careful with things like this.
Yes, but presuming you don't change destination and the train is cancelled when you are at the station, it is as if you can go on any train. You could go on different routes as well to get to the same location (unless its a not via london ticket). No seats can be guaranteed on a replacement train - whatever the ticket, but you can rebook a seat for free at the ticket office of the station.
Reply 12
One big tip: if you're landing at Heathrow with lots of luggage or late at night, public transport might not be the most relaxing option. I’ve helped a few friends who arrived at awkward hours, night tubes don’t always run depending on the line, and buses can be crowded or slow.
Pre-booking a transfer or asking someone local to pick you up is sometimes worth the peace of mind, especially when you're jetlagged. You’ll avoid long queues at Heathrow for Ubers too (those surge like crazy sometimes).
For day-to-day commuting though, Oyster cards or a student 18+ Travelcard work out way cheaper than paying contactless daily. Also, check for TFL rail strikes, that’s caught a few people out during exams.
Pre-booking a transfer or asking someone local to pick you up is sometimes worth the peace of mind, especially when you're jetlagged. You’ll avoid long queues at Heathrow for Ubers too (those surge like crazy sometimes).
For day-to-day commuting though, Oyster cards or a student 18+ Travelcard work out way cheaper than paying contactless daily. Also, check for TFL rail strikes, that’s caught a few people out during exams.
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