Money Week day 4 – how to get out and about for less

One of the biggest expenses after rent is travel, although of course this depends on how far away you live from campus, and how often you travel home to visit family.  There could be a few ways you could reduce your spending on travel, so this blogs offers some suggestions which may help.

Bus travel and UB1

Did you know you can travel between campus and halls using our free (that’s our favourite price) shuttlebus, UB1?  The UB1 service operates a circular route from the Falmer campus to Old Steine, taking in Varley Halls, Moulsecoomb campus and The Level. It’s even got free Wi-Fi and phone charging points. All you need is your uni card and the timetable.

Brighton and Hove buses offer discounts to students who have the keycard and valid Student ID.  These services cover a wide area of town, so if you can’t use the UB1 (which is the first choice for money saving) then have a look at where you could go and how much it might cost you.

Brighton and Hove buses also donate one day passes for us to give out to students who may be struggling financially, so please contact the Student Advice team or the Student Information Desk at your campus if you need a one day ticket.

If you are studying in Eastbourne, check out Stagecoach, but if you need to travel to Brighton we have Brighton and Hove Buses day tickets at Trevin Towers Student Centre which may be of use to you.

Train travel

The Unizone scheme allows students with a 16-25 student railcard to travel for much less along the coast between East Worthing and Eastbourne.  There are some exceptions, but you can really get a good deal if you travel regularly by train. And you don’t have to be under 25 to get a 16 – 25 railcard, you just have to be a full time student.

Cheap advance tickets

When you are planning to travel back to family, perhaps for the vacation, you can make great savings if you book advance tickets. Companies such as the trainline and Red Spotted Hanky are always worth checking out, up to 3 months before you travel, and National Rail Enquiries is also a good source of info.  If you are travelling a long way, you may find it is cheaper to split your fare – perhaps one ticket to London and another beyond, so it’s worth investigating.

You could also consider travelling by coach to save money. It takes longer, but a little planning can leave you quids in.

Other ways to get about

Perhaps you should think about what travel options you have – free or otherwise and then work out where you can afford to go?  Our travel option page on the University of Brighton website gives examples of car share and bike share options.

And then of course there is walking……cheaper than bus fares and gym subscription rolled into one. Try working out how much you could save across the academic year if you walked into Uni…£500? More?  Go on, it’s good for you.

Make sure you checkout our quiz and spending diary and follow what other universities are doing to support students during money week: #nsmw22

Student Advice Service