Travel
There are two kinds of travel costs to consider: getting yourself there and, once you’ve done that, the cost of getting yourself around.
Most students living away from home come back to the bosom of their family at least three times a year. That costs.
Then, most days you’ll have to get around town to lectures, the library, your part-time job, to go shopping, partying or whatever. If you’re at a multi-site university where you’ve got to get from site to site constantly, that can be a right pain in the back pocket.
Buses and coaches are the cheapest way to travel, but not everywhere’s on a route and if it’s a ten-hour trip, then you may want to think about the train – or even a plane. With no-frills airlines like easyJet, flying’s often not only the fastest, but also the skinflint’s way to get about, but beware of airports miles from anywhere with only an expensive train line or taxi to get you where you need to be.
London, for once, is on average the cheapest place to get to – but once you’re there, getting around town is as ridiculously expensive as a diamond-encrusted nasal hair trimmer. Travel in the capital often drains another £23 a week from a student’s budget.
At least London has night buses. After a night out in Newcastle, Sunderland University students have to dig deep for a ten-mile taxi trip.
Ten miles is a bit far to walk, of course, but Manchester’s compact enough to let you get from campus to nightclubs and back to the student ghettos, all by foot. Or failing that, by tram or bike.
God had students in mind when he created bikes. Around many universities, pedestrians walk in fear of being hit by oncoming two-wheelers. But at others it’s just too bumpy, too spread out or just too expensive to keep replacing bikes every time they cycle off on their own.
It’s very rare that cars are the answer – they’re dirty things that cost a packet to buy, a packet to maintain and a packet to fill with fuel. Not to mention parking (oops, just did). But at some universities – particularly the more remote – they’re the most practical way to get about.
National and international travel,
Local travel,
Travel in London,
Travel allowances,
Cars
Last updated on: 24 September 2008