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Student Bus Passes in UK Cities Compared

Bus tickets are one of the biggest student costs in UK cities. Every big city has a cheaper option, but the rules and the best ticket differ a lot.

Published October 23, 2026

CityStudent or young-person ticketPrice
Edinburgh and GlasgowFree bus travel for under-22s living in Scotland (NEC or Young Scot NEC)Free
EdinburghLothian Buses Student Ridacard£23 a week, £68 for 4 weeks, £570 for 9 months, £660 a year
GlasgowFirst Glasgow student tickets (student ID)FirstWeek £22.80, First4Week £75 (City/Local)
Manchester28-day Bee Bus ticket for 18–21s living in Greater Manchester£40 (adult £80)
BirminghamNational Express West Midlands student pass, nBus zone£56 for 4 weeks, £220 a term
BristolFirst Bus student tickets in the app, Bristol Zone£25.20 a week, £520 Uni Year
LeedsMCard 19–25 and student tickets, bus only£19.20 a week, £74.40 a month
London18+ Student Oyster photocard30% off Travelcards and Bus & Tram Passes

From each operator or transport authority, checked 9 October 2026. See the city pages for the full rules.

More cities: 2026/27 student passes

CityTicketPrice
LiverpoolStagecoach UniRider Plus / Arriva (Guild)£415 a year / from £180 a semester
SheffieldStagecoach student tickets£1.80 single, £15 a week, £56 for 28 days
OxfordStagecoach StudentRider, Oxford City£515 a year, £180 a term
CambridgeStagecoach, Cambridge Town£640 a year
CanterburyStagecoach UniRider (Kent and East Sussex)£289 a year, from £100 a term
LancasterStagecoach Lancaster Bay UniRider£555 a year, £174 a term
Cheltenham, GloucesterStagecoach student ticket£515 a year, £180 a term
ExeterStagecoach Termrider, Greater Exeter£328 a term (no annual ticket)
Cardiff (16–21)Cardiff Bus with mytravelpass£1 single, £3 day, £590 a year
NottinghamNCT Academic Year Pass£349 City Zone, £579 with Outer Zone
SouthamptonUnilink academic year (University of Southampton)£358
CoventryNational Express student pass, Coventry zone£165 a term, £48 a month
SwanseaFirst Cymru academic year£500, or £335 with mytravelpass (16–21)
Belfast (16–23)Translink with a free yLink card50% off singles; £2.50 day ticket on Metro and Glider
LeicesterFlexi student ticket (all operators)£575 a year, £68 for four weeks
YorkFirst York student tickets£1.50 university-route single, £70 a month
LancasterStagecoach UniRider (Lancaster University, University of Cumbria)£174 a term, £555 a year; Gold (North West) £284 / £950
DurhamArriva Durham Uni Zone£1.60 a day, £90 for 15 weeks, £220 a year
PortsmouthFirst U1/U2 uni buses (Student Travel Club)Free in term time, Monday–Friday
ReadingReading Buses Boost / simplyUni£4.30 a day; £150 a term, £390 academic year
St Andrews (22+)Stagecoach with a university email75% off weekly, monthly and flexible tickets; free term-time night bus

From Stagecoach, the Liverpool Guild of Students, Cardiff Bus, NCT, Unilink, National Express, First Cymru, Ulster University, Leicester City Council, First York, the St Andrews Students’ Association, Stagecoach Lancaster, Arriva Durham, the University of Portsmouth and Reading Buses, checked 10–12 October 2026.

Wales: £1 fares for 16–21s

In Wales, 16 to 21-year-olds with a mytravelpass from Transport for Wales pay £1 for a single and £3 for a day ticket on participating buses, and a third less for weekly, monthly, term and annual tickets. The Welsh Government extended the scheme to March 2027 in September 2026. See our Cardiff page for local prices.

What to check before you buy

  1. Your age: in Scotland, under-22s travel free; in Manchester, 18–21s get half price; in Leeds, under-19s pay even less.
  2. Term or year tickets: Birmingham, Bristol and Leeds sell term or academic-year tickets that cost less than buying week by week.
  3. Which app: Bristol student prices and several Leeds tickets are only sold in the operator’s app.
  4. What ID to carry: drivers can ask for your student ID, a TOTUM or Student Beans ID, or a PhotoCard, depending on the city.

Trains and coaches

For trips home, a 16-25 Railcard takes 1/3 off rail fares, and the Young Persons Coachcard takes 1/3 off coach fares. In London, the Railcard can also be added to an Oyster card for 1/3 off off-peak pay-as-you-go fares.

City guides

London
Read the guide

Students also ask

Do students get free bus travel in the UK?

In Scotland, anyone under 22 who lives there travels free with a National Entitlement Card. Elsewhere, students get discounted tickets rather than free travel.

What is the cheapest student bus pass in England?

It depends on the city. Manchester’s 28-day ticket for 18–21s costs £40; in Leeds, the 19–25 and student weekly ticket is £19.20.

Does the Student Oyster give discounts on pay as you go?

No. It gives 30% off Travelcards and Bus & Tram Passes; pay-as-you-go fares are not discounted.

Best UK Student Discounts
Read the guide
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