► Travelling to Uni: what is best for you?

Once you have made some key decisions such as which University to go to, which course and where are you going to live, another choice may be “How am I going to get there each day?”
There may be many factors that affect your choice of travel but the following information may help you choose a cheaper and greener option that is still best for you.

The true cost of driving to University

The costs of driving a car each day are spiralling whether it is insurance, fuel or car parking fees. To estimate how much it will cost you to drive to Uni simply calculate your return mileage, multiply it by the number of days per week and then multiply that by 25p. This will give you a weekly driving cost however it will not include overheads such as car finance, insurance, road tax. For example, if you live 5 miles from the University and travel each day paying £3 to park, taking your car will cost you over £27 per week.

Walking and Cycling

If you live 1 mile or less from the University then walking would only take around 20 minutes and it is the cheapest and greenest way to travel. It is also regarded the healthiest as it is a great way to incorporate exercise into your daily routine.

If you live up to 3miles away then a cycle ride would take around 30 minutes to get to Uni and just like walking it is one of the greenest and healthiest ways to travel.

It can be very cheap if you have a bike already (we would also recommend a cycle helmet and lights to keep you safe) but if you haven’t already got a bike look out for bike shops that sell reconditioned bikes at a fraction of the cost..

The University have cycle racks and shower facilities around the campus

For more information about cycling in Kirklees incl downloadable cycle maps:
http://www.kirklees.gov.uk/community/leisure/countryside/cycling.shtml

Really useful cycling websites:
http://www.bikeforall.net/index.php
http://www.ctc.org.uk/
http://www.kirklees.gov.uk/transport/kbug/about.shtml

For more information about walking in Kirklees:
http://www.kirklees.gov.uk/community/leisure/countryside/walking.shtml

Car Sharing

Sharing the car journey to University even just 2-3 days per week can be a great way to share petrol and car parking costs, access 2+ lanes in peak times and reduce your carbon footprint.

It may be easy to find a car share partner either amongst family and friends or you may want to sign up to Huddersfield University’ s Car Share website via the link below:
https://www.liftshare.com/v3/pages/default.asp?sid=1350&skin=54?=en&country=GB

Once you have found a car share partner you may want to trial it for a couple of weeks to see how you get on, after that you may agree to car share every day or just 2- 3 days per week.

Public Transport

GETTING ABOUT in HUDDERSFIELD

Huddersfield has an extensive network of bus services that run around the town and outlying suburbs and villages. You can pick up the following bus services from outside the University.

Queensgate: (Bus stop number: 45017574)
For services to and from : Ashenhurst, Almondbury, Kirkheaton, Dewsbury, Dalton, Woodegde Ave, Upper Heaton

Wakefield Road: (Bus stop numbers 45016745/45016746)
For services to and from:Upper Heaton, Lindley, Rawthorpe, Almondbury, Shepley, Kirklburton, Clayton West, Denby Dale, Birdsedge and Wakefield.

Huddersfield to Storthes Hall service: First run a regular service (398 and 399) from Huddersfield Town Centre and Queensgate campus to Storthes Hall Village.

Huddersfield freetownbus: This service operates Monday to Saturday daytimes from the bus station and rail station to the university (Queensgate). This service is regular and free. It leaves from the rail station at St George’s Square and in the bus station every 10 minutes.

GETTING ABOUT in WEST YORKSHIRE

Huddersfield Bus Station
Only a few minutes walk away, you can pick up local services to Manchester, Leeds, Bradford, Barnsley, Halifax and Wakefield as well as national services run by National Express. Use the link below for details of services to and from the bus station including live departures.
http://www.wymetro.com/BusTravel/BusStationsAndStops/Hud

Link to National Express Coaches
http://www.nationalexpress.com/coach/index.cfm

Huddersfield Train Station
There is a frequent express train service to Leeds (20mins) and Manchester (40mins) daily as well as daily services to Liverpool (90mins), York (55mins) , Newcastle (2 hours, 12mins)

TICKETS

If you plan to travel regularly on public transport to University you can purchase a monthly or term time ticket which will be much cheaper than paying as you go.

Bus and train tickets:
Student Plus Metrocard: you can purchase these weekly or monthly and they give you almost unlimited bus and train travel throughout West Yorkshire, regardless of the operator. They are available to anyone under 22 or to fulltime students (16hours/week+) and are up to 45% cheaper than a standard MetroCard.

For more information: http://www.wymetro.com/TicketsAndPasses/YoungPeople/StudentPlusMetroCard.htm

Bus Only Tickets:
First run the majority of bus services in Huddersfield and currently offer a term ticket for just £75 for use on their buses only. This works out much cheaper than their weekly bus ticket at £18.50 or monthly at £60 per month.
http://www.firstgroup.com/ukbus/calderdale_huddersfield/tickets/student_bus_travel/tickets.php

National Express
National Express Railcard for 16-25year olds and/or full time students, the card costs £10 per annum and gives 30% off bus tickets
http://www.nationalexpress.com/coach/Offers/StudentCoachDeals.cfm

Train Only Tickets
For all full time students and those aged between 16-26 you can purchase a rail card which gives a third off rail tickets for just £28.
http://www.16-25railcard.co.uk/

Check out the following web-links for more offers;
Northern Rail http://www.northernrail.org/offers
First TransPennine Trains who are currently offering 50% off student tickets when booked online http://www.tpexpress.co.uk/train-tickets-and-rail-offers/students.htm

BUS & TRAIN INFORMATION

There are a number of ways to find out how to get around Huddersfield and West Yorkshire by public transport:

Planning your journey
You can use Metro’s Journey Planner to get from A to B. This can be done by inputting the “from” and “to” addresses or postcodes, the journey planner will give you bus and train options as well as walking times between stops.
Or simply call Metroline on 0113 245 7676 for advice and up to date information.

Cut your waiting times!
You can find out how soon the bus will come before you even leave the house. You can input the 450 - bus stop number to this website or text the stop number to 63876. Then you will receive a real time prediction of how many minutes away the bus is.
If you are on Twitter or Facebook, you can keep in touch via Metro for the latest travel updates.