Travel and transport in the UK

There are lots of cycle paths throughout the UK so you can ride your bike safely. Remember that not all cities are large enough to have secure cycle lanes, so you may need more experience to ride a bike in the city.  There are some helpful tips from students at Cycling UK; most notably to buy a second-hand bike if you can and to find other people that ride and cycle with them. 

In London and a few other cities you can hire public bicycles for short periods. See TfL for details. We advise that you always wear a cycle helmet, high visibility jackets or bibs and use several lights at night. Cycle theft is common in the UK – so be sure to invest in a good lock and always leave your bicycle in a public area that is also well lit at night.  There are a number of tips about locking your bicycle securely at Wikihow. Be sure to register your bike with the National Cycle database, Bike Register. This means that if your bicycle is stolen the police are able to track where it is. Your Students’ Union may arrange for the police to attend your campus to provide information and help with this.    

Most towns in the UK have a train station; you can see the full list of stations on the Trainline website. Your institution will have information about your nearest train station. You can look at National Rail or Translink to plan your journey.  

16-25 year old's and full-time students can get 30% discount on train travel in the UK if you buy a Young Persons Railcard. If you are over 25 you will need your institution to prove that you are eligible by confirming you are a full-time student. If you travel long distance just a few times, you will easily save more than the cost of the railcard.  

If you visit London, you’ll probably need to use the Underground – ‘the Tube’ – to travel across the city. You can either buy a ticket on the day, buy an ‘Oyster card’ (this is a pre-paid card that costs £7 that you ‘top up’ with money) from some stations or newsagents, or use a contactless debit or credit card.  This allows you to ‘tap in’ and ‘tap out’ by placing your card on a reader which opens gates to enter and exit the stations.  Even if you travel to London only once, you may save money if you use an Oyster card or contactless as paper tickets are more expensive. Check where you can use your Oyster (the area extends outside central London) because if you travel outside the permitted area you’ll be fined.  

If you are studying in London you can apply for an 18+ student Oyster card which gives you 30% discount.  If you are over 25 years old. you will need your institution to prove that you are eligible. 

The Transport for London website has extensive, useful information about travelling in London (by Tube, bus, bicycle and even suggested walking routes).  

Buses are often the cheapest way to travel and are usually for short journeys within your local area.  

How you pay to travel on them varies between cities so we advise asking your institution. In some places you can buy a ticket from the driver when you board, in others you may have to buy a ticket from a machine before you board the bus. If you pay on the bus, some companies will require you to have the exact fare, others won’t (you will find different bus companies operating in the same city with different rules). In London, you’ll need a ticket in advance, Oyster card or contactless debit or credit card to pay.  

The routes of the bus are often posted at every bus stop within the town.  Alternatively, you can use a travel app like CityMapper. You may also get useful advice from your institution. 

These are larger buses and usually for longer journeys. Have a look at National Express (England), Translink (Northern Ireland) and CityLink (Scotland) to see what’s on offer.  Many companies offer student discounts and some companies offer very cheap tickets for long distances including to countries outside the UK (eg Megabus). 

Your Students' Union will be able to advise you and do ask other students for advice.  

If you buy a brand-new car in the UK, the dealer will usually arrange for the car to be registered for you. You will need to provide documentary proof of your name and address. You must make sure that the details shown on your Registration Document/Certificate are correct. If the dealer does not register the car for you, make sure that they give you the appropriate application form so that you can apply yourself. 

Never purchase a vehicle unless it has a registration certificate. You can make a check through the DVLA Vehicle Check Service, which is intended to deter criminals from disguising stolen cars with the identity of vehicles which have been badly damaged in an accident and which have been 'written off' by an insurance company. 

If you buy a vehicle which is later identified as having been stolen, you may have no right in law to its ownership and you could lose both the vehicle and the money you paid for it. For more details, see the DVLA website. 

When you have bought the vehicle, you will need to register it in your name.    

The UK government website has guidance on bringing a vehicle to the UK.