You’ve got to Manchester. How do we get around? What does transport look like? The majority of international students don’t have a car, and don’t worry – you don’t need to have a car to get around in Manchester.
Walking – around the city centre
In general, the UK is quite pedestrian-friendly, as a lot of European countries are. Manchester for sure is up on the list, as the second largest city in the UK. In fact, around the city centre, walking is the best and fastest option. Similar to other European cities, Manchester is quite compact and you can walk from one end to another in approximately 30 minutes. Fire up your Google Maps and follow the direction!
Buses – shorter and daily trips
Oxford Road in Manchester is one of the busiest public transport corridors in Europe! Fortunately, that’s also where the Universities are located (RNCM, University of Manchester, MMU). Many students live slightly further away and commute by bus daily, that’s completely possible. If you need to use bus to commute, I would suggest getting a student bus pass, Stagecoach Unirider which can be used for both Stagecoach and Magic Bus. If you don’t plan on using it every day, you can estimate how often you need to use the bus. One single ticket costs £2. So if you are going to be using the bus for 3x or more every week, it may be worth it getting the bus pass instead. There is also bus number 147 that will take University of Manchester students for free if you have student ID between North and South campus – also easily walkable within 20 minutes (but nice to have in pouring rain or freezing winter days!)
I lived around the city centre and didn’t have a bus pass, so it’s perfectly possible that you don’t need a bus pass. However, if you decide one, I’d suggest to get it sooner rather than later, as it has a fixed validity time (typically from September until June – one academic year).
Trams – travel within Greater Manchester
There are trams in Manchester, which is convenient if you want to explore Manchester or live quite far away. I don’t personally use it very often.
Cycling – if you can!
Manchester is relatively flat, and has quite good cycle routes. If you can cycle and have somewhere to store the bicycle, this is an option you could do. Make sure that you have good D locks and lock your bicycle, as bicycle theft is rampant everywhere. Also keep in mind that rain is almost daily occurrence in Manchester, which deters a lot of people from cycling. In my opinion, get a really good rain jacket, and cycle along!
Trains – intercity travels + airport
The UK has a network of trains if you want to travel to other cities. Recently, there’s been a lot of chaos from constant strikes and cancellations – but hopefully that gets better soon. It is also very convenient to get to Manchester airport by train from city centre, quite cheap (as cheap as £3!) and takes about 20 minutes only.
That’s it! If you are a new international student coming to Manchester, don’t forget to check my other posts on what you need to do on your first week of arrival, how to find accommodation, how much things cost and how to prepare for winter.
Hope that helps!