Transport in Manchester

Buses

The main mode of tranport for students in Manchester are buses. The need to buy a bus pass will depend on where you live and how much you intend to travel in Manchester. If you hardly ever venture away from the Oxford/Wilmslow Road area there is really no need to buy a pass. If you work in or go to the city centre a lot I would say its best to get a Finglands/Magic Bus/Stagecoach weekly pass as they tend to be cheap. As of 2009 the cost of a weekly bus pass is £6 for a week on Finglands and Magic Buses and its £7 a week for the Stagecoach buses because they tend to be enwer. However you will be limited to buses operated by that company - with the exception that Stagecoach passes are valid on Magic Buses (they are both owned by Stagecoach). If you need to travel across all of Manchester then a GMPTE System 1 pass is worth buying, but they cost about £10 a week, they do allow you to get on any bus in Greater Manchester regardless of the bus company though. You can also buy a Unirider which is around £135 for the year (september to June), this may sound expensive, but you tend to save a bit compared to buying the weekly passes.

Bus Companies

Heres some links to bus company sites which operate in the university areas. You should have an idea which areas they go to by the areas.
Stagecoach - South and East Manchester,- Wilsmlow Road, Stockport, Chorlton, Trafford Centre, Stretford, Old Trafford, Northenden, Wythenshawe etc
Bullocks - Oxford Road, Fallowfield, Withington, East Didsbury, Cheadle
Finglands - Oxford Road, Fallowfield, Withington, East Didsbury]
First group - Salford and North Manchester - University of Salford, Swinton, Bolton, Wigan, Oldham, Rochdale etc
arrivabus South Manchester – Stretford, Sale, Altrincham, Cheadle, Macclesfield, Wythenshawe
gmpte – This is the main government body which controls transport in Greater Manchester, this has a great route planner if you are unsure which bus to get. There is also information about GMPTE travel passes.

There are also some free buses that will take you around town and from Piccadilly train station, just outside, the run til about 7pm, they are ideal for lazy people who can't be bothered to walk around town.

Major Bus Routes

Manchester is a huge place so this guide will concentrate on some of the more major routes.
MMU and Manchester University from Piccadilly Bus Station (PBS) – 15, 42, 43,45, 85*, 86*, 142, 143, 145
Fallowfield, Withington, Didsbury, East Didsbury from PBS – 42, 142, 45
Fallowfield, Withington, Northenden from PSB – 43, 143
Chorlton Cum Hardy from PSB – 85 from the east of Chorlton, 86 from the North, the 86 covers more of the centre of Chorlton
Trafford Centre – 23, 23A Stagecoach) from Didsbury or Chorlton, 250 from Oxford Road or Booth Street West (not Rushulme, Fallowfield etc run by Stagecoach and UK North), 100 (Firstbus) from Cross Street (will be the new interexchange at Victoria station from Jan 2006)
Stockport – 23, 23A from Chorlton or Didsbury, 42 from Oxford/Wilmslow Road or 192 from Piccadilly.
*RNCM and MMU only

Free Bus Service

147 Oxford Road Link
FREE Travel for staff & students. The white 147 bus runs frequently (every 10 mins) from Piccadilly Rail Station to the Oxford Road area. The University of Manchester subsidies this in partnership with the Higher Education Precinct (HEP - Manchester Metropolitan University, University of Manchester, Central NHS Trust and Royal Northern College of Music). The University subsidises the service further to allow FREE travel for University staff and students between Sackville Street and the Students' Union - you just have to show your student ID to the driver. Journeys outside of this area are 50p which is probably the cheapest single fare in Manchester (or £1 for a day ticket). For route details visit: Oxford Rd Link Route Map

Trains

Most Manchester trains depart from Victoria or Piccadilly (both in the city centre) but if you're unsure Piccadilly is the safer option, Victoria tends to have trains going to Northern destinations such as Liverpool, Bradford and Blackpool etc. Some trains stop at the small Oxford Road train station, e.g the Liverpool, Southport and Blackpool ones. Some trains also stop at Salford Crescent but if you're going to Salford University from Manchester city centre its easier to get the bus. All London, Edinburgh, Birmingham and Southern England services depart from Piccadilly. Take a look at this site for information on local trains and the trainline for intercity services.

Trams

Manchester has an extensive tram system, however it doesnt operate in the main university areas. This map shows where it currently operates, beware only the green lines currently exist, the rest is planned for the future.
Tram network
The trams are great if traveling from some where like Bury or Altrincham. The Tram is also ideal for Salford Quays. They can be expensive though.

National Express

There is a National Express station in the city centre just on Oldham Street in Manchester. National Express is a cheap alternative to using the trains to get home, but the journey times will tend to take a little longer. Most of the coaches are relatively new so the jorney should be comfortable and they have some rediculous offers on sometimes, including journeys for as little as £1.

Bringing Your Car

There's really no need to bring your car if your a student, because on top of running costs, parking costs and just finding a place to park can be a pain. Parking is especially difficult around the Universities because they are based close to the city centre. It will also be expensive to rent a parking space from your halls of residences, for example Wilmslow Park charges in excess of £600 for the year. If you will be living far from home and you want to visit home on the weekends then maybe it would be useful to bring your car, but its definitely cheaper to just travel by train or coach.