UK Search Increase for Student Travel: Savings expert shares five handy tips

UK searches for “student travel” have surged over the past month, increasing by 376%.

Other search terms including “student railcard”,”student oyster card” and “student travel card” have also sparked interest.

As the first term is well underway for students, they will continue to search for the cheapest ways to travel around the city.

Sam Whillance, a savings expert at online discounts platform Deal.Town, shares five handy ways students can travel smart and save their pennies:

“Travel will always be a part of your day-to-day life as a student. Not only will you need to travel to and from uni each day, but also into the city centre for nights out, shopping and, of course, going home to see family.”

Below, Sam shares five expert tips for saving on travel across the UK:

Avoid trips with Uber or city taxis during peak hours

Whilst Uber is extremely convenient, especially late at night, try to avoid using taxis or Uber during peak hours.

Taxi companies will increase their rates, particularly if you are travelling through a busy city centre and are being charged on a metre. This could end up costing you a fortune.

However, depending on which city you are in, Uber can be one of the cheapest ways to get around. For example, in Manchester, Uber is a really affordable way to travel around.

Before you book your Uber, a handy trick is to wait until the prices are at their lowest – normally depending on the time of day and if there are any big events going on in the city centre. If prices are surging, opt for a local service with a fixed rate.

Opt for Ridesharing

If you need to take a taxi, try to share your ride with someone else. Uber offers ´Rideshare´ to all major UK cities such as London, Cardiff, Edinburgh and Leeds.

Alternatively, there are several other Ride Sharing apps on offer, such as Taxiapp UK, Ola, Via, Wheely, and Gett, which allow you to split the cost of your ride with someone else.

Rideshare apps help connect people that want to go to the same or similar destinations and are a great way to help travellers – especially solo travellers – save money.

16-25 Railcard- through bank accounts

With a student railcard, you’ll save a third off rail travel for the whole year. This is great for both short and long journeys, as a third of the cost will add up substantially.

One of the best ways to get this railcard is through opening a bank account which offers a student railcard. Santander is the main bank that does this, and as part of their current account, students can receive a four year free railcard which is worth £90.

Once you have signed up to their student current account, they will email you a code to redeem your free railcard.

Alternatively, you can get a discount on purchasing a railcard. If you have an NUS extra card – also known as a TOTUM card – you can save up to 12% off the price of a one year railcard.

Oyster Card for London students

Those who are heading to London for uni should expect their travel to be more expensive.

However, to keep costs down you can make significant savings with an Oyster card. Whilst the tube is one of the easiest ways to get around the Capital, an 18+ Student Oyster Card costs just £25 and will save 30% on TravelCards, bus and tram passes.

Another handy trick is attaching your 16-25 railcard to your Oyster Card, allowing you to save 34% off pay-as-you-go off-peak fares and daily caps for the London Overground. This also applies to the tube, the Elizabeth Line and most of the other National Rail services across.

Make the most of a bus pass

Buses aren’t always the quickest for getting around town, but they’re green, economical and don’t leave you relying on taxis or friends with cars.

If you take the same bus journey every day, and also use it for nights out and other short trips, then you’ll most likely be able to save money by getting an annual academic year pass.

Whilst many Universities have buses that operate services for students for free, a lot of the journeys won’t be included. Therefore, companies like Stage Coach provide bus passes for students as well as local companies in other cities and towns.