Moving to a new city and country can be scary, especially trying to learn how to navigate the transport system so here’s a quick guide for getting around Greater Manchester.   

Manchester has lots of public transport options, check out Transport for Greater Manchester for more information about live departures, destinations and more.  

Keep reading to discover a breakdown of all the options.  

Bus

There is a large number of bus routes you can take to get around Greater Manchester from our campus, but as a Salford student bus number 50 will be your best friend because it is free from our students between our Peel Park and MediaCity campus. You can also take this bus to Manchester City Centre.  

Schedule:  the bus runs from around 04:55 to 00:34 every day, every 12 minutes, depending on traffic.  

How to pay:  If you’re travelling between our campuses just show your student ID to the driver as you board the bus. If you’re travelling on any other route or bus, getting a ticket is simple, ask the driver for a ticket to your destination and then pay either cash or card (it can be contactless).  

Price: A single bus ticket is £2; you can also buy day passes for around £5 or weeklong passes for £21 depending on your route. 

Important things to remember when taking the bus: 

–          To call the bus simply raise your arm out to the side – the bus won’t stop unless you do this. 

–         Most buses do not announce their stops, so you have to keep an eye out for yours. If you are not yet familiar with the route, you can either open Google or Apple Maps, enter your destination, select the public transport and then you will be able to see your journey as you go and know when to stop.  

–         Press one of the red stop buttons:  You have to press them when approaching your stop, letting the driver know you want to get off.  

–         A lot of buses are double deckers, so don’t be afraid of going upstairs to enjoy the view! 

Tram

Greater Manchester also has an extensive tram network.    

Schedule: Monday to Thursday from 06:00 to 00:00. Friday and Saturday from 06:00 to 01:00 (next day) and Sundays from 07:00 to 00:00. They run every 10 to 14 minutes.  

There are different zones and lines so check out the Transport for Greater Manchester website to plan your trip.  

How to pay:  you must pay before you board the tram. You can either buy a ticket from the machines at the station or use a contactless payment method (smartphone, smartwatch, credit card) to touch-in. Don’t forget to use the same device to tap out at your destination. 

Price: the price depends on the zones you travel through, but a single ticket is usually around £1.40 and a 1-day anytime travel card costs around £2.70.  Find more information on costs. 

Trains

There are several train stations scattered around Greater Manchester, we even have one on our campus.  

From Salford Crescent you can take the train to places like Leeds, Blackpool, Manchester Airport. If you need to get to other places in the UK, you can take the train from Salford Crescent to Manchester Piccadilly where you will find trains departing to almost anywhere in the UK. 

How to pay: You can buy your tickets at either the machines or the counters at the station. You can also buy your tickets online or through apps like Trainline or Omio. 

If you plan on travelling by train during your time here, you could consider buying a railcard. You can save up to a 1/3 off train travel with a rail card. Always remember to carry it with you as you may be asked to show it. 

For more information check out the train section on Transport for Greater Manchester   

Taxis and Uber

Sometimes public transport might not always be an option so in these situations you could use either Uber or taxis.  

Uber tends to be cheaper than regular taxis, but it depends on the time and day. Download the Uber app on your smartphone to find the price of your journey and to book. Uber will automatically charge your credit card after the ride has finished. 

There are also other local taxi firms operating around Salford and Greater Manchester which you could use. 

Cycling

Why not get some exercise while commuting?  

There are lots  of bikes for hire all around Manchester and Salford. You can find your nearest bike station through the Beryl’s app or website.  

How to pay: Using the Beryl phone app you can both pay and unlock your bike. You pay as you go with a pedal bike costing 50p to unlock on 5p per minute. E-bikes cost 1£ to unlock and 10p per minute.  

There is lots of free courses to help you both start and improve your riding skills.  

For more information check out the cycle hire section of the Transport for Greater Manchester website  

E-Scooter

Salford City Council has a partnership with Lime to provide e-scooters to hire.  

To find a scooter just download the Lime app and it will guide you to the nearest one. You will also use the app to unlock and pay for it. It costs £1 to unlock the e-scooter and 15p per minute thereafter.  

The e-scooters can only be ridden in Salford. You must be over the age of 18 and hold a driver’s license (from any country). 

Explore more about Lime in Salford. 

It might seem like a lot of information but once you’ve made your way around the city a couple of times you will be a professional.