Moving to a new city and country can be scary, especially when navigating a new transport system, so here’s a quick guide for getting around Greater Manchester on a student budget.
Walking, cycling, and scooting
Walking, cycling or scooting to your destination is not only a great way to keep fit and decrease your stress levels, but also the cheapest and greenest way to travel.
Our main campus is only a short walk away from Manchester city centre. It takes approximately 20 minutes to reach Spinningfields on foot from Peel Park, which makes it a great way to get those steps in!
If you would rather opt for cycling to your destination, our campus has over 350 spaces to safely store your bike. Don’t have your own bike? You’ll easily find Starling Bank bikes, Lime bikes, and Beryl e-scooters at different bays around Greater Manchester. You can find their prices just below.
- Starling Bank bikes
- Pedal bikes: 50p to unlock, 5p per minute to ride
- Electric bikes (e-bikes): £1 to unlock, 10p per minute to ride
- You can also buy minute bundles (such as £5 for 100 minutes for an e-bike).
- Beryl Bikes
- Pedal bikes: 50p to unlock, 5p per minute to ride
- Electric bikes (e-bikes): £1 to unlock, 10p per minute to ride
- Beryl bikes also allow you to buy minute bundles.
- Lime scooters
- E-scooters: £1 to unlock, 17p per minute to ride
- If you’re a frequent rider, signing up to LimePrime subscription for £2.99 per month allows you a flat-rate fee of £1.50 for trips up to 20 minutes.
You can find cycle routes through TfGM’s cycle network map.
Bus
Bee Network is the bus transport system in Salford and Manchester. Bee Network buses allow you to ‘Tap and Go’, meaning that all you need to do is tap your contactless card, phone or smartwatch and the system will do the math for you. Make sure you use the same card when you tap.
Free bus travel to campus
The Bee Network 50 (also known as the 50 bus) gives all Salford students free travel between our MediaCity, Frederick Road and Peel Park campuses Monday to Friday – just show your student ID card to the bus driver. Free travel is between Adelphi Street/Oldfield Road and MediaCity but you can pay to go further into Manchester, with adult single tickets costing £2.
Two free buses also operate around Manchester City centre seven days a week, including a stop on Chapel Street and another close to Salford Central, which will get you to campus in approximately 15 minutes by foot.
Discount for buses
TfGM also have a 18-21 pass which allows you to buy a 28-day pass for £40 (half the price of an adult fare), with the chance for students to purchase an all term, term 2 or term 3 bus pass. Find out more about their passes on the TfGM website.
Tram
The Greater Manchester Metrolink tram network stretches across the city centre and beyond, with lines from Bury to Altrincham and from Rochdale to Manchester Airport.
There is a tram stop opposite the entrance to our MediaCity campus, which makes it extremely convenient to travel there by tram. The stop has direct services to Eccles and Manchester city centre.
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. More information about the Metrolink fare zones can be found on the TfGM website.
How to pay: 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. You must pay before you board the tram.
Trains
Our on-campus train station located between Peel Park and Frederick Road, Salford Crescent, can get you into Manchester in less than 10 minutes, or further afield to Blackpool, Southport and Clitheroe.
There are four main train stations in Manchester city centre – Manchester Piccadilly, Manchester Victoria, Manchester Oxford Road and Manchester Deansgate. Each station can take you to towns and cities across the country.
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, Northern Rail or Omio.
Discounts for train travel:
- Use a Railcard which could save you up to 1/3 on your weekend trips and every day commuting
- Northern rail also offer an Education Season Ticket for students, which can save you 50% off an adult annual season pass.
Uber and taxis
In case you are ever limited for time and need to travel around Greater Manchester as quick as possible, you can always use Uber, Lyft, and local taxi firms around the city to get you where you need to go.
Further information
- Keep an eye on our Travel page for the latest travel updates around campus
- Check out the Transport for Greater Manchester website for more information about live departures, destinations and more.
- For sustainable travel tips, you can visit our website to find out how you can reduce the impact of your travel