Student bus travel guide

Get uni-ready with National Express Coventry

It can be a daunting prospect, starting a university course with new people and places, possibly in a completely new city!

And while we can’t make studying any easier, we can help you get around Coventry and the West Midlands for less and make your student experience more enjoyable.

Check out these simple hacks and tips below and start saving and exploring today.

1 - Get your bus pass

First thing’s first, if you’re travelling regularly, you’re going to need a bus pass. Luckily, this is really easy. Simply, choose the right pass for your needs, buy or subscribe online and receive your shiny new pass in the post or straight to your phone.

You can buy a Student bus pass for easy, daily travel. Available for 4 weeks, a monthly subscription or by term.

The choice is yours.

2 - mTickets & contactless payments

Back in the day, people used to scramble for change behind the sofa to pay for bus tickets. Luckily, some clever people came along and put a stop to that with mTickets.

mTickets are online bus tickets you can use on your phone with our mTicket app. Simply download the app, purchase your ticket in seconds for any of our bus services and show the driver the activated screen as you get onboard.

If you’re unable to do this, however, you can always pay for your ticket from the driver using contactless card payments.

3 - Tap and cap

This is our way of giving our customers a fair price for frequent travel. Tap and cap allows you to make as many bus journeys as you like using the same contactless card or device and have your fare capped so you don't pay more than you should.

You can find out about tap and cap at our contactless webpage, for cap prices, how it works and more!

4 - Plan your journey online

If you’re new to Coventry or university means going to areas of the West Mids you’re unfamiliar with, don’t worry. Our online journey planner can help you find the best bus route to get you from A to B (and back again!)

Go to our Plan your journey page and enter where you need to get to and from and it’ll do the rest. Or you can also use our timetable finder and discover all our different services in your local area and beyond.

5 - What to bring onboard

Now that you’re travelling, it’s time for a couple of tips on what to bring with you.

Firstly, it is still National Express Coventry policy to wear a face covering onboard our buses, so please have one handy to keep yourself and others safe while travelling.

If you’re planning on listening to some music or the latest true crime podcast, headphones are going to make you everybody’s friend. Worried about your battery? No problem, many of our buses are equipped with USB charger sockets, so keep a cable handy too.

Don’t forget to bring a bottle of water too, hydration is key if you want to learn something. (Sorry, starting to sound like your Auntie now).

6 - Libraries in Coventry - how to get there

Coventry’s Central Library is a huge learning and studying space that’s perfect for students across the city. Conveniently located at just off Corporation St, shadowed by plenty of shops, restaurants and more, there are a host of travel options by bus.

Further afield in Hillfields and Coundon you can also travel to their main libraries by bus, with plenty of facilities to keep you on track with your studies.

You can reach Central Library, West Orchards Shopping Centre and more on the following services:

• 1
• 2
• 6 & 6A
• 9 &9A
• 14 & 14A
• 18 & 18A

You can reach Hillfields Library on the following services:

• 17 & 17A

You can also reach Coundon Library on the following services:

• 5 & 5A
• 58A

7 - Shopping on a budget

Every student finds they need to shop on a budget to make ends meet. You can do this pretty easily by visiting local markets, shopping at cost-effective supermarkets or general bargain hunting.

Our city centre services will bring you to student favourites, Wilko and Home Bargains. So now you can avoid spending your precious pennies on overpriced essentials! Stock up on everything from loo roll to laundry powder and save more for enjoying yourself.

However you choose to spend your time at university we hope these tips give you a good starting point. Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for our latest updates and more travel ideas and things to do.