University of Bath Buses
Many university students are advised to leave their cars behind when studying away from home and that makes it all the more important to wrap your head around the bus routes before you set off. Even if you’re taking your car with you, between long nights of partying or a break down here and there, it can’t hurt to know how to make your way around Bath. Whilst we know you don’t want your student loan to go to your bus fare (yawn) we can help you lessen that burden with the best deals and cheapest offers.
Unibus
First Bus offers Unibus services throughout Bath and in neighbouring cities, such as Bristol. The Unibus runs between the city of Bath and the university campus. These services are designed to help students and staff out with the most convenient stops available.
The current Unibus services are: U1, Service 20a and Service 20c. The U2 route was divided into 20a and 20c, though these follow the same stops, so if this is your regular route you can still get where you’re headed. Currently, the U3 route has been paused by First Bus, due to low numbers of passengers using this particular service. This is implemented from October 18th, 2020, and the service will resume should the potential numbers increase.
U1
The U1 route stops at Green Park, Corn Street, Dorchester Street, Grand Parade, The Pavilion, Bathwick Hill. If you’re a little less familiar with Bath, it may help to think of the route as the University of Bath, Bathwick Hill and then the City Centre. Another handy piece of information is that an ideal stop for the train station is Dorchester Street.
The route described above runs from 7:00am until 7:00pm during term time, with a bus arriving every five minutes or so. After 7:00pm, the route extends to Oldfield Park, with a bus approximately every 15 minutes. The additional stops from 7:00pm – 11:30pm are St James Cemetery, Lorne Road and Lower Oldfield Park.
U3
This route takes you between Oldfield Park and the University of Bath. At the moment, the route has been suspended because of low numbers of passengers using the service, though it will kick start once again should the demand increase. If you usually take this route or you think this route is the ideal one for you, then don’t fret, First Bus ensures that you will be able to use the U1 route to get to where you’re headed, though it will be from slightly different stops.
20a & 20c
These two routes cover the original U2 area. Catch a bus Monday to Friday at 30-minute intervals, or every 60 minutes on a Saturday. This route passes through Combe Down, Odd Down, Southdown, Twerton.
Campus Bus Stop
There is a Campus Bus Terminus for the University of Bath. This acts as the main stop for picking up or dropping off university students. The terminus itself is open for 24 hours, all week long.
If you need any help navigating the bus routes, then the University Transport Manager’s Office Hours are 8:00am until 6:30pm on Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays, or 2:30pm until 6:30 on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Here you can ask any necessary questions and find plenty of useful advice.
You can hop onboard any of the First Bus, Unibus services (U1, 20a, 20c) from the Campus Bus Terminus. The address, should you need it, is: Campus Bus Terminus, University of Bath, Claverton Down, Bath, BA2 7AY.
mTickets and the First Bus App
First Bus uses mTickets, tickets that you buy in advance and store on your phone. This service is great, especially if you buy a ticket to be used for more than a single trip – you don’t need to worry about keeping track of a paper ticket.
You simply buy the ticket in advance, show the driver as you board, and get to travelling. Another great perk of using the mTicket system, is that you can see the latest discounts and take advantage of the lowest available prices.
The easiest way to get your hands on an mTicket is to download the First Bus app on you phone.
Once you’re on the app, select the mTicket tab, then ‘Buy’. A choice should appear that lets you select ‘Student Travel’ in the Bath Zone for the University of Bath, where you can then choose to buy a ticket for an academic university year, a semester or a term.
If this isn’t what you’re looking for, you can also choose between a single trip, day trip, night (7:00pm until 7:00am), weekly or monthly ticket.
Once you have your ticket on your phone you simply need to show this to the driver, and you should be good to go.
The First Bus app has some other great features that are really handy for regular bus users and the bus novice alike. You can track a bus and its seat availability, which is incredibly useful to gauge how busy a bus will be, especially useful during COVID-19. You can also see if the wheelchair and pushchair spaces are still available. If you’re unfamiliar with a particular bus journey, you can use the ‘Plan a Route’ feature to make sure you’re headed to the right place.
Student & Staff Discounts
The standard student discount for the First Bus services for University of Bath Students and Staff is 30%.
In order to save the cash here, you need to show a valid ID when you purchase your First Bus Ticket, and on each journey that you use it.
Acceptable forms of ID are a Valid NUS card, University ID card or an International student ID card.
There are also specific savings you can find for different routes for opting to do simple things like buying your ticket in advance. The buy before you board system is promoted, often coming with a cheaper fare than purchasing your ticket from your driver, because it makes the bus journeys quicker and smoother for everyone.
U1 and selected First Bus routes
If you are looking for unlimited access to the U1 Unibus route, and 20 additional First Bus services in the Bath Zone, an mTicket is the cheapest option for staff and students at the University of Bath. For Term 2 (January 4th 2021 to March 26th 2021) it’ll cost you just £149, or for Term 3 (April 12th 2021 until May 28th 2021) £79.
If you need access only to the U1 Unibus service in the Bath Zone, it’ll cost you just £15.00 for an mTicket.
Bath Zone
Sometimes it’s nice to think outside of university when planning these bus tickets. If you are looking to buy a ticket with a longer-term commitment, buying a ticket that lets you explore all of Bath might be a good plan. You can hop on any First Bus that travels within Bath for no additional cost, including the U1 Unibus service. Prices for a Bath Zone ticket are as follow:
Day: to buy a ticket as you board, from the driver, it’ll cost you £3.20, or £3.10 if you purchase your ticket before boarding the bus. This gives you unlimited access to the First Bus services in the Bath Zone for one week.
Night: if you buy your ticket from the driver, a night ticket it £2.50, or £2.30 if you buy before you board. A night-time ticket gives you access to the Bath Zone First Bus routes from 7:00pm until 7:00am.
Week: a weekly ticket will give you unlimited travel for 7 consecutive days, costing you £14 to buy your ticket as you are boarding and £12.80 to buy before you board.
For the monthly and annual tickets, you have to buy before you board. For a month, it’ll cost you £49.20 and for the annual ticket it’ll cost you £485.
Getting into Bristol
If you’re studying at the University of Bath, the chances are you’ll want to catch a bus into Bristol at one point or another. It’s a great city, with plenty to see and do; so whether you’re popping in to spend a Saturday at the harbourside, or you’re doing a daily commute to Uni, knowing the Bristol bus routes is sure to come in handy.
If you buy a West of England Zone First Bus ticket, you can have unlimited travel between Salisbury, Glastonbury, Street, Wells, Weston-Super-Mare, Bath and Bristol.
The following prices are available to anyone who displays a valid University of Bath student or staff photo ID card. For ‘night’ tickets, just like in the Bath Zone, this is a 7:00pm – 7:00am ticket. Similarly, cheaper prices are those available if you buy before you board.
Day: £4.90 for a ticket from your driver, £4.60 if you buy before you board.
Night: £3.80 for a ticket from your driver, £3.70 if you buy before you board.
Week: £18.20 for a ticket from your driver, £16.95 if you buy before you board.
Month: £61.60 when you buy before you board.
Year: £647 when you buy before you board.
Have fun exploring Bath
We hope that you University of Bath students and staff can save some pennies and get exploring Bath by bus!
