Student Travel In London

Pross

My daughter is off to Uni in London in September (will be based on the old Olympic Park and hopefully in accommodation nearby). Other than accommodation and food one of the biggest costs is likely to be travel within London. Are there any student travel cards etc. covering London Transport that she can get or does anyone have any tips for making travel as cheap as possible? I'm guessing she'll want to head to the West End most weekends and make the most of her time there.

Pross

Should have done a bit of research first I guess as it looks like the 18+ student Oystercard is the best bet. I assume it can be loaded up with credit like a normal Oystercard (does anyone still use those in the age of contactless cards and daily caps?).

rick_chasey

So there’s this thing called a bicycle….

Joking aside it’s the fastest and cheapest way to get around.

monkimark

Possibly not if you're heading from Leicester square to Stratford at midnight after a few hours in the pub.
Bus is a lot cheaper than tube/train if you can find a suitable route.

Pross

rick_chasey said:

So there’s this thing called a bicycle….

Joking aside it’s the fastest and cheapest way to get around.

Yeah, unfortunately she isn't very confident on a bike (a few balance issues from her brain tumour) and would be very panicky in traffic.

monkimark

I think the student card just gets you a discount on travelcards, not pay as you go journeys.

sungod

Pross said:

Should have done a bit of research first I guess as it looks like the 18+ student Oystercard is the best bet. I assume it can be loaded up with credit like a normal Oystercard (does anyone still use those in the age of contactless cards and daily caps?).

yes, that's the one, works like a standard oyster card, but reduced fares (30% discount)

if she'll be using the train to get to/from london/other places, might also work out in her favour to get this too
https://www.16-25railcard.co.uk/

surrey_commuter

I would be very surprised if a student in Stratford spent much/any time in the West End. There might be a few iconic things to tick off but after that there will be far more fun to be had locally.

PMark

I live near there and it is probably one of the nicest areas to cycle in. It is possible to go to west or south london without ever travelling on a road and even when you do, there are a lot of proper segregated cycle lanes. Plus because the Olympic park is so big, will probably find a bike by far the quickest way to get to uni.

If balance is a big problem, could always look at a tricycle (have a family member who got a folding one after they couldn’t cope with a normal bike anymore).

monkimark

Very much this, it's a very long time since I was young or in London but we very rarely went out in the west end.
I'm definitely well out of date on the 'cool' parts of town but I'm sure Hackney/Shoreditch type areas have a lot more going on for an 18 year old and they are right next to Stratford.

surrey_commuter said:

I would be very surprised if a student in Stratford spent much/any time in the West End. There might be a few iconic things to tick off but after that there will be far more fun to be had locally.

Pross

surrey_commuter said:

I would be very surprised if a student in Stratford spent much/any time in the West End. There might be a few iconic things to tick off but after that there will be far more fun to be had locally.

Cheers, hopefully that will be the case but she's doing Musical Theatre so will probably want to hang around there a bit and may even look for part-time work there. I know when my sister lived in London the novelty of the West End died off quite quickly though.

Pross

sungod said:

Pross said:

Should have done a bit of research first I guess as it looks like the 18+ student Oystercard is the best bet. I assume it can be loaded up with credit like a normal Oystercard (does anyone still use those in the age of contactless cards and daily caps?).

yes, that's the one, works like a standard oyster card, but reduced fares (30% discount)

if she'll be using the train to get to/from london/other places, might also work out in her favour to get this too
https://www.16-25railcard.co.uk/

Thanks, we've got her sorted with a railcard ready to go. Will sort out an Oystercard too. Just got to book her accommodation now, there's no halls so it's going to be a Unite place - will be very convenient for the Uni and the big shopping centre (free shuttle) but is more per month than my mortgage!

Dorset_Boy

As Monkimark says, even when living in halls between the Barbican abd the angel, we rarely went to the west end. Focus of entertainment was on the Students' Union.

Is she going to uni of east London?

ddraver

Pross said:

but is more per month than my mortgage!

Welcome to Gen - Z

Ben6899

Lots of cool bars in Hackney Wick. A stone’s throw from the Olympic Park!

I’m interested to know @PMark ’s road-free route west - not a challenge, but I thought I had my new commute sussed and there’s still a good share of road!

N0bodyOfTheGoat

Sounds like some money needs to be saved on 50% Strava student discount.