Bus travel
Young Scot Card
For those under 22, you are entitled to free bus travel in Scotland with a YoungScot card. This means you can commute to University and get around Scotland by bus for free!
If you have specific disabilities, you are also entitled to free bus travel in Scotland.
Children: Children under the age of 5 years travel in Scotland for free, they don’t need a card. Young people aged 5-21 can get a Young Scot Card and travel by bus in Scotland for free. 5-15 year olds will need a parent/guardian/carer to apply on the child’s behalf, and will need a new/replacement card before they can travel. Young people aged 16-21 can apply themselves; if they have an active card already, they can download the Transport Scot Pass Collect app so they won’t need to apply for a new card to access free bus travel
Stagecoach and Moffat & Williamson Buses
Stagecoach is the main bus service for St Andrews, and between St Andrews and Guardbridge, Leuchars, and Dundee. Stagecoach also operate in Fife and Angus more widely. Present your student ID card to the driver when you buy and use your tickets.
From November 2022, those with an @st-andrews.ac.uk email address can access discounted travel via Stagecoach. This does not apply to under 22s or over 60s as they are already eligible for free bus travel via the NEC scheme. This pilot has continued into AY 2023/24.
The discount will get you 75% off the price of weekly, monthly, and flexible tickets, across St Andrews, North East Fife, and East Scotland.
To access this discount, follow these steps:
- Go to the Stagecoach web page, scroll down the page and click the green 'Get the Stagecoach Bus App' button.
- If you are visiting the page on a laptop or desktop, a pop-up window will appear showing a QR code which you should then scan with your smartphone. The app will open on your phone and display a message taking you to the University scheme.
- If you are using your smartphone, the app will automatically open and display a message taking you to the University discount scheme.
- Create an account or login using your University email address ending in @st-andrews.ac.uk.
- Once verified, the discounted range of tickets for the Stagecoach and the Moffat & Williamson bus services will be available on the app.
- Choose and purchase a bus ticket using a credit or debit card, Apple Pay or Google Pay.
- Activate your ticket on your smartphone and show it to the driver when boarding the bus.
If you have any problems with the Stagecoach app, reach out to the IT Service Desk who will be able to help you with technical issues you may be having.
Night Bus
St Andrews
There is a free night bus, every night during term time (excluding the February vacation) from 22:00-02:30, just show your matriculation card.
Dundee
Details of the latest timetable for the free night bus from St Andrews to Dundee can be found at the bottom of the page. Just show your matriculation card to the driver.
Xplore Dundee
Buses within Dundee are mainly covered by Xplore Dundee. These buses cover from Ninewells Hospital to Broughty Ferry, and many areas in between. If you live in Dundee and want to get around, you can download the app and purchase tickets (you’ll need to verify your student ID which can take a few days!). Xplore Dundee have various StudentSaver tickets from a week up to a semester – weekly tickets cost £12.30 in the app, and you can make as many journeys as you want in a 7 day window for that fixed price. Find out more
For non-student adults, there are different options for bus tickets in Dundee, depending on your needs.
Train travel
Railcards
Check if your bank offers you one with your student account first of all! If not, you can get your hands on a railcard which gives you money off tickets. Which railcard you can get depends on your age and your needs, but here’s a few options below:
- 16-25 Railcard can be bought online. It costs £30 for a 1-year card, or £70 for a 3-year railcard. This railcard saves you 1/3 on your tickets, so that initial £30 or £70 will soon pay for itself if you use trains often!
- 26-30 Railcard can be bought online. It costs £30 for a 1-year card, and saves you 1/3 on your tickets.
- Family & Friends Railcard can be bought online. It costs £30 for a 1-year card, or £70 for a 3-year card. Adults get 1/3 of travel and 60% for children (applies to up to 4 adults travelling together with up to 4 children). This applies to children aged 5-15 years of age.
- Disabled Persons Railcard can be bought online. A 1-year card costs £20 and a 3-year card costs £54. You can save 1/3 on your tickets for you and an adult travelling you. Check the criteria to see if you’re eligible and what proof you will need to provide.
Booking journeys
There are a few other things you can do to potentially reduce the cost of train travel.
If you’re aged 16-18 and have a Young Scot card, you can get a discount on Scotrail train tickets, including 1/3 off most rail fares and 50% off weekly and monthly tickets.
Generally speaking, you will get better deals if you book earlier. You can get Advance Tickets 6 weeks+ in advance which are specially priced. Advance Tickets are restricted however to the day and train specified, so if you need more flexibility, you are probably best to avoid Advance Tickets.
Off-Peak tickets are usually cheaper and are for trains that are likely to be less busy. For example, weekends are Off-Peak all day. These tickets are restricted to certain times and/or routes, so check that this will work for you.
You can use National Rail’s Cheap Fare Finder to find the best deals on tickets too.
It’s possible that splitting your journey may save you some money, for example if you wanted to travel from Leuchars to Edinburgh, you might buy multiple tickets such as Leuchars to Kirkcaldy, Kirkcaldy to Inverkeithing, Inverkeithing to Edinburgh. This would be all the same train journey, you stay on the train, but splitting the journey may save you some money. This tends to work better for longer journeys e.g. Edinburgh to London, but not always.
Trainline does this with their SplitSave feature, but you could also do this yourself when booking through a provider (e.g. Scotrail or LNER).
Generally, it’s best to book tickets through the train provider (LNER, Scotrail, CrossCountry etc) or National Rail, rather than sites like Trainline, because if there are any problems with your train such as delays, you are more likely to be kept informed.
Travelling around Scotland and the UK
If you don’t want to travel by train, there are some coach/bus options which may be cheaper (although they will likely take longer to get from A to B!)
Ember
Ember is a relatively new coach service which is 100% electric. Currently, it operates between Dundee and Edinburgh, and Dundee and Glasgow.
Tickets from Dundee-Edinburgh are £16 for a return for over 21s, and tickets from Dundee-Glasgow are £18.80 for a return. You can return on a different day too for the same price! The ticket cost is stable no matter whether you book 6 weeks or 6 minutes in advance.
If you are under 22 and have a YoungScot card, book your ticket online and scan your card when you get on the bus!
Accessibility: There is lift access via the central doors. You can book wheelchair spaces when booking your ticket, or buy a ticket on board (unless it’s a pre-book only stop). There is currently only space for one wheelchair on these coaches. If preferred, wheelchair users can sit in a bus seat and put their wheelchair in the hold (you don’t need to book a wheelchair space in advance in this instance).
Children: Children under 5 travel for free. Young people aged 5-18 who don’t have a bus pass are eligible for a child’s ticket. Young Scot cards apply here, so young people under 22 years of age travel for free.
Megabus
Megabus is a coach service, the nearest stop is Dundee, and you can get all round the UK using the Megabus. Ticket prices vary depending on when you book, the time you wish to travel, and the stops.
Stops include: Dundee, Glasgow, Edinburgh, York, Birmingham, London, and many others.
If you are travelling in Scotland and have a Young Scot card, you are entitled to discounted travel within Scotland on Megabus.
Accessibility: Megabus recommends that wheelchair users contact them before ticket purchase to book wheelchair space. All coaches are wheelchair accessible.
Children: There are child fares available for children under 15 years.
Flixbus
Flixbus is a coach service with stops across the UK and Europe. In Scotland, it stops at Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Perth, and Stirling. There are also other stops throughout England and Wales. You can also travel to and within Europe with Flixbus. Prices vary depending on destination.
Accessibility: Assistance dogs travel for free (with the relevant documentation), contact customer services minimum of 36hrs before departure. Folding wheelchairs or mobility aids are free to transport and will be held in the luggage compartment. It is best to prebook this in advance to check wheelchair space is still available, at least 36hrs prior.
Children: Children are described as 14 and under (15 and over are classed as adults). Children’s fares are discounted but not free. Foldable pushchairs can be transported, though you will need to contact Flixbus 48hrs before departure. Children under 3 years old must be seating in a child seat with a 2-point seat belt, and parents must bring this along with a seatbelt adaptor.
International Travel
Finding affordable plane tickets can be a challenge, but how and when you search from them does make a difference.
First off, try searching in a private browser window, or clear your web-browser's cookies before you look for flights. Searching for flights midweek (as opposed to on weekends) can sometimes also yield cheaper results.
Try using tools like Google Flights, which compare different airlines' options for the route you're planning to fly. You can use the search results to go directly to the airline's website to make sure you're getting their cheapest deal.
Be careful buying tickets from third-party websites, like Bookings.com or Kayak, as these sites have very restrictive policies regarding changes and cancelations, which may make it difficult for you to get support from an airline if you needed it!