Supporting Universities during the ‘student travel window’

‘Coaching home for Christmas’
UK wide solutions for the Student Travel Window
We are already supporting Universities across the UK to get their students to and from their chosen destinations. Whether this is getting home for Christmas, or returning to campus after the festive period, we have the university transport for you!
Bespoke UK wide routes
Whether you need a simple A-B route or a journey with multiple pick up and drop off locations.
Campus to home shuttle services
Reliable and on-time shuttle solutions to make sure everyone can get home safely this festive period.
UK wide scheduled services
We are increasing our scheduled network services to help your students to make their way home.
Airport transfers and onward travel
Support for international students looking to fly back home or for those returning from overseas.
Great savings to be made for students on-board network services!
If you have a discount code, NUS card or more, you can make incredible savings on your coach ticket!
Can't find a service that stops at or near your university/halls of residence?
Don’t panic! Did you know you can request a route? Just say where you are travelling from and too, wait for the coach to fill up then go!
With the second lockdown due to end next month, the 3rd – 9th of December will become the ‘student travel window’, where around one million students will look to travel home for Christmas. This one week ‘evacuation-style operation’ leaves little room for error, with Universities looking to focus on providing their students with a UK wide, covid compliant and efficient travel solution.
There are many questions being asked by University leaders, with the main one being: how can we make this happen?!
This is a mass transport operation which requires careful planning, an understanding of covid compliant travel and logistics. There is a lot being asked of University leaders, Student Union representatives and the students themselves, so we are here to support and take away the worry.
We are the experts in providing safe, secure and efficient transport solutions across the UK. Whether you need to organised student transport for a single University class, an entire Campus or over 10,000 students – we can support you with:
- Bespoke routes to meet Universities requirements whether that requires single destination or multiples pickups and stop-offs
- Shuttle services to your chosen destinations running to your timetable to ensure all your students get home safely
- Airport transfers and onward travel for oversea students or those returning to the UK
- We are increasing our National Express network scheduled services to help students who wish to make their own way home
- We can provide on-site management to coordinate the ‘student exodus’ and large group transportation
- Our 24/7 support and contingency planning also gives you complete peace of mind

We're clean!
Enhanced daily cleaning regimes that includes disinfecting all customer touchpoints and air filtration systems.

We like our space
We have new on-board social distancing capacities and controlled boarding procedures to keep everyone safe.

We check tempartures
All drivers are temperature checked prior to starting their shift and passengers are checked prior to boarding.

We are safe
We are one of the safest transport providers within the UK with National Express being named the safest in 2019!

We use cool tech
We have invested in state of the art technology that includes real-time vehicle tracking and contact tracing capabilities
The safety and well-being of your students and our drivers is our top priority and our team of experts are working hard to support you in effectively managing the safe return of your students for Christmas. With this in mind, we have invested in technology the provides you with that extra layer of security and to fully manage large group travel solutions.
Real-time vehicle tracking
The ability to track vehicles and confirm pick up times can help reduce crowds of passengers forming at stops reducing unnecessary contact and helping students to adhere to social distancing measures. This tracking is not only great for the passenger, but for coordinators, who are able to see when their students are arriving at their destination, helping to plan out days more effectively.
Online booking
Online booking capabilities help universities and students to plan ahead. Booking your student’s seat on-board or allowing them to book their own space minimises the risk of unnecessary contact when boarding as there is no need to pay on-board with card or cash.
MI reporting
Universities can keep track of vehicle utilisation and passenger numbers via the management reporting feature; giving you an understand how many passengers are carried on each route plus what stops are used most can help you work with operators to develop a more viable and effective service.
Passenger monitoring
The online booking process allows us to provide you with reports on passenger numbers and helps to ensure that your service is being effectively utilised. This tool will also help us to check that passenger numbers do not surpass a vehicles maximum capacity, ensuring social distancing guidelines are adhered to.
We think we are pretty good, but don’t just take our word for it!
‘I am writing to say thank you to you and your Team for the great help and support you have given us over the past two months, as we made arrangements to receive and welcome international students arriving via Manchester Airport. It has been a great pleasure working with such a professional and enthusiastic Team.
Without your hard work, students would not have had such a positive experience on their arrival, first in Manchester and then onwards to Bristol.’
Arrivals Support Coordinator, University of Bristol

Just some of our experience
Ready to start ‘coaching home for Christmas’?
Use the Corporate Enquiry form below to get in touch!
Not quite ready to book?
No worries! We are ready when you are. Click here to let us know when you might be thinking of booking one of our services so we can get in touch with you nearer the time – no strings attached!