GLASGOW

• Bike

Where can I buy a bike?

You can find excellent deals on brand new or second-hand bikes online on Gumtree With Gumtree, you can pay only on collection and in cash. So do not feel the need to advance any money to any seller even if they demand this. There are also a few local shops that sell bikes at good value perhaps even with student discounts, such as Bike for Good and GW Cycles.

Where can I hire a bike?

If you are at Strathclyde University, you can enrol on the Glasgow OVO Bikes scheme for just £20 a year for which you can enjoy up to 60 minutes on the standard bikes for any journeys between any of the 100+ stations across the city. To redeem this special discount, simply sign-up to OVO Bikes with your University email address and complete the registration process here. Once your account is verified, you can access the Strathclyde partner offer.

For anyone not at Strathclyde, you can still hire Glasgow OVO Bikes here.

Bike hire schemes available to the general public include: Brompton Hire and Gear Bikes.

• Bus

Young Persons’ Travel Scheme: Anyone under the age of 21 can apply for a YPTS card which entitles you to FREE travel on all bus services in Scotland. To qualify, you must meet the age requirement and be resident in Scotland for majority of the year (at least 6 months). You can apply here.

There are two main bus operators in Glasgow: First Bus and McGills which run independent of each other. Plan your weekly journeys and decide which of the two services suit you best. When you have done that, you can then purchase student discounted tickets from either operator according to the length of time you will be spending in the city. Here is a price comparison:

FirstBus Student Saver

McGills Student Saver

• Subway

We recommend you apply for a FREE Subway Smartcard which you can use whenever you feel like taking the Subway. As mentioned, it is free and you are not required to load it with any funds except for when you use the Subway.

Free Smartcard

• Taxi

Uber – Click Here

Glasgow Taxis – Click Here 

GlasGO Cabs – Click Here

• Train

Can I get Student Discounts on Rail Travel?

Access to the rest of Scotland and the wider UK is served by an extensive rail network linked to two main stations within the city: Glasgow Central and Glasgow Queen Street. They are both located in the heart of the city centre of Glasgow about a mile from each other. Which one you use depends entirely on the service that leaves or arrives at either station. We highly recommend you apply for the 16-25 Railcard which saves you 1/3^rd off the price of any rail ticket. If you are older than 25, do not worry. You can apply as a mature student. It costs only £30 for the whole year and is renewable if you are staying beyond a year. You can apply here.

Where can I buy train tickets?

Once you have got your Railcard, we recommend you use the Trainline ticketing platform to buy your ticket. You can download the app here and not only get tickets but also check timetables and updates.

REMEMBER!!! Before checking-out, make sure you include yourRailcard in order for your 1/3^rd discount to be applied. Also remember to carry your Railcard with you (whether physical or digital) as it will be checked on the train by the train conductor.