Travel Around Manchester
Manchester has a superb public transport system and getting around town is really easy.
There are also loads of travel passes and special student rates, so you can keep your travel costs as cheap as possible and still go exploring! If you're in the city centre, sometimes just having a wander is the best way to find what you're looking for or stumble across somewhere new.
For travel around Manchester and across the city, you'll have a number of options, from trains and trams, to buses and bikes! Most now sit under the Bee Network, Greater Manchester's integrated transport system, which means one set of fares and one place to plan your journey.
We recommend you plan your journey and look for the cheapest options open to you. You can use Transport for Greater Manchester's (TfGM) journey planner or Citymapper. To see which services run to our campuses, take a look at our Locations page.
Bus and Tram
Bus
Manchester is well served by hundreds of (mostly yellow!) buses, which form part of the Bee Network. In fact, you'll often hear talk of the busiest bus routes in Europe! All bus services in Greater Manchester have now joined the Bee Network, so ticketing works the same way whichever bus you catch.
Travelling by bus is generally the cheapest option for getting around. A single Bee Bus hopper ticket costs £2 for adults and £1 for children and you can hop onto other Bee Network buses at no extra cost within 60 minutes. Day, 7-day, 28-day and annual tickets are available too, including versions for students and families.
In the city centre, you can take advantage of the free bus, two services that will ferry you around all the major destinations at no charge. They run every 10 minutes for most of the day and all are wheelchair accessible.
Tram
Manchester has long had a tram network and Metrolink is now the largest light rail network in the UK, running on eight lines to 99 stops across nearly 64 miles. Further new lines and possible 'tram-train' services are being considered for the years up to 2030.
It's ideal for travelling from Ashton-Under-Lyne, Droylsden and Bury to Altrincham, Eccles, Manchester Airport and East Didsbury. You'll find many season tickets and passes available to help reduce costs too, as well as a helpful 'park and ride' programme!
Paying for bus and tram
The easiest way to pay is with contactless tap and go. Simply use the same card, phone or smartwatch for each journey and your fare will be calculated automatically. On buses, you tap once when you board, while tram journeys require you to tap in as well as tap out as you exit the tram.
Daily and weekly fare caps ensure you won't pay more than a fixed amount, currently £9.50 per day or £41 per week for unlimited bus and tram travel. If you're aged 16 to 21, a free System One membership gives you access to discounted weekly, monthly and annual tickets.
Train
There are four main train stations in Manchester: Piccadilly, Victoria, Oxford Road and Deansgate. Each of them is part of the excellent commuter network in Greater Manchester, which makes it really easy to get to the centre from a number of local railway stations.
If you're planning on using the train, a 16-25 Railcard costs £35 and gets you up to a third off rail travel. Mature students can apply as well. Weekly, monthly or annual season passes are worth a look too, if you travel the same route regularly.
Cycling
Greater Manchester is encouraging everyone to get out on their bikes and cycle around the city, so you'll find a cycle-friendly town! Cycle hubs can be found around the whole region, connecting cyclists to other forms of public transport and providing storage for bikes in public areas.
You don't need your own bike, either. Starling Bikes, the Bee Network hire scheme, costs 50p to unlock plus 5p a minute on a pedal bike, or £1 and 10p a minute on an e-bike. Buying a bundle of minutes in advance brings the cost down further.
There’s a whole network of routes around the area, both on tarmac and off-road, including the leafy 'Fallowfield Loop'. You can even take advantage of free cycle training, with bikes and helmets provided. Courses run from riding for the very first time through to bike maintenance and using the hire bikes. Women-only sessions are also available.
Walking
Manchester's city centre is nice and compact, so often the best way to get around is simply to walk. It's also a great way to discover some quirky locations, incredible architecture and some amazing places.
Many areas of the centre are pedestrianised, and if you get tired, you could always hop on a bus, hail a black cab on the street, or book a ride through a taxi app. Around the area, you'll find plenty of serious walking and hiking routes too, if you like getting out into the countryside.
Further afield
If you need to travel around the country from Manchester, you won't have a problem. The rail network sits on the West Coast Main Line, putting London just over two hours away. Coast-to-coast services across the Pennines and over to Merseyside and Wales are frequent as well.
All major coach companies serve Manchester too, but if you want to travel even further, Manchester Airport is the third biggest in the UK, behind only Heathrow and Gatwick. It handled a record 32 million passengers in 2025 and has been through a £1.3bn transformation programme including a rebuilt Terminal 2.