Public Transport in Lancaster
There are a variety of ways for you to get around in Lancaster. From campus to town, or if you want to explore further out in the Lancashire area, there are lots of options for you to choose from – with plenty of prices, routes, times or transportation.
Here are some of our recommended ways to get around town!
Travel by Taxi
By call: In Lancaster you can grab a taxi easily by calling them up from anywhere.
There are two main companies you can use:
848 Taxis - 01524-848848
32090 Taxis - 01524-32090
When you call, tell them where you want to be picked up from and where you want to go. It’s also a good idea to tell them if you’ll be paying by card as some taxis don’t have a card machine.
Taxi ranks: There are a few spots in town you can get a taxi from if you don’t want to make a call.
The bus stop, plus Common Garden Street are both common Taxi pick up spots, as well as the train station. These are convenient if you’re around any of these locations and need a taxi quick.
On campus, there is a taxi rank situated outside the Chaplaincy Centre on North Campus, and one by Lonsdale College bus stop on South Campus.
In-store service: If the phone lines are busy or you don’t want to wait around for a Taxi to show up at a taxi rank, you can usually walk in to a taxi operator’s actual location to wait for one.
848 Taxis – 3 Mary St, LA1 1UW.
32030-35666 Taxis – 9 Church St, LA1 1LP.
Travel by Bus
Stagecoach Buses - The main Bus station is located at LA1 1HH, close to Sainsbury’s. It’s for all lines, starting from Lancaster and reaching out to destinations all around the Lancashire area.
For students, there are a few buses you would use daily from campus to town.
1A: The fastest bus directly from campus (Underpass) to City Centre (Common Garden Street) and back.
100: More stops covered including Hala square, Bowerham Hotel area, Graduate College, and Cartmel College for those students living on campus. The 100 goes all the way to Morecambe bus station if you ever fancy a trip to the seaside!
41/40: The 41 goes all the way from Morecambe Bus Station to Preston Bus Station, through Lancaster and the university. If you want to use one of these buses to get into town (Lancaster City Centre) from the Underpass, make sure it’s one that says ‘Morecambe’ and not ‘Preston.’
42: The 42 goes through Lancaster, to Garstang, and then Blackpool, plus the other way around. So, if you’re looking for a trip to see the illuminations, this is your one-way ticket there.
You can buy bus tickets from the driver, or you can get pre-paid e-tickets on the Stagecoach app. You can also use the app to track buses and timetables.
Short-term Student Ticket Prices
A Single trip ticket = £2 (after 7pm the price is £1)
Return ticket = £3.40
Dayrider = £5.70 (This gives you unlimited travel through Lancaster for the day.)
Weekly pass = £21
Long-term Student Ticket Prices
Lancaster Fresher’s Week UniRider = 9 days’ worth of travel for £16
Lancaster Term 1 UniRider from 29/9/24-14/12/24 = £145
Lancaster UniRider Summer Recess 30/6/24-29/9/24 = £165
Lancaster Term1-2-3 UniRider from 29/9/24-28/6/25 = £360
Travel by Train
Lancaster Railway Station is a quick 5-minute walk from the city centre, with trains travelling all across the UK.
Plan Your Trip
You can plan trips using different apps such as Trainline. All you have to do is input your starting station (Lancaster) and then your destination, plus the date you want to travel. You can find the cheapest ticket options available to you, and store them digitally on the app.
Buying Tickets
You can buy tickets at the train station in person, from the trainline app/ other apps, or from any train provider website: Northern Rail, National Rail, Avanti West Coast etc.
You can also apply for refunds where needed.
Railcard
A 16-25 Railcard could get you a 1/3 discount off on your ticket price! You can buy a 1-year railcard for £30 or a 3-year railcard for £70.
Travel by Coach
Coach more your style? You can travel from Lancaster to other cities in the UK using coach services, saving you money on what might be expensive trains. You can find any coach routes and timetables, plus ticket information on the National Express or Flixbus websites.
Fancy exploring further afield? Check out some of the best places for day trips from Lancaster here!
Written by Yueyi Wang
INTERNATIONAL PHD STUDENT