Everything You Need To Know About Buses

Last year when I was in my first year, I found it really tricky to figure out the best routes from the University to the key places you’d want to go to e.g. Coventry and Leamington Spa. There are so many buses, different prices, various routes – so I’m making this blog post for all of you freshers to make bus life a bit easier for you!

The two types of buses : National Express and Stagecoach.

The National Express buses are the ones that are entirely blue and say National Express on them.

The Stagecoach buses are a blue/red/white colour scheme and say Stagecoach on them.

All buses can be accessed at the Uni Of Warwick Bus Interchange (next to the Arts Centre, opposite Costa and the SU).

National Express Prices :

Single – £2

Return – £4 (known as a daysaver, so you can use the ticket multiple times in the day on any National Express bus)

Group Daysaver – £8 all day or £5 from 6pm (5 people)

On National Express buses, you just put your change in the money slot when you get on the bus and the driver will print out your ticket. You DO need exact change for National Express buses though – the bus drivers can’t give you change!

Stagecoach Prices :

Single (Uni to Leamington Spa) – £2.30

Return (Uni to Leamigton Spa) – £3.50

Single (Leamington Spa to Uni) – £2.75

Return (Leamington Spa to Uni) – £3.65

On Stagecoach, just state to the bus driver where you want to go and which ticket (single to Leamington Spa) and they’ll let you know the price, you give your cash and they’ll print your ticket. Prices do vary on different days, so I’d recommend making sure you have enough cash just in case because they’re not set prices like National Express. You DON’T need exact change for Stagecoach buses though – the bus drivers can give you change!

To go to Leamington Spa :

I’d recommend getting a Stagecoach Bus, as they’re more regular and faster.

– On weekdays, you can get the U1 bus which goes via the A46 (motorway) so it’s roughly a 15-20 minute journey to Leamington, depending on traffic and peak times.

– Regardless of whether the bus says ‘Syndenham’ or ‘Leamington Spa’ on the front, it’ll stop in Leamington Spa throughout the highstreet so there’s no need to check with the driver if it will stop in Leamington.

– Best places to get off the bus it at the top of the parade (highstreet) where McDonalds is, to explore the highstreet in general and to go to Smack. Otherwise you can get off at the stop after this, which is in the middle of the parade and is by Wagamama. Or the other best place to get off at is at Parish Church, which is at the end of the parade and is next to Neon and a 5 minute walk from Leamington Spa station.

– You can get the U1 at night time if you want to bus it to Smack and Neon etc. It is labelled as the NU1 and you can check the timetable for the last bus from Uni/Leamington on the Stagecoach website!

– On Saturdays, there is U2 buses (only, or alongside U1’s) which still go to Leamington, but instead of going via the A46 motorway it goes through Kenilworth, so it takes a bit longer. On Sundays, the same thing happens but the bus is labelled as U17 (goes to Leamington but via Kenilworth).

– To get buses to Leamington, you would stand at the Uni Bus Interchange on the side that is directly next to the Arts Centre.

To go to Coventry :

I’d recommend getting a National Express bus as certain ones are faster and they’re cheaper.

– Every day, you can get an 11, 11U or 12X to Coventry.

– Ideally, the 12X is the best one to get because it travels via Coventry Station and is a quicker route, so it takes roughly 10-15 minutes to get to Coventry Station.

– The 11 and 11U go through Earlsdon and so take a bit longer, so it takes roughly 30 minutes to get to Coventry Station via them.

– To go to Coventry City Centre, you would get off the bus a few stops after the Station (I normally look at the maps on my phone to see when we’re at the City Centre).

– If you want to go to Kasbah, you have to get an 11 or 11U because there won’t be any 12X buses running late at night. You would get off at Pool Meadow Bus Station (normally the last stop) and walk 5-10 minutes to Kasbah – but with Kasbah, it normally works out the same price if you take a cab with other people!

– To get buses to Coventry, you would stand at the Uni Bus Interchange on the side that is furthest from the Arts Centre and is next to the taxi rank.

Stagecoach also offers buses to Coventry and National Express offers buses to Leamington Spa, but in regards to travelling to either town from the Uni, its easiest to follow the routes that I’ve listed above. I hope I have covered everything essential, if I have forgotten anything or if anyone has other bus questions, please leave them below in the comments. Or feel free to email me at A.Sarai@warwick.ac.uk if you’d like to get a direct response! Definitely use the Stagecoach and National Express websites to have a look at timetables, bus routes, ticket prices etc because it will be a big help. I hope you all found this blog post helpful though!

xoxo