Free bus service from Manchester Victoria: trial extended to 27 July

07 Jul 2025

An exciting update on our commitment to sustainable, fair, and affordable travel for our university community.

Back in February, as part of our announcement of a new sustainable travel plan, we asked if a free bus from Manchester Victoria Station would be useful - alongside the existing free service from Manchester Piccadilly. Your response was overwhelmingly positive, and we’ve been working closely with Transport for Greater Manchester to make it happen.

A trial of the free service ran from 6th May to 30th June, and following strong uptake and continued interest, we’re pleased to announce the trial has now been extended until 27th July.

Staff can now continue to enjoy free travel on the 41 bus from Manchester Victoria (Stop NU). Just show your University staff pass to the driver and ride straight to campus for free.

Available during Bus 41 operating hours, Monday to Friday
Easy access from Manchester Victoria Railway Station to campus (and return)
Completely free - just show your university ID

We’ll be closely monitoring usage, to help inform conversations about the trial extension and possible future agreements. So, hop on board, give it a try, and help shape the future of sustainable travel at our university.

Our active travel offers

Our active travel trial offers, including free Starling Bank Bike minutes, train, and tram travel, will be coming to an end in July, so this is your last chance to apply! We’re offering 100 free minutes on the Starling Bank Bikes (the yellow hire bikes) for all staff, and for regular staff car park users, free one-month trials of unlimited train travel within a 90-mile radius of campus, and free unlimited tram travel across Greater Manchester. For more details of these offers contact es@manchester.ac.uk.

Further information

For further information on sustainable travel, including facilities and incentives for cyclists, wheelers, walkers, and runners – go to our staff travel page.