Travel

This page contains useful information to help you travel to and from the main University of Essex campus.

The main University of Essex campus can be found at Wivenhoe Park on the outskirts of Colchester, Essex.

Colchester is situated within easy reach of London by road and rail. Stansted airport and the ferry port at Harwich provide good links to Europe and the rest of the world.

First Buses

Essex students pay less for bus travel!
The Students' Union has been successful in negogiating a massive discount for students using the bus in the Colchester area.

The discount relates specifically to the year-long ‘Unicard’ which provides unlimited bus travel in the Colchester area. This card was previously on sale at a cost of £370 for the year, but the Students’ Union has now secured a deal that will see the Unicard available to University of Essex students for just £99, representing an incredible saving of £271!

The Unicard provides a full year’s worth of unlimited travel in the new ‘zone 1’ area, which essentially covers the immediate Colchester area, stretching from Tollgate Sainsbury’s on the west side of the town to Wivenhoe on the east side.

You can view a map of the Zone 1 area here: Unicard zones and fares

Buying your Unicard
The Unicard is available to purchase from the Post Office on Square 4. There will also be a special First Buses stall selling the ticket from outside the Post Office during Freshers Week and at Freshers Fair on Saturday October 6th.

The Unicard represents a great deal for students - so make sure you don't miss out!

Bus timetables
You can download the local bus route timetable by clicking on the links below:

University to Town timetable
Town to University timetable

The main University bus stop is at the Valley Road junction, near Square One.  As services can, at times, be irregular and not always direct to the campus, 30 minutes should be allowed when travelling from the town centre to the University, and 45 minutes when travelling from the rail station to the University.

Stansted (London's third international airport) is just 45 minutes away by road via the A120 and A12. Coach and bus services run between Stansted and Colchester every hour during the day. There is also a regular bus service from Stansted Airport to the Colchester campus.

Download University to Stansted Airport timetable
Download Stansted Airport to University timetable

The Safety Bus

The Students' Union operates an hourly minibus service every night during term time.  For just £1 you will be dropped off as near to your front door as possible.  You can catch the safetybus outside SubZero ( under 'the Podia').  Tickets purchased from drivers or the SU reception.

Train Stations

Trains run between London (Liverpool Street) and Colchester Station at approximately half-hourly intervals. The journey takes an hour. Services also connect with Colchester from Norwich, Ipswich, Felixstowe, Harwich and Clacton/Walton.