Student Transport Survey Highlights Growing Cost Pressures

Students across the College have continued to raise concerns about the cost of living throughout this academic year, with transport costs emerging as one of the biggest challenges impacting student life.

To better understand these issues, CitySA launched a Student Transport Survey to gather feedback on how students travel to college, the impact transport costs are having on their studies, and what changes students want to see.

A total of 134 students responded to the survey, highlighting the significant pressures many students are currently facing.

Key Findings

The survey found that:

• 74% of students spend up to £100 per month on travel
• Buses (31%) and trains (35%) are the most commonly used forms of transport
• 71% of students travel between 30 and 90 minutes to get to college
• 22% of students said they have considered leaving their course due to travel costs, with a further 22% responding “maybe”
• 42% of respondents said they have had to change how they travel to college because of rising costs

Students also reported wider impacts on their daily lives, with many saying they have had to cut back on:

• Food
• Socialising
• Self-care and wellbeing spending

While just over half of respondents said they had not missed classes because of travel costs, 41% said they had considered missing classes because they could not afford transport.

What Students Want to See

Students strongly supported measures aimed at making transport more affordable, including:

• Expanding free bus travel to all students regardless of age
• Introducing a Scotland-wide student rail discount, reducing train fares by 50%

Many respondents also raised ongoing frustrations around unreliable buses, lengthy travel times, limited routes, rising ticket prices, and disruption caused by roadworks across Glasgow.

What Happens Next?

CitySA will now use the survey findings to produce a more detailed report over the summer. The results will help shape future campaigning and lobbying work aimed at improving transport access and affordability for students across Glasgow.

Thank you to everyone who took the time to share their experiences and feedback, and keep your eyes peeled for more ways to help us advocate for better travel for students!