Transport

Travelling by Public Bus

There are a number of public bus services which students can use to travel to and from College. The ticket or pass you need will depend on where you live, the bus service you use and whether your journey crosses a local transport boundary.

Greater Manchester Residents

Students aged 16–18 who live in Greater Manchester may be eligible for Our Pass, which provides free travel on buses within Greater Manchester.

Find out more and apply for Our Pass

If you are aged 18–21 and live in Greater Manchester, you can apply for the 18–21 Bee Network travel scheme. This currently allows eligible young people to purchase a 28-day Bee Bus ticket for £40.

Discounted travel for 18–21 year olds

Students at Winstanley College can also access Bee Network student tickets, including term-time and 28-day options. These can be useful for students who are not eligible for Our Pass or whose journey requires a different ticket.

Bee Network bus tickets and student passes

Travelling from Merseyside, St Helens, Southport or Ormskirk

Students travelling from outside Greater Manchester need to take particular care when choosing a travel pass, as some journeys cross transport boundaries and may require more than one ticket or pass.

For example, students travelling from Southport or Ormskirk may use the 375 or 385 towards Wigan, with some students changing around Orrell for the 352 towards College. The 375 runs through Southport, Ormskirk, Skelmersdale, Orrell and Wigan, while the 352 operates between St Helens, Billinge, Orrell and Wigan.

A Merseytravel Solo ticket provides bus travel within Merseyside regardless of the participating bus operator. However, it does not automatically cover the part of a journey outside Merseyside. If your journey continues into Greater Manchester or Lancashire, you may therefore need an additional ticket or pass for that part of your journey.

The current Young Person Solo Term Time ticket is £112.20 per term.

Merseytravel Solo tickets and current prices

Please check your complete journey before purchasing a pass. Depending on where you live and which services you use, you may require a combination of a Merseytravel Solo ticket and a Bee Network ticket.

Travelling from Warrington and surrounding areas

Students travelling from Warrington, Newton-le-Willows and surrounding areas should also check the operator and ticket requirements for their complete journey, particularly where they need to change buses or cross into Greater Manchester.

Services in and around Warrington and St Helens have changed as part of the wider bus network changes, so we recommend using a journey planner and checking the ticket accepted on each service before purchasing a longer-term pass. The 360 service, for example, currently operates between Warrington and Newton-le-Willows.

Where the Greater Manchester part of the journey is made on Bee Network services, students may be eligible for a Bee Bus or Bee AnyBus student/young person ticket.

Which pass do I need?

Public bus ticketing can vary depending on the student's home address and the combination of services used. A ticket that covers the first bus in your journey may not necessarily cover the whole journey to College.

Before purchasing a term or annual ticket, we strongly recommend checking:

• which bus service(s) you will use;
• which transport area(s) your journey passes through;
• whether your chosen ticket is valid for the whole journey; and
• whether you need a combination of tickets.

For current public bus timetables and live journey information, please use the relevant transport provider's website.

Bee Network bus timetables

Bee Network app and live travel information

Financial Support with Public Transport

Students who are eligible for the College Bursary can apply for help with the cost of travelling to College by public transport.

We recognise that students living outside Greater Manchester may now require more than one type of ticket or pass to complete their journey. Where appropriate, bursary support can therefore be considered against the combination of public transport tickets required for the student's normal journey to and from College, rather than being restricted to one particular operator's pass.

Students should identify the most appropriate and cost-effective ticket or combination of tickets for their journey when applying for transport support.

Orrell Railway Station is approximately a 12-minute walk from College, making rail travel a good option for students travelling from areas between Kirkby and Manchester.

Students may wish to explore:

• 16–17 Saver – 50% off rail fares 16-17 Saver | Half Price Travel | Railcards
• 16–25 Railcard – 1/3 off fares 16-25 Railcard | Only £35 | Railcards
• Northern Education Season Tickets – discounted travel for Year 12 and 13 students (applications usually close at the end of September) Education Season Tickets | Save 50% | Northern

Parking on site is limited and spaces cannot be guaranteed. Parking permits are currently available to Upper Sixth students only, at a cost of £100.

Students with a full driving licence can apply for access via the ANPR barrier system through Student Services. Spaces cannot be reserved while waiting to pass a driving test.

We also ask that:

• Parents avoid dropping off or collecting during peak times
• Students do not park on Winstanley Road out of consideration for local residents

There are designated motorcycle and moped parking spaces (spaces for mopeds are free of charge) at the top of the car park near the sports hall. For directions to College see Contact Us.

You are encouraged to cycle to College and cycle racks are available against the sports hall wall. For directions to College see Contact Us.

Cycle Safety

Some students are fortunate enough to live within proximity to the college. A brisk 10-minute daily walk has lots of health benefits and counts towards your recommended 150 minutes of weekly exercise.

Walking for Health

For students moving into Upper Sixth, renewing your private coach pass for September 2026 is essential. After May half term of your Lower Sixth year, we will contact your parent/carer to invite them to reserve a seat for the next academic year.  This form must be completed, even if a bursary application is planned.  Seats are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis, with priority given to current students before any remaining seats are offered to new Lower Sixth students.  Once all seats are allocated, no additional coaches will be provided.

We will also invite all other students moving into Upper Sixth to secure a seat on a coach at the same time – this may help those who no longer wish to travel by train or other alternatives or weren’t able to secure a seat last year.

You will have two payment options:

1. £100 upfront payment via ParentPay (required to print your pass before summer). Our Finance Team will then arrange a direct debit for the remaining balance.
2. Full payment upfront via ParentPay (pass price will be confirmed in the correspondence after May half term)

We aim to issue passes before the Lower Sixth year finishes, so payments must be completed promptly. Temporary passes will be issued for those awaiting bursary outcomes, and Finance will send bursary continuation forms over the summer. Please note; coach companies will check passes on the first day of term. If you have a green pass currently, this will not be valid after the summer.

We will remind you of any upcoming deadlines, but the responsibility lies with you to reserve your seat and complete payment or indicate bursary plans.

For any queries relating to this, please email Transport@Winstanley.ac.uk