Sustainable travel

Most people in St Andrews move around by foot or bike and we want to do our part to support these sustainable travel options. We work with cycling and car share schemes and share tips for moving around on foot and by public transport.

Active Travel Champions, St Andrews brings together and celebrates the power of collective local action for active and sustainable travel solutions across our communities.

Learn more about our collective action for sustainable travel and join the Active Travel Champion group.

There are a number of ways you can travel sustainably in St Andrews and beyond. For comprehensive information on all low-carbon travel options in St Andrews visit the Go St Andrews website.

Walking

Walking is good for the environment and our health and is a great way to socialise and explore St Andrews.

St Andrews walking initiatives include:

  • Wee Walk Once a Week (WWOW): a 30-minute lunch walk for staff, by staff. The sessions help you meet colleagues, take a break from work, and enjoy the fresh air and the scenery of St Andrews. 
  • Mental health walks: arranged by Transition student volunteers to tackle isolation, these walks are for you to explore nature, get a break, and talk to someone. 

To help you get out and about, Ramblers have gathered their favourite walking routes for us. Can you do all eight in one semester?

Map of St Andrews pointing out eight public walking paths

Cycling

Cycling enables us to explore the surroundings of St Andrews, including Tentsmuir Forest, Falkland, and along the River Tay to Newburgh.

We want to make it easier for you to cycle so provide the following services: 

  • BikePool: the services refurbishes old bikes and rents them to students and locals for an affordable price. They also run Fix It sessions to keep your bike in shape.  
  • E-bike scheme: allows staff to borrow an e-bike for free for up to 24 hours. 
  • Transition sells bike lights during the darker months to help you stay safe. For more information, email transition@st-andrews.ac.uk.
  • Bike to Work Breakfasts: these are free for locals, staff and postgraduate students, and are a good way to meet new people.    

Cycle to work staff scheme

The University supports staff to travel to work in a more healthy and active way. The cycle to work scheme is a salary sacrifice scheme which provides an Income Tax and National Insurance efficient way to pay towards the hire and eventual ownership of a bike (and associated cycling equipment) up to the value of £2500. This is repayable to the University over a period of between 12 and 24 months.

How it works:

  • Find your local bike shop and the bike with the cycling equipment you want to buy via Greener Commute.
  • Email HR Salaries at monthly-ns@st-andrews.ac.uk with Cycle to work eligibility check in the subject line. State your staff ID number (on your ID card), the total amount you want to spend on the bike and cycling equipment, and the duration of repayment (12 or 24 months).
  • Salaries will receive notification of the application and will check your eligibility.
  • Once approval has been made, Salaries will confirm eligibility and provide you with an employer code to purchase the items.
  • Login to the scheme, enter the code, submit details of your bike request, and select the shop you want to purchase from.
  • Greener Commute will then send you the Hire Agreement for electronic signature via E-Sign.
  • Greener Commute will email you a voucher that should be presented to the bike shop to collect your purchases.

Bus

Cleaner, cheaper and quicker – public transport has many benefits. From St Andrews, buses take you all over Scotland and the rest of the UK, whether to the Highlands or cities like London and Glasgow.

University staff and students get 75% off bus travel with Stagecoach. Megabus is another option for travel to the rest of Scotland.

Train

The nearest station is Leuchars. From there you can get a bus or taxi to St Andrews. Trainline provides details of train tickets and timetables.

There is currently a Campaign for reopening the railway along East Neuk, which would bring a railway station back to St Andrews. The railway would improve sustainable commuting between Edinburgh, Crail, St Andrews and Dundee and make our roads less busy. 

Driving

Save time, money and the environment – the University's lift share scheme has many benefits. You can save up to £1000 in fuel costs and emit significantly fewer emissions by taking part in lift share. 

The University prioritises parking for staff sharing vehicles to work. At Eden Campus, the parking spaces closest to the entrance are dedicated to shared vehicles, and we are looking to expand this initiative to the town of St Andrews. 

Electric vehicles

The University supports the uptake of electric vehicles (EVs) and has installed a network of publicly available charge points across campus. These are currently free to use and can be accessed using ChargePlace Scotland.

Drivers can access charge points by using a ChargePlace Scotland RFID access card, through the ChargePlace Scotland smartphone app or using the webpay link. 

Overnight charging is permitted between 6pm and 8am. Outwith the charging point bays, cars must display a valid University car parking permit.

You can see a live map of charge point status and availability at Charge Place Scotland, which is also accessible through the Transition Travel Map.

You can also join the University’s EV Forum on Microsoft Teams for updates.

Issues accessing chargers should be directed to ChargePlace Scotland using their Fault Reporting Form and the six-digit charge point ID found on the charge post. Problems with car parking management (non-electric vehicles in charge bays) should be directed to the University’s Security Team by calling +44 (0)1334 46 8999 or emailing security@st-andrews.ac.uk.

Parking is regulated by the University's Car Parking Regulations 2007.

St Andrews Car Club

The St Andrews Car Club provides an easy way to rent a car by the hour or by the day for residents and visitors to St Andrews. Choose to hire a car from a network of privately owned vehicles in your local area using keyless technology. It’s fast, secure, and cheaper than regular car rental because you are renting from people just like you.

Cars in the network are owned by local residents and the University of St Andrews. Join the network and rent out your car when you're not using it.

The University is a key partner to the St Andrews Car Club and encourages University fleet vehicles to join the scheme. If you manage vehicles through the University, please contact Alistair Macleod for more information on transition@st-andrews.ac.uk.

Joining Hiyacar as either an owner or a driver couldn’t be easier. Download the app to become a part of the St Andrews Car Club.

Movement as a Service (MaaS)

Mobility as a Service (MaaS) is a sustainable travel iniative that enables users to plan, book and pay for multiple types of mobility services through a digital channel. The MaaS project at St Andrews, funded by Transport Scotland, will see low-carbon transport options only available in St Andrews provided through the GoSEStran app.

You can enter your destination on the app to compare all available transport options by price, duration, and carbon emissions.

The app will soon be updated to include:

  • St Andrews Car Club – a community car club for St Andrews
  • Lift Share – connect with drivers and passengers who are making the same journey as you
  • Walking – customised themed walking routes through the town.

Download the GoSEStran app to start exploring.

Flying

Travel is part of academic life and it can be challenging for research or professional staff who are climate aware to balance international network building opportunities with the requirement for air travel.

Colleagues at the Universities of Edinburgh and Strathclyde are testing a decision-making tool kit purposed to help people reflect on their decision to fly to a conference. The kit also offers advice on alternatives.  

Download the Air Travel Justification Tool Kit (PDF) to help you decide whether or not you need to fly. 

Get involved

You can be a part of the initiatives supporting sustainable travel. 

University travel survey

The University of St Andrews regularly surveys staff and students’ travel uses and behaviour. You can find our recent results in our Staff Travel Survey 2022 Summary Report (PDF).