The New Year is a great time to make changes to your daily routine - changing how you travel could improve your wellbeing whilst also reducing your carbon footprint. The university has put in place a range of measures to help staff and students to make the switch to more sustainable modes of transport when travelling to and from campus.
Walking
Walking is simple, free and one of the easiest ways to get more active, lose weight and become healthier.
If you can’t walk all the way to work, then there are still benefits from walking to/from your bus or tram stop, or if you’re able, try parking a little further from your destination so you can do a short walk at the start and end of your day. A brisk 10-minute daily walk has lots of health benefits. Or could you get your steps in by walking around or between campuses as part your working day? It’s only a 20minute walk between Jubilee Campus and the east side of University Park.
We have won awards for our campus green spaces so why not explore them on a lunchtime walk? Discover more of the green spaces on campus with our walking guides for University Park, Jubilee Campus and Sutton Bonington.
Get rewarded for your steps by downloading the UoN Moves app - a free app for University students and staff. You can track your physical activity to gain Moves points. Simply connect your physical activity tracking app or wearable device to your Moves account. For every step, mile or metre you walk you'll earn points that you can redeem for a range of rewards!
Cycling
Cycling to work is great for your physical and mental health, and can help you save money too!
We have over 5,000 cycle parking spaces across our campuses plus showers and changing facilities. Use our interactive maps to find the facilities closest to your place of work. If you need a new bike then the university offers a Cycle to Work scheme through the Employee Hub which allows you to purchase a bike through salary sacrifice, giving you tax and national insurance savings. To help you keep your bike in good working order, our Dr Bike mechanic offers regular free bike servicing on campus. Dates are advertised via the Dr Bike webpage and in the Nottingham Sustainability newsletter which you can subscribe to.
By tracking you cycling journeys you can build your points balance on the UoN Moves app.
Public transport
Leaving the car at home and jumping on the bus or tram offers wellbeing benefits – rather than getting stressed driving in rush hour traffic you can enjoy your travel time by reading a book or browsing online using the free onboard Wi-Fi. Find out more about the bus and tram services serving our campuses here .
The university, in collaboration with local public transport operators, offer a number of travel pass schemes. This offers staff the opportunity to purchase bus, tram or rail passes through salary deductions, many at discounted rates. Until the end of March, NCT, trentbarton and Robin Hood card are offering an additional 20% off their annual season tickets purchased through our travel pass scheme.
For travelling between campuses, we provide four free Hopper bus services to Jubilee (903), King’s Meadow (902), Derby Royal Hospital (904) and Sutton Bonington campuses (901). More information on these services can be found here. In addition, UoN staff and students can travel for free on Medilink by showing their UniCard.
Car sharing
The university has teamed up with the UK’s largest car sharing network to provide a car share scheme specifically for University of Nottingham staff. The online scheme enables staff to search for other UoN staff who go their way so they can share the journey. You don’t have to car share every day to make a difference! Even sharing once a week offers financial savings and many sharers value the social aspect of car sharing – both of which offer wellbeing benefits.
Find out more on the Car Share web pages.
Free personalised travel plan
Receive tailored travel advice with a Personal Travel Plan (PTP) for your journey to campus. The PTP will look at options for walking, cycling, public transport and car sharing – all in a single document. It compares journey time, CO2 emitted and calories burnt for each option. Cycling routes also show an elevation profile so you can see how hilly they are. Find out more and get your own PTP here.
Green Rewards
However you choose to get around, log your sustainable actions on Green Rewards, earn points and win prizes every month.
For more information about sustainable travel to and from the university, visit our Sustainability webpages.
Posted on Tuesday 21st January 2025