By Taiga Scott, First Year MA, English
There’s an increase in the number of commuting students in recent years, and Bristol is no exception. Whether it’s an hour on the bus, or two trains, commuting comes with its issues and struggles for students.
Having interviewed a number of commuters, it is evident that the commuter student experience is incredibly layered.
Eddy, a first-year Bioinfomatics Masters student, has found that a major disadvantage for him is the loss of the spontaneity of university life. According to him, plans for socialising require ‘frantic pre-planning, undue expenditure on taxis and the exhaustion of the daily journey.’ He adds that with the already exhausting schedule of lessons and seminars at university, there’s an added layer of tiredness due to his hour-long commute.
Another commuter student, Molly, a first-year English Literature Masters student, is disappointed that she cannot be part of societies she genuinely feels connected to, like she was back in her undergraduate degree.
She says, ‘I just wouldn’t have the energy to commute in the evening and not get home until ten. It also costs five pounds for a round trip which really adds up quickly.’
As a person with disabilities, different factors also work to drain her energy and mobility which is further impacted by the exhaustion of her day.
Owen, a first-year English Literature Masters student, also adds that ‘If I wasn’t commuting, I’d linger more.’
He mentioned interactive university events such as CampusConnect and talks held by the Careers Service on research and helpful advice regarding the transition period between Undergraduate degree to Postgraduate degree. As a mature student with a significant break in his education, the talks he has been forced to miss, would have helped him immensely.
Owen also mentions how the long journey to and from University feels like wasted time adding that, ‘It is not like a train journey which is peaceful but one full of disruptions, taking two hours out of my day, every day.’ Owen also mentions the sense of alienation he feels with people who live closer to campus and enjoy the luxury of socialisation without worrying about the cost and the time.
The Student Service Organisation looked into the key effects of periodic travel exhaustion on students, specifically on their studies. They found that ‘commuter students will often weigh up the benefit of attending classes in relation to the effort and monetary cost it takes to travel to campus.’
This calculative approach might prioritise saving money at the cost of missing academic activities like lectures, tutorials and seminars. It also causes commuter students to miss out on the social highs of university paired with ‘wasted time’ travelling.
So, with all these complaints, why do students choose to commute? Overwhelmingly, it’s due to cost. All three of the interviewees mention cost, saying that it is just much cheaper to live on the outskirts of Bristol or Somerset.
The difference in cost is stark especially when comparing prices of residing in the City Centre or Clifton. The BBC also found that in ‘2017, 535,090 people said they intended to live at home during their university course compared with 748,060 in 2026 - an increase of 39.8 per cent,’ and has linked it to the rising cost of living.
Other factors that contribute to choosing to commute include the concerning state of housing in Bristol. Although significant movements like Tenant protests and Epigram’s Break the Mould campaign have worked to tackle this problem, subpar housing remains the industry standard in Bristol. Another factor, as elaborated by Eddy, is to surpass the downsides of student living like dirty housemates and constant noise. He currently lives with his parents in a nicer area near the countryside with his study buddy- his pet duck!
It is also often seen that most mature university students are also commuters. Owen, for example, has a family and a pre-existing living arrangement. Therefore, he sees no point in getting a place in the bustling city with its sky high rent prices, far from his family, just to get to lectures a little quicker.
I asked this group of commuters if they had any advice for other commuting students or those university students that might be considering it. Eddy warns that the bus timetable is even more unpredictable than British weather. Molly advises to plan in advance and weigh the time costs that commute demands.
She says, ‘some days may involve a morning and evening lecture with nothing in between. Be prepared to wait on campus for five plus hours.’
Owen recommends using the time spent travelling to one’s own advantage by listening to podcasts relevant to your course. This could also include using audio books to complete the assigned readings quicker.
There is no clear answer to whether commuting is better than staying on campus. Rather it represents a balancing act with soaring housing prices of big cities, costs of not only travel but of socialisation and access which a commuter student must be ready to face head on.
Hannah Corcoran
Felix Pitman
Featured Image: Epigram/ Thiranya Hettiarachchi
What are your thoughts on commuting?
