Useful apps for Bristol students

By Emily Barrett, SciTech editor

Whether you love or hate it, our lives are becoming increasingly entwined with technology and as a new university student, chances are you already use apps on a daily basis. Here, Epigram SciTech rounds up the useful apps that can ease your transition into university life in Bristol.

Getting around:

So, you made it to Bristol – but how about getting around once you’re here? For public transport, the First Buses app has an e-ticket feature, allowing tickets to be purchased in advance and then ‘activated’ when boarding the bus. Remember to buy a student ticket for a discount compared to an adult ticket, and that students living in halls receive a free bus pass for unlimited travel on the U1 service and certain sections of other routes.

Of course, buses aren’t the only way to get around. In the past few years, clusters of electric scooters have sprouted up on seemingly every street corner in Bristol. If you’re tempted to take a ride, the Voi app allows users to locate nearby scooters, and to unlock one by scanning a QR code on the handlebar. If you choose this mode of transport, be mindful of road safety precautions such as wearing a helmet!

Studying:

Technology can also be helpful for organising your studies in Bristol. Many of us can only dream of being the type of person whose life is organised by a perfectly colour-coded Google calendar, but every student can benefit from using a calendar app in university. When you receive your Bristol timetable, you can import it into your calendar app of choice and see at a glance where and when your classes are.

If you’re despairing at how your recommended textbooks all seem to be £60 on eBay, look no further than Bristol University’s online library services. While this is a website rather than an app, it grants access to many eBooks which can be read on smartphones, tablets and other devices. For physical books, the service lets you check which library owns a copy and whether it is available for a loan.

Food:

Many businesses in Bristol use Too good to go, the app that aims to fight food waste by letting restaurants and cafés sell their leftover food at the end of the day at a discounted price. While the food available may be a lucky dip, it’s hard to beat the feeling that you have saved food from landing in the bin – and saved your wallet from another Deliveroo order.

This is just a selection of the apps that might be useful to new Bristol students, and we hope they help you out in some way!

Featured image: Unsplash/Gaining Visuals

Which apps do you wish you'd known about earlier as a student?