Locations and Travel Requirements

Students are expected to cover their travel costs to any destination within 25 miles of their base location – either their university campus (Phase 1) or their Hospital base (Phase 2).

Journeys over 25 miles come under our expenses policy and extra mileage over 25 miles can be claimed as an expense up to a certain financial limit each journey.

Driving in the UK on a non-UK license and getting a driving licence

There are a variety of options for students who have a non-UK driving licence. Please check the latest information on the Government website.

You may be able to drive on your existing licence for a period of time, or you may have to transfer your licence. You can find out how to apply for a provisional driving licence and about learning to drive in the UK on the Government website.

Alternative travel options

At the time of writing, Rome2Rio can be used to help plan your journey. The sites and links provided are not endorsed by the university but have been used by students and staff and may come in handy to help you plan your journeys.

Taxi

Taxis can usually be pre-booked and it is advisable to do so in advance for any planned trips that you cannot get to by other modes of transport. Most train stations have a taxi rank and bus service outside, and you should be able to plan your journey accordingly. There are a range of private taxi companies which are usually regionally based, therefore using one of the search tools online is usually the best method for identifying taxi companies in your local area.

Trains

Students can receive up to 30% off rail travel by purchasing an annual railcard.

Live up to date rail travel and journey planner information is available on The Trainline and the National Rail website.

Bus

Bus services are provided by a range of different service providers throughout the UK. You can find many bus routes via Traveline or Firstbus but you may also need to do an online search for the journey you wish to take and usually the relevant service provider will be identified. From there you can get specific timetables for your journeys. Many bus services provide weekly, monthly or annual tickets at a discounted price so don’t forget to enquire about the best way to save money.

Car clubs

If you don’t have access to your own car but have a valid driving licence and want the freedom to drive, you could join a car club. Membership to a car club enables you to access a car through an app on your phone and you can pick up and drop off from a range of locations. You can book cars by the hour or by the day and pay for what you use. Some of the car club schemes are listed here:

• Enterprise Car Club
• co-wheels
• getaround
• Zip Car

Throughout your course, we give you a range of experiences through a variety of providers. This starts in year 1 and runs throughout year 2 with your Clinical Skills Foundation Course and Narrative Medicine Course. During these sessions, there will be days when you are expected to travel to one of our General Practitioner or Hospital Partners who provide you a learning experience and exposure to patients. This is an excellent opportunity to interact with patients at an early stage of your studies and is a fantastic chance to learn and embed vital skills.

Whilst we try to work with GP and hospital practices close to our two campuses (Buckingham and Crewe), this is not always possible and some of our practices are situated over 25 miles from campus. Students do not get a choice of where they will be allocated and must be aware that they are expected to find their own means of transport to get to and from their placements. This is a core part of the course and not attending this key element of learning is not an option.

During Phase 2 (years 3 and 4) students are allocated to a base hospital which is where the majority of their studies are undertaken. Students can be allocated to any Local Education Provider across the country, (see map above). Students are expected to move close to their base hospital in order to meet the demands of the course. Long distance travel between your home address and your hospital placement is strongly discouraged. The map on this page indicates the location of our Local Education Partners hospital locations.

Please note that Buckingham Healthcare Trust operates two main sites for our students. This means that for certain block rotations in Years 3 and 4 you will be travelling between Stoke Mandeville Hospital and Wycombe Hospitals to get exposure and experience of certain specialities. Students often live in and around Aylesbury but may wish to place themselves halfway between the two sites.

ALL students will be required to go out on placement to a variety of different locations beyond their base hospital at some point during Phase 2 and will be required to travel, sometimes significant distances. This, again, is a core part of your learning and students must attend these locations. Students often car share or share taxis but must always ensure that they have their route and timetable planned out as lateness to any form of teaching and learning experience is not tolerated and is considered unprofessional.