Travel support

Depending on where a student is travelling from, there are a couple of bus companies that serve our campus locations. These are the First Bus and Stagecoach public bus services in Portsmouth, Hampshire, Sussex area. The college also run a service (PC1) from Highlands to the Sixth Form Campus – operated by First Bus.

The college will issue annual bus passes for all bus services and will give paying students the option to pay their contribution in instalments, this will have to be arranged with the Finance Team once they have received an invoice. Students on shorter programmes may be issued with termly bus passes to cover the length of their study programme.

Students can purchase the heavily discounted annual (or termly) bus passes from the bus companies, direct or they can apply to the college for an annual bus pass on either of the three bus services - First Bus, Stagecoach or PC1. Further information on the application process is available on the Financial Support pages on the College website.

First Bus Mobile Tickets: First Bus mTickets (Mobile Tickets) are available to buy in the First Bus App. Look for COPC Student tickets relevant to your area when you buy your Bus Pass. The pass is kept securely in your virtual wallet in the First Bus App on your phone.

First Bus Smartcards: students who are unable to use their mobile phones for their bus pass and require a first bus pass will be issued a ‘smartcard.’ This is of equivalent size to a bank card. (If you are to lose this smartcard it will cost you an additional £10 to get a new one).

First Bus (PC1) Service – Sixth Form Campus Only: This service runs from Highlands, Fareham, Cams Hill, Portchester, Paulsgrove, Cosham, Hilsea, Shamshad and Kingston to our Sixth Form Campus. mTickets (Mobile Tickets) are available to buy in the First Bus App. Look for COPC Student tickets relevant to your area when you buy your Bus Pass. The pass is kept securely in your virtual wallet in the First Bus App on your phone.

Stagecoach: https://www.stagecoachbus.com/regionaltickets/south/portsmouth-and-havant/unirider Buying your student pass on the app is quick and easy, and once you've bought your pass it’ll instantly be stored securely on your phone. Just show your driver the mobile ticket in the The Stagecoach Bus App along with your student ID card (if asked). You can still buy your ticket online and you’ll get your StagecoachSmart student card through the post in around three working days. You can use this on the bus every time you travel. If you already have a StagecoachSmart student card? You can reload your card by choosing 'Select a smart card' at checkout.

Planning your Bus Journey: Students are advised to check which bus routes are best before starting College. All the bus companies have a journey planner on their websites, which will tell you exactly how long the bus will take to the destination and exactly what time it stops at each bus stop. Please visit the bus company website that serves your area to plan your journey ahead.

The college will consider the discounts achievable from either of the below railcards when awarding financial support for travel by train. We advise students to purchase a railcard to take advantage of these offers so that we are maximising the support funds.

16-17 Saver railcard:

You can get a 16-17 saver if you are 16 or 17. It will give you 50% off most rail fares and can be purchased online at www.16-17saver.co.uk. The current cost is £30 for a year.

16-25 Railcard:

You can get a 16-25 Railcard if you are aged between 16 and 25, or you are a mature student. The railcard will give you 1/3 off a range of tickets as well as other discounts. Railcards can be purchased online at 16-25railcard.co.uk or at any staffed Ticket Office. The current cost is £30 for a year.

If you are travelling from the Isle of Wight (Ryde or Fishbourne), we will offer the wight link pass or a hovercraft pass, depending on which one suits you better. Once you arrive in Portsmouth you may require a bus pass to help you get to the campus that you are studying at, and this will be a First Bus (Portsmouth) pass. Students travelling from Gosport will be offered the COPC Student: Hants (All Zones) & Ferry, which allows for travel on the ferry and all zones within Hampshire.

Ferry Journey Planner

Students are advised to check which ferry routes are best before starting College. All the ferry companies have a journey planner on their websites, which will tell you exactly how long the journey will take to the destination and the expected arrival time. Please visit the ferry company website that serves your area to plan your journey ahead.

Student may travel to college in their own vehicles. The College does not charge for parking on college premises, but availability of a parking space is on a first-come first-served basis. There is ample parking at both the Sixth Form and Highbury campuses, limited parking at North Harbour campus and no parking on the premises at the Arundel Centre campuses. Students may apply for support towards fuel costs.