Travelling by bus

If you are beginning a new programme of study or continuing your studies at Petroc, you could be eligible to apply for a bus pass through the Petroc Transport Scheme and Bursary Scheme. The annual cost of the 2024/25 bus pass is £792 (reduced amount for learners studying one or two days) and provides you with transport to college using the public route that operates closest to your home address.

If you qualify for the college Bursary scheme, the pass will be free unless you are ordering a smartcard or mobile ticket for a Termrider ticket, as you will have to pay £1 termly to activate this. To apply for this Transport Scheme, please log into your myPetroc account and follow the steps below. If you are wanting to apply for the Bursary scheme to support with the cost of a bus pass, you will need to do this application separately, with the details found here.

If you have to pay for your bus pass and you live on a public bus route, you may be able to purchase a pass directly from the bus company or on a daily basis on the bus for just the days that you need it. Please research to find the most cost-effective way of getting to college. The public bus service websites can be found below.

To apply for a bus pass through Petroc:

• You will need to fill out the travel application on your student myPetroc account. It cannot be done via the parent portal. 
• Once you have logged in, you will need to scroll past the boxes and down to the blue 'Services' heading where you will be able to click on ‘Travel Pass Application’. Then click the green apply button at the bottom of the screen.
• You will then need to fill out the application. 
• If you have been accepted to the Bursary or are applying for the Bursary Scheme, please select ‘Bursary’ as your payment method. If you are not eligible for the Bursary or live closer than 3 miles from Petroc, then you can select to pay monthly (via Direct Debit), termly or Yearly.
• Then you will need to select which site you will be studying at: either Tiverton or North Devon/Barnstaple. Then where you will be travelling from, i.e. your village or town.
• You can then submit your application. If you are paying yourself, you will need to make the first payment via myPetroc.
• You can receive either a Stagecoach Daily, Stagecoach TermRider (depending on how many days a week you are in) or a Filers pass. All these tickets - except the Stagecoach TermRider - will be sent to you in the post. 

Once you have applied and been approved for a Stagecoach TermRider pass, you will receive an email each term with a discount code to gain access to the TermRider card. 

The discount code will be linked to your myPetroc email address (the one you use to log into your myPetroc account). It will be in the format, learnernumber@petroc.ac.uk (e.g. 12345678@petroc.ac.uk).

The discount code will cover the cost of the TermRider ticket minus £1. You will need to make a payment of £1.

To obtain your travel pass you will need to go to the Stagecoach website and add the 2024/25 North Devon TermRider ticket to your basket.

If you order your Stagecoach bus pass on your app on a mobile phone it will assume you want a mobile ticket. If you would prefer a smartcard, you must order this directly from the website by clicking on ‘Other ways to get a ticket’.

Once you go to your basket and check out, you will need to be logged on to the account you have created with your Petroc student email address. Once you begin to check out, you will need to confirm how you would like to receive your smart card. If you have a smartcard that you would like to continue using, you will need to select ‘Add/register a Smart card’ or if you require a new card, click ‘Request a new Smart card.

You must do this before you add in your discount code, unless you are buying a mobile ticket on the app.

Then add in your discount code and click apply, this will apply a discount and take the price down to £1.  

If you are in your first year/if your details haven’t been saved, you will need to click on ‘Enter delivery & payment details’, click on ‘add address’ and then complete your home address details. You can search for your address by putting your postcode in the ‘Search for an address’ box. Then click on ‘Save Address’.

Choose your method of payment for the £1 and tick to agree to the terms and conditions. Enter your payment details to complete your TermRider order.

If you have selected to use an existing card, it will take around 3 days for the ticket to be added to the card. If you order a new card, it can take around 3-5 working days for it to arrive but the ticket will be already loaded onto the card. If you purchase a mobile ticket, you will just need to click ‘Activate Ticket Online’ once the payment has gone through, and it will be available immediately.

If you have any issues with receiving the card, you will need to contact Stagecoach directly on 0345 241 8000.

You can only have a Smartcard or a mobile ticket, and you must have internet/data to access your mobile ticket, please think about both options as to which would be most suitable for yourself.

Students from Tiverton High School, Uffculme School and Cullompton School who will be travelling more than three miles from home to study a Petroc course – either in Tiverton or North Devon are eligible for a free Stagecoach SW Gold TermRider student bus pass.

This will enable you to apply for any course at any campus, as well as the opportunity to get involved in our range of enrichment activities.

You may also be eligible to receive funding from various bursaries including 16-18 Bursary Fund, Advanced Learner Loan Bursary and 19+ Bursary.

Devon County Council (DCC)  offers transport schemes that support learners with additional needs where they are unable to use public transport. This is at the discretion of DCC and its processes. This includes the following schemes:

• Independent travel training.
• A vacant seat on a contract vehicle.
• A petrol allowance to assist your parents to take you to school or college – the amount to be determined by DCC.
• A parental acknowledgement – this is a payment to assist your parents to make the necessary arrangements to enable you to get to school or college.

To see if you qualify, please contact Devon County Council on 0345 155 1019 or visit their website to apply.

For learners living in Cornwall, Cornwall County Council (CCC) offers bus passes for students aged 16-18. This is provided on a discretionary basis. 

To access a pass, you must complete a Cornwall County Council online application form. You can apply to the Bursary for assistant with the cost which is found on the students MyPetroc account. 

The bursary fund will then make the payment on your behalf and send it to Cornwall County Council who will issue your pass. 

If you do not qualify for the bursary, you will need to pay for your ticket via the CCC website. 

If you are not entitled to the Cornwall County Council transport scheme, you may still be able to apply for a seat on the bus through the Spare Seat Scheme.

Cornwall Council also offers a transport scheme for students aged 19-25 who have an Education, Health and Care Plan. This is a statutory requirement. You will need to go on to their website and apply through them for your bus pass. If you would like the bursary to pay, you will need to create a separate application via myPetroc and have it approved before we will pay for the travel pass.

If you need help with working out your bus route into campus, take a look at the public bus route details for both North Devon and Tiverton.

For more information about specific bus services, please visit the following website:

• Filers
• Dartline Coaches
• Travel Line SW
• Travel Devon
• Stagecoach Bus