Bristol Unibus FAQs
Plan your journey and buy mTickets on our First Bus App
You may have a question or two about the Bristol Unibus services, we hope you can find the answers to common questions below.
Unibus U1 Uni Year Pass - Travel between 18 September 2023 and 7 June 2024
- Service U1 - Travel on entire route, term times only
- 3 - between Bristol City Centre and Coombe Lane bus stop only
- 4 - between Bristol City Centre and The Avenue bus stop only
- 72 - between Bristol Temple Meads and Zetland Road bus stop only
Unibus U2 Year Pass - Travel between 2 September 2023 to 31 August 2024
- Service U2 - Travel on entire route
- 3 - between Bristol City Centre and Coombe Lane bus stop only
- 4 - between Bristol City Centre and The Avenue bus stop only
- 72 - between Bristol Temple Meads and Zetland Road bus stop only
Unibus U1 Uni Year Pass
From 18 September 2023 to 7 June 2024. Please note that the U1 Service runs during term time only. The U1 does not operate on Bank Holidays.
Unibus U2 Year Pass
From 2 September 2023 to 31 August 2024. Please note that the U2 Service operates on Public Holidays except Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Years Day.
Bristol Unibus U1 pass:
- U1 - Stoke Bishop to City Centre (via University of Bristol Clifton Campus)
University of Bristol Students living in a University-allocated accommodation (except postgraduates in postgraduate-only residences) are eligible for a free bus pass (mTicket) for unlimited travel on the U1 and certain sections of services 3, 4 & 72.
Bristol Unibus U2 pass:
- U2 - University of Bristol Langford Campus to City Centre (via University of Bristol Clifton Campus)
Bristol Veterinary School Students who’s teaching is primarily based at the Langford Campus will receive a free bus pass (mTicket) for unlimited travel on the Unibus U2 plus certain sections of services 3, 4 & 72.
Tickets can also be purchased for both services by other students, staff and the general public.
If you want to use the wider First Bus network in Bristol with over 50 services and not just services U1, select University of Bristol – Uni Year - Bristol Zone in the app, add the ticket to your wallet and upon checkout enter your voucher code which discounts the ticket to £99. Or you can upgrade until 31 January 2024 at the same price by completing this contact form.
- Download our app, search "First bus" in your app store – you need an Internet connection to do this.
- Set your First Bus region to Bristol, Bath and the West
- From the m-tickets menu select Bristol, Bath and the West and then Bristol
- Select Student Travel and for Service U1: Add University of Bristol – Unibus U1 Uni Year (£199) to your basket, or for Service U2: Add University of Bristol - Unibus U2 Year (£279).
- A small number of students will be entitled to both the U1 and U2 services – see Step 4 above.
- Checkout and sign up for an account, then enter the 10 character voucher code you have been emailed to get your Unibus pass FREE*. If you are entitled to both the U1 and U2 bus passes you will have received two separate emails with two different 10 character voucher codes.
- Download your Unibus Year mTicket before 18 September (2 September for U2) and it will be stored in the purchased area of the ticket wallet then moved automatically into the active area on 18 September (2 September for U2) when the service starts. Download it later and it will automatically activate and appear in your active ticket wallet
- Scan the QR code as you get on the bus, every time you travel
*Your Unibus U1 UniYear mTicket gives you free travel on the U1. You can upgrade to a city-wide First Bus mTicket by selecting University of Bristol - Uni Year – Bristol Zone (£430) in the First Bus app and using your voucher code at checkout to buy it for just £99.
If you want to use the wider First Bus network across the West of England area not just service U2, you can upgrade to the area-wide West of England Zone First Bus mTicket for just £130 by selecting University of Bristol Annual West of England Zone (£788) in the app, add the ticket to your wallet and upon checkout enter your voucher code which discounts the ticket.The upgrade offer is available until 31 January 2024.
Signing up for an account will make future purchases quicker and makes it easier for us to help you with any queries about your mTicket. It also means we can contact you with service updates and special offers (unless you uncheck the box). Your information will only be used by First Bus and will not be passed onto a third party for them to use or used for any other reason. Payment card details only need to be added if you wish to purchase any other tickets in the future.
You are able to purchase other student tickets with a discount on adult fares for First West of England services through the First Bus App.
We want to ensure that student tickets are being used by students only. You have 30 days from the date you purchased/obtained your Unibus mTicket to provide your University email address.
No, If you download your Unibus pass before 18 September when the U1 service begins (2 September for U2), it will be stored in the ‘purchased’ area of the mTicket wallet then move automatically into the ‘active’ area on 18 September (2 September for U2) ready for your first Unibus journey. Download it later and it will activate automatically.
Every time you travel, go to your First Bust App ticket wallet and bring up the activated ticket to scan on the ticket machine when you board the bus. You won’t be issued with a paper ticket for your journey.
You need an internet/data connection to purchase an mTicket. A weak phone signal when you board your bus should not be a problem. However, the First Bus App does need to communicate with our system on a regular basis to keep itself up to date when you're out and about, so long periods without connection may cause an issue.
Please note the app is not designed to work with Wi-Fi only devices such as tablets and iPods.
Nothing, have a good day at uni!
It is your responsibility to ensure that your phone has enough battery power to be able to show a valid mTicket to the driver. If you cannot do this, you will need to buy a ticket from the driver - please note Unibus services are now cashless.
Missing tickets are generally caused by your mTicket account becoming logged out, or a prolonged loss of internet connection. To restore your tickets, please make sure you have a good network connection and refresh from the Options button (iPhone) or Menu button (Android). All tickets in your account should reappear after a few seconds.
The First Bus App currently requires Android 10 or above. Please check if your phone is able to have a software update. We are looking to allow older versions of Android to use the app later in the year. If you're needing to use a University of Bristol-supplied voucher code please contact transport-plan@bristol.ac.uk for assistance.
You need to contact our mTickets Customer Support Team on 03300 947 577 or complete the contact form, so they can put a temporary block on your ticket if required. We can then transfer your ticket to your new phone once you have it up and running.
For more general questions and answers about mTickets on the First Bus App please click here.
The First Bus App is only designed to work with one device per account. However should customers purchase a new handset, or lose or damage their current device, they will be able to transfer their tickets over.
1. Log off from your mTicket account on your old phone (if possible).
2. Download the app and login to your mTicket account on your new phone
3. Check the Ticket Wallet screen. You should find a green panel containing a button to start the transfer process.
If the button is not visible, please ensure you have a data connection and refresh the app (on an iPhone tap the screen three times, or on Android select Refresh from the menu button).
Customers are able to complete the above process twice a month but further requests are subject to approval by a member of our Customer Service team. Please don’t attempt to share your ticket with anyone else.
