Travel and Transport Archives

New Free Thames Valley Park & Ride for University Staff and Students

By YasminOct 09, 20250 Comments

Following the success of the Mereoak Park and Ride scheme, University of Reading staff and students can now also use the Thames Valley Park (TVP) Park and Ride site free of charge when travelling to campus. This new offer is possible thanks to our ongoing partnership with the Royal Berkshire Hospital (RBH) and Reading Buses, who run the 300 Park & Ride service. How it works Staff and students can park at Thames Valley Park and take the Reading Buses 300 Park & Ride to reach the University’s Reading campuses. Parking and bus travel are both free - the University…

Travel and Transport

Electric Vehicle Charging Upgrades Across Our Campuses

By YasminJun 23, 20250 Comments

As part of the University’s Five-Year Travel Plan – our roadmap for promoting more sustainable, low-carbon travel options – we’re making significant improvements to electric vehicle (EV) infrastructure across all campuses. You can read more about the Travel Plan here. What’s New? We’ve recently upgraded the public EV chargers at Whiteknights Campus SportsPark and Greenlands Campus. Additionally, we’ve installed four brand-new EV chargers at London Road Campus. These upgrades support our wider five-year Travel Plan and help to make low-emission travel easier and more accessible for everyone. New Charging Provider – Amp EV We’ve switched…

Travel and Transport

Have you tried the Co Wheels Car Club?

By YasminFeb 26, 20250 Comments

The University offers two car hire locations where staff can rent cars for as little as 30 minutes through the Co Wheels Car Club scheme. It’s ideal for both personal and business trips, helping to reduce the need to bring your own car to campus, while cutting down on costs and easing parking demands. To use the Co wheels Car Club, follow these instructions: Step 1: Become a Member Sign up online to gain access to over 600 vehicles across the UK, including those located at UoR. Join the University’s business account to book cars for work and add a personal…

Travel and Transport

Park and Ride – FREE travel for staff and students from Mereoak (Junction 11 of the M4)

By YasminFeb 17, 20250 Comments

Do you travel from Mereoak to University? If you do, did you know that we can save you money, and reduce the number of single occupancy vehicles (SOVs) on the road, therefore reducing traffic, and urban air pollution and emissions, all at the same time. This is all possible due to Park and Ride, a free sustainable travel option from Mereoak (Junction 11 of the M4, RG7 1WJ) to either Whiteknights campus or London Road campus. Between September and December 2024, we saw approximately 2000 journeys being made using Park and Ride, and we want all staff and students to know they can…

Travel and Transport

The White Knight 20 – A Great Success!

By YasminFeb 10, 20251 Comment

Did you know that a new bus service launched in September 2024; the White Knight 20! This express service, developed by Reading Buses, between Reading Town Centre and train station and Whiteknights Campus runs up to every 10 minutes, and only has a travel time of 15 minutes or less. Since launching 4 months ago, we can already see the positive impact the White knight 20 has had during Semester 1. Bus usage has increased by approximately 10% (compared to the 21/21a last year), and punctuality has increased from being on time 64%-81% of the time, to being on time…

Travel and Transport

University of Reading decarbonisation plan: winning the Energy Management Award (EMA) for its Business Travel Carbon Budgets

By jackiesimpsonDec 18, 20240 Comments

We’re delighted to announce that the University of Reading has been recognised for its ambitious business travel carbon budgets project that aimed to encourage schools and directorates cut their carbon emissions. The University has long made sustainability a central priority. As part of its strategic plan 2020-2026, the University of Reading is committed to ambitious environmental targets, including achieving Net Zero Carbon emissions by 2030. One of the key components of this plan was to address the carbon emissions resulting from business travel. The University acknowledged that the business travel is an area often overlooked despite the significant impact on…

Awards and Achievements, Energy and Water, Travel and Transport

Library bike store security upgrade

By jackiesimpsonOct 31, 20240 Comments

Cycle theft is a significant concern on many campuses across the UK, and the University of Reading is no exception. To address this issue, we are committed to enhancing available infrastructure as part of an important project, with the purpose of improving cycle security across Whiteknights Campus. As part of our University Travel Plan, we want to encourage staff, students, and visitors to travel sustainably, ensuring everyone feels confident cycling to campus and knowing their bikes will be stored securely. Currently, we offer 4,239 cycle parking spaces throughout campus, including five secure bicycle sheds at Whiteknights and additional secure storage…

Travel and Transport

Brand new University bus service!

By jackiesimpsonAug 22, 20240 Comments

We are pleased to announce the launch of a new bus service coming to Whiteknights campus from 21st September! The White Knight 20, developed by Reading Buses, has been tailored to University life and will provide an express service between Reading Town Centre and train station and campus during term time. The White Knight 20 will run up to every 10 minutes during term time peak periods with a travel time of 15 minutes or less between campus and the station. During the first half of Semester 1 (until October half term) the service will be enhanced, running up to…

Travel and Transport

We have a new 5 year Travel Plan!

By jackiesimpsonJul 24, 20240 Comments

The University has now published its new five-year Travel Plan (2024-2029) What is a Travel Plan? A Travel Plan is a document that outlines the University’s commitments to changing travel behaviour by staff, students and visitors over the next five years. Why do we need one? The way we travel affects, and is affected by, our day-to-day lives. Whilst we understand the environmental and congestion related impacts of polluting forms of transport, our choices are often dictated by personal circumstance. It is vital that a plan is in place to manage the way that travel can be: As sustainable as…

Travel and Transport

Student results from 2024 Travel Survey

By jackiesimpsonMay 22, 20240 Comments

Thank you to all 500+ of you who completed our 2024 Travel Survey, and congratulations again to the winners of our prize draw, who in total received £500 of supermarket vouchers! We had some great results this year. Importantly, the survey showed that our students are already travelling sustainably wherever possible, with an average of 90.5% of journeys to and from campus already made by sustainable modes (including walking, cycling and public transport). You can read the full results here. The survey gave the opportunity for our students to have their say on potential future improvements to sustainable travel. We…

Travel and Transport