Category: sustainability

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New Bus Fares, Deals & Bundles

March 14, 2025

New national bus fares have now been set following the expiry of government subsidies. This means many day-to-day tickets have become more expensive; however, this news post outlines the deals and bundles that are available for your commute to-and-from campus and across Cornwall. *  

Two mobile apps exist whereby bus deals and bundles can be purchased via First Kernow or Transport for Cornwall. You can also purchase the standard daily rate tickets via the tap-on-tap-off system on buses.  

Before purchasing any deals and bundles, it is worth considering your commuting frequency and format throughout the year. There are different bundles available that range from weekly to annual bundles.  

If you have any questions, please email the Sustainability team at sustainability@fxplus.ac.uk  

* All the deals and bundles featured in this article were available at the time of writing it, in March 2025, but may be subject to change. Please ensure you do your own research prior to making any purchase. 

Transport for Cornwall App logo
First Bus App Download

First Bus Deals and Bundles:

First Bus age classifications:  

Child age: 6-18 

Adult: 19 +  

Children under 5 travel for free 

Tap-on-tap-off fares: 

The standard tap-on-tap-off rates are below if you are travelling within the Falmouth/Penryn zone. More information on the new standard rates if you are travelling Cornwall wide (including non-students and staff).  

Adult (19+): £2.50 per journey 

Child (18 and under): £2 per journey 

Bundles & deals travelling in the Falmouth/Penryn Zone (Opens in New Tab):

These deals can only be purchased by using your university (student and staff) email address. To purchase a bundle, first download the app and register for an account using your university email address, and authenticate it as instructed.  

Once you’re registered and are signed-in, you can locate the Falmouth/Penryn Zone bundles using the same instructions as those detailed in the First Bus: Penryn and Falmouth Spring Term Bundle Deal article relating to purchasing the Unlimited Travel Penryn/Falmouth Term Time Bundle. 

Penryn & Falmouth Term Student & Staff Bundle (£110) 

If you are travelling frequently within the Falmouth/Penryn zone, this deal gives you unlimited travel for three months. Ensure you purchase this bundle as soon as it is issued to gain the full value of the money before expiry. Ensure you sign up and verify this bundle using your student or staff university email address. You can travel with this bundle on all First buses. For more information, view this deal on the First Bus app.

Penryn & Falmouth Annual Student & Staff Bundle (£280) 

If you are travelling frequently within the Falmouth/Penryn zone, this deal gives you unlimited travel from September to July. Ensure you purchase this bundle as soon as it is issued in September to gain the full value of the money before expiry. Ensure you sign up and verify this bundle using your student or staff university email address. You can travel with this bundle on all First buses. For more information, view this deal on the First Bus app.  

Cornwall Travel Commuter Club (CCTC) (£100 – was £65) 

Signing up to the Cornwall Travel Commuter Club gives you access to purchase the Falmouth and Kernow network deals (more information on these bundles below).  

Penryn Campus – Falmouth Zone (deals vary) 

You can purchase 5-day, 20-day, weekly or monthly bundles using your student or staff university email address. This deal can be used on any First bus service. Ensure you sign up to the Cornwall Travel Commuter Club prior to purchasing any of these bundles. For any more information, visit the First Bus app or contact their customer service team.  

Penryn Campus – Cornwall Kernow Network (deals vary) 

You can purchase 5-day, 10-day, 20-day, weekly or monthly bundles using your student or staff university email address. This deal can be used on any First bus service. Ensure you sign up to the Cornwall Travel Commuter Club prior to purchasing any of these bundles. For any more information, visit the First Bus app or contact their customer service team.  

Transport for Cornwall App logo
Transport for Cornwall App Download

Transport for Cornwall Deals: 

Transport for Cornwall have launched a new app that includes deals for 19–25-year-olds. Child tickets (under 19s) are set as the same price. These can be purchased by downloading the Transport for Cornwall app.  

19-25 year old bundles: 

Unlimited one day travel on buses across Cornwall: £5 

Unlimited 7 day travel on buses across Cornwall: £20  

Adult bundles: 

Adult bus bundles are available on the app based on the standard rates, however you may find bundles available via the Frist Bus app better value for money.  

Young Persons discount
Young Persons discount
Young Persons discount

About FX Plus

Falmouth Exeter Plus (FX Plus) delivers shared services for Falmouth University and the University of Exeter in Cornwall to ensure a top quality experience for students, staff and all users of Falmouth and Penryn campuses.

Our vision is to provide ‘Exceptional environments that enable talented and creative minds to thrive’.

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Travel Survey 2025

February 26, 2025

Falmouth University and the University of Exeter are delivering a campus wide travel survey to gather insights into how staff and students are travelling to and from their Cornwall and Devon campuses.

Why your Opinion Matters

Each year we survey students and staff about their experiences traveling to and from campus whether they are working there or studying. If a student, this also includes how you get to campus from your non-term-time address. This information helps us understand how we can make sustainable travel more convenient, sustainable and accessible to everyone. That means looking beyond buses and trains etc. We’re also interested in hearing your views on walking, cycling routes and what services you have access to.  

Survey responses will provide valuable information for campus planning, services and infrastructure improvement. Responses will also help improve our carbon profiling as part of the university’s net-zero strategies.  

By filling out this survey, you’re helping us understand what works and what needs to be done better. This is your opportunity to have your say and influence our future plans. 

This survey is relevant to: all staff and students at the University of Exeter, Falmouth University, FX Plus, Exeter Students’ Guild and Falmouth and Exeter Students’ Union.  

The more responses we receive, the more influential the data can be so please take a few minutes and fill it in.  

Staff Survey Link 

Student Survey Link 

For students completing the survey, twenty £50 Amazon vouchers have been allocated, split between University of Exeter, Devon campuses and Cornwall campuses including Falmouth University. 

Thank you for helping us improve our travel and transport programs

About FX Plus

Falmouth Exeter Plus (FX Plus) delivers shared services for Falmouth University and the University of Exeter in Cornwall to ensure a top quality experience for students, staff and all users of Falmouth and Penryn campuses.

Our vision is to provide ‘Exceptional environments that enable talented and creative minds to thrive’.

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First Bus: Penryn and Falmouth Spring Term Bundle Deal

December 20, 2024

The First Bus Spring Term bundle deal will be available for purchase from the 23rd of December. The bundle will then be activated for usage from the 6th of January through to the 4th of April 2025 and is priced at £110. The bundle provides unlimited travel between Falmouth and Penryn using the U1, U1A, U1E, U2, U3, U1X and the U4.

This deal is available for both students and staff, please ensure you use your student or staff email address to activate the deal via the First bus app.

Standard bus fares and other bundles are expected to rise from January 2025 onwards based on national subsidised bus fares expiring.

Below is a step-by-step guide on how to purchase the bundle. Please email our team at sustainability@fxplus.ac.uk for any other questions.

N.B. Due to a processing error, we were made aware that students and staff with Falmouth and FX Plus email domains were unable to validate their tickets. As of Friday 24 January 2025, we received confirmation from First Bus that this issue has now been resolved, and you are now able to validate your ticket. Please do this now, and within the 30 days from when you purchased the bundle. Although you will have been able to use your ticket from 6 January, failing to validate it within the 30 days will result in your ticket being cancelled. If you have any further issues, please contact First bus customer services via the online form on the website. 

Step 1:

Download the First bus app and ensure you use your student or staff email address (otherwise the bundle will not be activated).

Step 2:

Select the ‘Tickets’ tab at the bottom of the screen and then select ‘Buy’ at the top of the screen.

First Bus map

Step 3:

This will take you to a ‘select region’ option, select ‘Cornwall’.

First Bus county selection

Step 4:

Select ‘Penryn Campus’.

First bus County

Step 5:

Select ‘Student Tickets’ (this is also applicable for staff).

Student Ticket

Step 6:

Select ‘Penryn and Falmouth Spring Term’.

A screen shot of step 6 within the First Bus app where you need to select the Penryn and Falmouth Spring term bundle.

Step 7:

Purchase the bundle using your student or staff email address. Please note, the description includes bus titles ‘KUL, KUL1A etc’. Please ignore this as these will be getting updated to U1, U1A, U1E, U2, U3, U1X and the U4.

A screen shot of step 7 within the First Bus app where you can purchase the Penryn and Falmouth Spring Term bundle.

About FX Plus

Falmouth Exeter Plus (FX Plus) delivers shared services for Falmouth University and the University of Exeter in Cornwall to ensure a top quality experience for students, staff and all users of Falmouth and Penryn campuses.

Our vision is to provide ‘Exceptional environments that enable talented and creative minds to thrive’.

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