Travelling to College

Financial support for bus travel

For those who are in receipt of financial support from the college, or if you feel you need help with the cost of travel and other college costs, please email finance.support@easterneducationgroup.ac.uk 

• Your household income must be below £30k to be eligible for support with travel and other costs associated with your studies.
• If your household income is between £30k and £40k and reside over 3 miles from the college, you may be able to apply for travel on our college-run routes (other restrictions may apply).

Timetable stops

• Haverhill
• Linton
• Soham
• Burwell
• Occold
• Mundford
• Bottisham
• Lakenheath
• Debenham

• Tickets are sold on a first come first served basis. 
• There are two bus pass options available for the Spring Term for West Suffolk College students only:

  Three Day Pass: £249
  Four Day+ Pass: £408

• Follow the steps to create your Zeelo account. Please create the account in your name, by using your email address or whichever address you would like to receive future comms about the service. After which, you can add the names of the those who will be using the bus to travel to and from college.
• Book onto specific journeys to and from the stop closest to your home to college
• You will receive your tickets via email to show the driver, or, if the student does not have a smartphone, they can just say their name when boarding the bus
• If there are no convenient stops, please use the 'request a stop option'. Zeelo continually review the routes and always look to optimise and improve the service for all riders; every stop is reviewed by a member of the team and we will look to accommodate new stops where possible.

FAQs

Who can use the college bus service?
This service is available to students attending West Suffolk College and Abbeygate Sixth Form College and is operated by Zeelo, on their Konectbus services

What is Zeelo?
Zeelo is a dedicated home-to-college transport provider offering:
• An online booking platform
• 24/7 customer support
• Live vehicle tracking
• Status notifications for every service

How do I book a seat?
Tickets can be purchased directly from Zeelo. Visit the link on the Travelling to Campus page of the college website to access the booking portal.

What ticket options are available?
Only termly tickets are available. These provide a guaranteed seat for the full term. There are no annual passes or ticket bundles.

Is there a reduced ticket option for part-time students?
We are currently exploring a reduced ticket option for part-time students at West Suffolk College. Updates will be shared once confirmed.

How do students board the bus?
Students use the Zeelo app to access their digital ticket, which is scanned when boarding.

Will the routes remain the same for next year?
Routes are reviewed regularly. If your area isn’t currently served, you can use Zeelo’s “request a stop” feature. All requests are reviewed and considered for future updates.

What if I have feedback or concerns?
Please contact Zeelo directly via:
• Live chat on their website
• Email: contact@zeelo.co
• Phone: 0330 808 3306

Is financial assistance available?
Yes. Bursaries including a new travel bursary are available to help with transport costs. Visit the Financial Support page on the college website for details.

Can I get a refund if I stop using the bus?
No, payments for college bus passes are non-refundable once issued. Refunds will only be considered in exceptional circumstances, such as a student permanently withdrawing from the college or experiencing serious medical issues that prevent continued travel

What if I lose my phone, or the battery dies?
You will need to speak with the bus driver who will be able to manually sign you on bus.

If I do not achieve the required qualifications and decide to withdraw my college application, am I eligible for a refund on my bus ticket?
Yes, a full refund will be provided as long as the ticket remains unused, and your withdrawal takes place before the academic year begins.

Get in touch

If you have any enquires relating to College or public bus routes, please email transport@easterneducationgroup.ac.uk 

Please take a moment to look at our FAQs on the bus service.

Other bus tickets

There are a number of publicly available bus routes which provide easy access for students from a wide area. Please refer to www.suffolkonboard.com for more details. Some of the commercial companies who provide the bus services on behalf of Suffolk County Council offer their own discounts and travel passes for students:

Public bus routes

• Konectbus | Term tickets for Abbeygate and West Suffolk College - for travel to and from places including Clare, Great Cornard and Sudbury.
• Coach Services - for travel to and from Thetford.