Travel
Find out about the best ways to get about and travel sustainable. Check out the EdgeLink (EL1) bus timetable, see how to sign up to car share and find out more about public transport options.
Journey planning
It’s not always easy to know what transport options are available for your journey, particularly when making the transition from the car to other modes of transport.
Here are a selection of the best journey planners to help you plan a smooth and convenient journey:
National Rail Cycle Streets traveline.infoEdgeLink bus
The EdgeLink bus (EL1) offers a fast and reliable service straight to campus during term-time, free when you show your Unicard. Catch the EdgeLink bus at Ormskirk bus station for a direct link to Edge Hill, this is great if you live in Ormskirk or arrive at Ormskirk bus or train station.
EdgeLink bus routeFrom Monday 25 September 2023 to Friday 6 October inclusive (with the exception of Sunday 1 October 2023) the bus will run an extended night service with the last bus from Ormskirk bus station departing at 1:05am.
Timetable
Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday
| Ormskirk bus station, stand 4 | 7.25am | 7.45am | 08:05am | Then at these times each hour | 25 | 45 | 05 | Until | 9.25pm | 9.45pm | 10.05pm |
| *Ormskirk Playing Fields | 7.26am | 7.46am | 08:06am | 26 | 46 | 06 | 9.26pm | 9.46pm | 10.06pm | ||
| Edge Hill University | 7.28am | 7.48am | 8.08am | 28 | 48 | 08 | 9.28pm | 9.48pm | 10.08pm | ||
| Edge Hill Creative Edge | 7.33am | 7.53am | 8.13am | 33 | 53 | 13 | 9.33pm | 9.53pm | 10.13pm | ||
| Ormskirk Bus Station | 7.39am | 7.59am | 8.19am | 39 | 59 | 19 | 9.39pm | 9.59pm | 10.19pm |
Wednesday
| Ormskirk bus station, stand 4 | 7.25am | 7.45am | 08:05am | Then at these times each hour | 25 | 45 | 05 | Until | 12.25am | 12.45am | 1.05am |
| *Ormskirk Playing Fields | 7.26am | 7.46am | 08:06am | 26 | 46 | 06 | 12.26am | 12.46am | 1.06am | ||
| Edge Hill University | 7.28am | 7.48am | 8.08am | 28 | 48 | 08 | 12.28am | 12.48am | 1.08am | ||
| Edge Hill Creative Edge | 7.33am | 7.53am | 8.13am | 33 | 53 | 13 | 12.33am | 12.53am | 1.13am | ||
| Ormskirk Bus Station | 7.39am | 7.59am | 8.19am | 39 | 59 | 19 | 12.39am | 12.59am | 1.19am |
Saturday
| Ormskirk bus station, stand 4 | 08.05am | 8.25am | 8.45am | Then at these times each hour | 05 | 25 | 45 | Until | 4.05pm | 4.25pm | 4.45pm | 5.05pm | 5.25pm |
| *Ormskirk Playing Fields | 08.06am | 8.26am | 8.46am | 06 | 26 | 46 | 4.06pm | 4.26pm | 4.46pm | 5.06pm | 5.26pm | ||
| Edge Hill University | 8.08am | 8.28am | 8.48am | 08 | 28 | 48 | 4.08pm | 4.28pm | 4.48pm | 5.08pm | 5.28pm | ||
| Edge Hill Creative Edge | 8.13am | 8.33am | 8.53am | 13 | 33 | 53 | 4.13pm | 4.33pm | 4.53pm | 5.13pm | 5.33pm | ||
| Ormskirk Bus Station | 8.19am | 8.39am | 8.59am | 19 | 39 | 59 | 4.19pm | 4.39pm | 4.59pm | 5.19pm | 5.39pm |
Holiday
Sunday and Bank Holidays – No service
Ticket prices
Free with staff or Student ID card or Edge Hill Sport membership card or wristband.
This service is financially supported by Edge Hill University and operated by Stagecoach.
You can track the bus using the Stagecoach app, which can be downloaded from the Stagecoach website.
Route
The EdgeLink travels from Ormskirk bus station along St Helens Road where it stops at the Playing Fields stop if requested. It then enters campus via the Visitors’ Entrance and stops at the bus shelter between Palatine Court and Forest Court, before stopping outside Creative Edge. The bus then proceeds through Car Park C and exists via the staff and student entrance. It returns via St Helens Road to Ormskirk bus station.
Please note that the bus cannot stop for passengers to join or leave the service at locations other than those listed above.
Cycling
Cyclists who work or study at Edge Hill University may join the Bike Locker Users’ Club (BLUC) in order to store their bike in any of the BLUC lockers on campus.
Sheffield stands and wall-mounted racks are all available for use free of charge at our Ormskirk campus.
Showers are available free of charge at the new Edge Hill Sports Centre and the Faculty of Health and Social Care.
Bike locker user group
To join the club, visit the store and purchase your £10 deposit.
Collect your BLUC key from the Facility Management (FM) Helpdesk in the Durning Centre, making sure to show the receipt for your deposit.
- Use the BLUC key to open any empty locker and reverse your bike in to the door. Lock using your personal padlock. Keep the BLUC padlock safe until you return. When you collect your bike, you must replace your own padlock with the BLUC padlock to allow other people to use the locker.
- The BLUC works on a shared use system, rather like a car park. The locker will not become your personal bike locker.
- You must always use your own padlock when your bike is inside one of our lockers. This ensures that no one else can gain access to the locker and more importantly to your bicycle
- When you have finished with the locker and you have removed your bike, you must put the Edge Hill University padlock back on the locker so that another BLUC member can use the facility when you are not using it.
- If you lose your BLUC key you will need to purchase a replacement via the online store.
- If you lose the BLUC padlock please report it to FM Helpdesk in person or call 01695 58(4455) so we can organise a replacement.
- If you leave your padlock on an empty locker Edge Hill University reserve the right to remove it. This will result in the withdrawal of your deposit and suspension of your membership.
- If you want to give up your membership you will need to return your BLUC key to the FM Helpdesk, Durning Centre. Once your key has been returned we will authorise the return of your deposit to the card you originally paid with (this can take several days).
- See our terms and conditions for more information about BLUC
Bus
A number of buses connect Ormskirk to the surrounding area.
A-Z destination finderTickets
Arriva North West Student Saver – save more than 30% on fares and benefit from unlimited travel on Arriva buses, including evening and weekends.
Arriva North West Saver – choose from a variety of tickets including a Day Saver, Weekly Saver, 4-Weekly Saver and Annual Saver to take advantage of discounted travel.
Stagecoach Megarider – 4, 13 and 52 week saver tickets are available to purchase. The Preston Megarider and North West Megarider Gold include travel to Ormskirk within their zones.
Staff can apply for an interest free loan from the University to help with the purchase of an annual Season Ticket..
Train
From Ormskirk train station there is a regular service running to and from Preston and all stations to Liverpool.
Liverpool to Ormskirk Preston to Ormskirk- Season tickets like Railpass and the student GEMPass are some of the cheapest ways to travel on the Merseyrail network.
- Season tickets outside the Merseyrail network are also available for seven days or any period between one month and a year. Annual Season Tickets save you the most money with 12 weeks free travel each year. Use the National Rail Season Ticket Calculator to compare prices.
- Use your season ticket for leisure, as well as commuting, within valid purchased area.
- Staff can apply for an interest free loan from the University to help with the purchase of an annual Season Ticket.
The Merseyrail App is available to download from the iTunes App Store and from Google Play for Android.
- For off-peak travel after 9:30am there are some great value saver tickets which offer unlimited travel across the whole of the Merseyrail network.
Use Northern Rail’s Season Ticket Calculator to compare prices.
All Merseyrail and some Northern Line car parks are free to rail passengers.
Merseyrail have just opened 2 brand new free passenger car parks on the Wirral. Both lines go directly to Liverpool Central & Moorfields where you can catch regular connecting trains for Ormskirk. Save on tunnel and petrol fees, or shorten your journey time by avoiding the traffic.
- Bidston expanded to 197 spaces
- Birkenhead North with 256 spaces
Free, secure cycle storage at many Merseyrail and Northern line stations.
Merseyrail trains have designated areas for cyclists situated at both ends of the train. They advise against travelling with a bicycle during peak times due to congestion issues on board the train.
Northern Rail trains can carry a maximum of two bikes per train, allocated on a first come, first served basis. Conductors maintain the right to refuse entry if the train is busy.
Use the journey planning websites for help devising your route.
From Ormskirk train station you can get to the Ormskirk campus in a variety of ways:
Bus: From Ormskirk train station take the pedestrian walkway to Ormskirk bus station and connect with the Edge Link bus, from stand 5, for a direct route to Campus.
Walk: Turn right from the station and walk up the road you are on, Station Approach. At the top turn left, then first right. Walk along Stanley Street and Knowsley Road, across two junctions and turning left onto St Helens Road, until you reach the Campus.
Car parking
Our travel plan encourages staff, students and visitors to travel to the University by sustainable means wherever possible.
Parking on campus is limited and reserved for permit holders.
We try to manage our parking spaces fairly. Only members of staff and registered students may apply for a parking permit and eligibility criteria applies based on the distance travelled and the availability of public transport.
Our Car Parking Policy includes details of the eligibility criteria for parking permits, arrangements for disabled parking and other parking facilities in Ormskirk.
If you are a student coming to study at Edge Hill for the first time you will need to formally enrol on your course and receive your student number before you can apply.
Registered staff and students may check their eligibility and apply for a parking permit via Request parking permit- Edge Hill.
Car sharing
Car sharing is when two or more people share their journey and travel together.
It allows people to benefit from the convenience of the car whilst saving money by reducing mileage and petrol costs, alleviating parking problems, congestion and pollution.
The University has created two private groups within liftshare.com (the UK’s largest car sharing website) specifically for members of staff and students. It enables staff and students to search for potential matches and car share more easily.
The liftshare.com groups are completely FREE to join and use and you don’t even need your own car. Many drivers are happy to offer a lift in exchange for a contribution to petrol costs
Staff sign up Student sign upGetting started
- Sign up online for the staff or student scheme
- Activate your account
- Search for a potential car share match. If your journey is not matched, it will be logged and you will be notified once a potential match is found. Alternatively you can opt to search for a match from the national database.
- Reserve a parking space. If at least 2 people arriving in a car together both hold valid Car Parking Permits you can reserve a parking space.
If you are not eligible to use the reserved parking facility for car sharers you can still join the private groups within liftshare.com and car share, but you must park elsewhere on campus in accordance with your parking permit.
How do I qualify for a reserved parking space?
- At least two people arriving in a car together must both hold valid car parking permits to reserve a parking space.
- You must reserve your space in advance using the online booking system.
- You must display two valid parking permits on the windscreen on arrival – one for each car sharer in the vehicle.
- There must be at least two people in the vehicle on arrival.
How do I reserve a parking space?
- Reserve your space on Reserve a parking space for car sharers- Edge Hill University (you will need to have two car parking permit numbers or usernames to book).
- Arrive on campus before 10am (students via main entrance / staff via visitors entrance).
- Provide the car parking attendant with your booking confirmation number and they will direct you to your reserved space.
What else do I need to know?
- The space will be held for you until 10am after which time it will be released for general use.
- You must have the same two car parking permits on display that you used to reserve the space.
- Spaces can be reserved up to 4pm for parking the following day and up to two weeks in advance.
- Abuse or misuse of this facility may result in individual permit holders being excluded from using it.
Members of the Edge Hill staff car share group may make use of the Guaranteed Ride Home scheme. The scheme ensures that registered staff members are able to get home in the event of an emergency or unforeseen circumstances.
Car sharing Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
No, many people are happy to offer lifts in exchange for sharing the fuel costs. You can register your journey as ‘seeking a lift’ if you do not have a car or if you are ineligible for a parking permit.
No, choose to share as many days a week as you like. We recommend that you come to an agreement that works for everyone, which can change on a weekly basis.
All members’ details are stored securely in the database and only the members intended travel information can be accessed by other members.
We would always advise you to::
- Avoid exchanging home addresses with you travelling companion before you meet them
- Arrange to meet in a public place
- Inform a friend or family member of who you will be travelling with, when and to where
- Make sure you show each other a form of ID such as a driving license, so you know you’re travelling with the right person
Remember you are under no obligation to go ahead with sharing a journey. If you have any doubts about your travelling companion, for any reason, you should avoid travelling with them.
You need to advise your car share partner as soon as possible so they can make alternative arrangements.
There are various ways in which this can be done:
- On a reciprocal basis, where you drive one week and the next week your car share partner drives, or
- Drivers and passengers split the cost of petrol. Passenger contributions should be arranged before travel and should not exceed the running costs (including wear and depreciation) of the vehicle for the trip. Liftshare’s savings calculator can assist in working out an appropriate sum of money to compensate your fellow sharer(s). Please note that drivers should not make a profit from car sharing as this can invalidate their insurance and tax. If you have any concerns please contact your insurance company direct.
The Association of British Insurers (ABI) clearly states that car sharing won’t affect the insurance of their members so long as a profit isn’t made:
“Giving Lifts – All ABI motor insurers have agreed that if your passengers contribute towards your running costs your insurance will not be affected, as long as lifts are given in a vehicle seating eight passengers or less. This agreement does not apply if you make a profit from payments received or if carrying passengers is your business“
The Association of British Insurers (ABI)
Drivers with any concerns should check with their insurance company as terms and conditions may vary between insurance providers over time.
Yes, through the advanced search you can select ‘only male’ or ‘only female’ matches.
Liftshare is designed to help you find someone to share with. However, it is not a requirement of car sharing and it is not a requirement to reserve priority parking.
If you are not eligible for a Car Parking Permit you can still join the Edge Hill staff or student car share groups but you will not be allowed to reserve a parking space. If your partner has a valid Car Parking Permit then you are free to park elsewhere on campus in accordance with the car park policy.
If neither of you are eligible for a Car Parking Permit you may not park on campus but may choose to park in the surrounding area. Please see parking in Ormskirk for further information.