][ LOGIN ]Here are some pointers towards making your travels in UK more of an experience and less of chore.
7.1 Finding places
7.2 Taxi
7.3 Trains
7.4 Coaches
7.5 London
7.6 Buses
7.7 Driving in the UK
7.8 Hiring or Buying a car in the UK
Royal Mail Postcode Finder: For those of you who have an address but not the
postcode.
Royal Mail Address Finder: For those you who has a postcode and would like to
know the address.
Maps of UK: How to get to a place once you have found the postcode, address, or
the name of the place.
If you do not have access to a printer to print out the maps from the above
site, you might want to invest in an A-Z (A to Z) of the particularly locality
of your interest. These are detailed road maps compiled as a book, of various
sizes, with an index of roads at the end. They are usually available at your
local new agents.
There are two basic types of taxis in UK. Black cabs and radio cars. Black cabs
can carry a maximum of five passengers and generally costs more than a radio
car. Normal radio taxi cars can carry up to four passengers. Recent years have
seen the introduction of seven seater family recreational vehicle type cars as
taxis. So, if you are five or carrying a lot of luggage, ask for a black cab or
a seven seater. For taxi numbers in your area please try the Yellow Pages.
National Train Enquiries: 08457 48 49 50
Train tickets can also be bought at www.thetrainline.com. This site also
includes information on train times and fares.
Also given below is a list of contact details of some of the main UK train companies:
Arriva trains Wales: 0870 900 0773
Central trains: 0870 609 6060
Chiltern Railways: 08456005165
Eurostar: 08705186186
First Great Western Link: 08457300700
First Scot Rail: 08457550033
Great North Eatern Railway: 08457225225
Midland Mainline: 08457125678
Northern: 08456007245
Thameslink Rail: 08453306333
Virgin Trains: 084572223333
For further information visit www.nationalrail.co.uk
Another excellent, comparatively cheap, way to travel in UK. The network of coaches is even more extensive than that of rail. There are many different coach operators. National Express is one of the main coach operating companies in the UK. Scottish Citylink is a major coach company operating only within Scotland.
The contact details of National Exrpess are:
Tel: 08705 808080 between 08:00 and 20:00
Website: www.nationalexpress.com
The national express runs fun fares throughout the year, which can be as cheap as just £1 to travel from London to the North of England. Once you know when you want to travel, it is best to check the website of National Express as early as possible in order to find cheap fun fares.
One other major bus companies famous with students is Megabus
The contact details of Megabus are:
Tel: 0901 331 0031
Website: www.megabus.com/uk/
London is one of the busiest cities in the world. Traveling in London is nothing like traveling in any other city in the UK. It is more complex and takes longer to travel since it is the biggest in UK.
For more information about transport in London visit the Transport for London website: http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/
From this website, you can find all the information about London Buses, London Underground, Dockland Light Railways, Rails, trams and Coaches operating within London.
Almost all the cities in the UK have buses as the main public transport method. There are three main bus operators. The largest is First, then Stagecoach and them Arriva.
For more information about bus services visit:
To drive a car in the UK, you need to have a driving license, as in other countries. If you do not have any driving license, you must have been studying in the UK for at least 6 months before taking a driving test or applying for a full license. If you have a driving license which you got from Maldives, you need to know some important information, which is given below.
If you have a driving license from the Maldives, you can use your valid driving license or international driving permit for up to one year from the date that you arrived in the UK. If you wish to drive for a longer period than one year you have to apply for a provisional UK license and then take a driving test. If you pass, you will then have two licenses.
If you want to take a license from scratch, you need to take driving lessons by contacting a driving school or special agencies who teach how to drive (see the Yellow Pages). Typical rates for an hour of driving are £20-£30. You will typically have to take about 40-60 lessons before you can take the tests. During your driving lessons as well you need to have the provisional license with you.
A provisional license allows you to drive before you have passed you UK driving test. It shows that you are preparing to take a driving test. When driving on a provisional license you must obey certain rules:
- when driving using a provisional license you must be supervised. The person who supervises you must be at least 21 years old and have a full EC license for the appropriate category of the vehicle for at least 3 years
- you are not allowed to drive on a motorway with a provisional license.
The theory test has two parts: a multiple choice test followed by a test of your hazard perception skills. You have to pass both parts of the theory tests at the same sitting in order to receive your theory test pass certificate
The driving test is straightforward and is designed to see if you drive safely and know the Highway Code and can demonstrate this trough your driving
For further information for car and motorcycle license and drivers visit:
F you do not want to buy a car but need the use of a car, you can hire one. To hire a vehicle you need to hold a valid driving license. There are a lot of ways to hire a car. You can hire a car through an agency or broker (such as STA travel), contact a car hire company directly (see yellow pages or Thompson Directory) or join a ‘car club' such as WhizzGo on www.whizzgo.co.uk
If you want to buy a car you could purchase a new or used car, depending on how much money you have got! You should remember to budget for all the costs of buying a car and a running a car, which includes:
For further information visit www.dvla.gov.uk, (email: drivers.dvla@gtnet.gov.uk) or phone +44(0) 8702400009, Fax +44(0)1792783071 the DVLA, which is the Government agency responsible for maintain the database of drivers, number plates and car registrations of all the drivers and vehicles registered in the UK.
You can also write to them if
required at:
DVLA-Head Office
Swansea, Wales, SA6 7JL
Advertise on this site
Copyright 2006, Maldivian Student's Association - UK.