Public Transport to/from Riverside Music College
Train
Riverside Music College is situated south of Glasgow’s city centre in Busby. The Campus is situated a 10 minute walk away from Busby train station, which sits on the Glasgow-East Kilbride line. Trains between Busby Station and Glasgow Central Station last approximately 22 minutes and run every half-hour. East Kilbride station is just under a further 10 minutes away.
Bus
The number 6 bus service is the most convenient service to use from both the city centre and East Kilbride and stops at Busby Train station, only a 10 minute walk from the Campus. Buses run every 10 minutes and the route takes you into the centre of town via Clarkston, Victoria Road and George Square.
City Centre Public Transport
Glasgow is well catered for when it comes to public transport so getting around needn’t be difficult! The city has its own recently refurbished subway system (affectionately known as the Clockwork Orange) with stops in the city centre and the west end offering the perfect travel option for students.
Buchanan Bus Station at the top of the city’s busiest street and offers links to all the major UK cities as well as a plethora of local services. Glasgow’s 2 main train stations Queen Street and Central are also both located just off busy Buchanan Street (a 5 minute walk from each other) and provide links to the whole of the UK between them. An express train from Queen Street to Edinburgh can get you there in 45 minutes and a service from Central to London can have you there in just 4 hours.
Taxis are readily available to be hailed or pre-booked in the city centre. In common with the rest of the country, private hires are generally cheaper than ‘hackneys’ and there are a number of companies offering the service. Taxi ranks can be found throughout the centre and West End.
The College and the nearby area
Busby itself is a relatively small locale with a couple of convenience stores and a pharmacy on the main street and a restaurant beside the train station, though Clarkston (the next stop on the train line and 2 minutes by car from the complex) has an array of popular eateries and shops including Tesco express, Gregg's and Pizza Hut as well as a number of independent cafes and restaurants. Giffnock, situated 10 minutes from the complex by car and 2 stops on the train, is home to the commended Whole Foods Market, for the more health-conscious!
Accommodation
Glasgow is renowned for its lively student culture and, as such, there are plenty of options available when it comes to finding a place to live while you study at Riverside. If you’re new to the city and want to meet other students the various Halls of Residence situated in the city centre are a great option. These are not affiliated with any one educational establishment so you’ll be sure to meet lots of people with different interests, making for an exciting year! Halls are especially worth considering if your time at Riverside will be your first move away from home as they offer the luxury of freedom without the worries of juggling utilities (gas, electricity etc) or council tax – giving you more time for the fun stuff! Check out www.unite-students.com/glasgow or glasgow.victoriahall.com
If you’d rather not stay in halls, there are a wealth of student flats in the city centre and the surrounding areas. Glasgow University is situated 3 miles outside of the centre in the city’s West End which offers an abundance of flats aimed at and tailored to students (NB, legally, if there are 3 or more people living together in Scotland, the property must have an HMO licence so this is worth checking out!). Strathclyde University and Glasgow Caledonian University as well as Glasgow School of Art and City College are all based in the city centre which means there is no shortage of student properties available to rent.
If you are looking for slightly more affordable rent prices, consider East Kilbride as an alternative. At just 2 stops from Busby on the train and ten minutes on the number 6 bus, it is perfect for getting to the complex easily and is still just 8 miles from Glasgow city centre or half an hour on the train.