Bus campaign wheels keep on turning

The much-publicised Taken for a Ride campaign is showing its first signs of success this week, after Andy Glyde, Students’ Union Governance and Finance officer, met the Managing Directors of both Stagecoach Warwickshire and Travel Coventry.

The campaign, which began at the start of Term Three was born from thousands of student’s complaints of constantly rising fares on both bus services. As a result, a temporary free day time bus was launched.

However, this could evidently not continue and so Glyde’s two meetings with Steve Burd, of Stagecoach Warwickshire, and Bernard Delaney, from Travel Coventry, was seen as a very necessary move.

Glyde felt that the meetings were successful, describing the occasions as “incredibly constructive”. Previously angry students will be pleased to hear that, “Both Stagecoach and Travel Coventry showed a willingness and a desire to work with the Students’ Union and the University on delivering the best bus service they can for the campus.

“They listened to our concerns regarding buses and were, at least, willing to explain themselves if not suggest how improvements could be made”.

Bus fares had been the greatest point of contention between the bus companies and the SU, with the price of a return ticket once rising to £3.05 earlier this year. This figure was dismissed as nothing more than a ‘blip’.

Both companies said there would not be any hugely significant changes in fares as there seem to have had been in the academic year from 2008-9. Travel Coventry assured Glyde that its prices would definitely not rise for the rest of this year.

However, it was apparent that fares were not the only issue that the student body had with the respective travel companies.

Stagecoach Warwick has been criticised for issues regarding night services, in particular those journeys that take place after midnight.

Burd promised to investigate whether the £1 surcharge for Unirider card holders was entirely necessary and if there was a possibility of standard return tickets being used after 12am.

There was also discussion of the claims that students living in North Leamington and Kenilworth find it impossible to get a bus to the University, after it has been filled with those who live in South and Central Leamington Spa.

The chief concern too was addressed –that of making the termly passes better value for money. The Stagecoach representative assured Glyde that he would make sure this issue too is examined.

Whilst the Stagecoach buses are seen as rather reliable, Travel Coventry services are not. However, Delaney told Glyde that he and his company would continue to work through this issue to the best of their ability, as they had already been doing.

Glyde was full of praise for all Warwick students who had been involved in the campaign, stating that, “Without all the hard work everyone put into the campaign, we would never have been able to get a seat at the table with them”.

Despite this initial success, Glyde admitted that, “We now need to build on this in order to secure the best deal possible for students who rely on the buses”.