New bus services offer students free travel

Twenty new bus services between campus and Coventry are being launched this week, the Students’ Union and University have announced.

As well as improvements to Travel Coventry’s number 12 service, which will now have more buses during peak times and weekends, the new bus services will begin this week as part of a partnership between the University and Travel de Courcey. A separate bus service will also link the main campus to Wellesbourne campus and also links to the Tile Hill railway station. Also included in the new bus service is the W1, an hourly service that will link main campus with Coventry city centre and the railway station.

From April until 4 July, staff and students will be able to travel on the Travel de Courcey services for free with their University ID card. From 4 July onwards, “fare rates will be set by the University and staff and students will pay a subsidised/discounted rate significantly less than the current commercial rate”, according to the University of Warwick’s Transport Manager, Graham Hine. Hine also told the _Boar_, “We’ve been planning this new bus service for two years now… it is part of our strategy for more and better bus services”, and added: “It’s all part of a longer term plan to develop the bus service.”

General Manager of Travel de Courcey Bob Wildman said: “It is a huge step forward in providing staff and students at the University with the opportunity to use bus services that have never been available before.”

Students’ Union President Daniel Stevens commented: “We’re very happy, it’s certainly a step in the right direction and will be incredibly useful around exam time. However, it’s only one step in fixing the entire problem.” When asked why the University decided on a partnership with Travel de Courcey instead of the Travel Coventry service, Stevens explained: “The University had to tender the entire process so they went for the service that gave the best deal. It’s also a local company and is all family-run, rather than a bigger company that may only be concerned with profit. There are definitely [more] plans in the pipeline, which should be ready by the next academic year.” He also added: “Hopefully students won’t be taken for a ride in the future.”

Student response about the new bus service was generally positive, but certain issues were raised. Maths student Kat Sroga commented: “It looks pretty good, but annoying because I have a year-long bus pass so the fact that it’s free doesn’t really help much.” Biomedical Science student Christopher Sharp told the _Boar_: “I will [use it] when I can but my morning lectures probably mean that I’m going to have to get the 12 or risk being late.”

Second-year Accounting and Finance student Rebekah Ingham said: “I fully intend to use the service… the timetable could do with later buses – a big issue is the early finish of the 12 buses in the evening. Only those in cars and on-campus can utilise the Learning Grid’s 24/7 opening times and, indeed, the Copper Rooms would see an increase with a better transport system… [However], I think this is a good step in the right direction.”