Students have there say on the axe of the free University shuttle bus.

Express & Star

Our Dan was out at Wolverhampton University today to see what students had to say about the upcoming axe to the free University shuttle bus that transports students between sites.

Transcript

00:00We're standing here outside of the University of Wolverhampton where we've been talking

00:05to students about the axe and at the end of the month of the free shuttle services between

00:09campuses.

00:10Yeah, we spoke to a few students today, some who travel in, some who don't, and they all

00:17think that it's just one of the services that should remain, should remain free and remain

00:21free for the students.

00:23It's obviously, they're saying that it's going to be, it's obviously going to be a huge bit

00:27of budgeting that they're also going to think about, that it's just another thing to add

00:31to the cost of living crisis that's already hitting their pockets quite deeply.

00:35They have called on trying to keep the services and maybe taking the money from somewhere

00:39else, even funding some services themselves so that they can keep the bus service, but

00:45it's meant to run out at the end of the month, but we'll see what happens if they open discussions

00:49up with students.

00:51So here outside the University of Wolverhampton we have Boudin, who's a university student

00:55here.

00:56What do you study at the moment?

00:58Biomedical Science.

00:59Biomedical?

01:00Masters.

01:01It's a real course that isn't it?

01:02Yeah.

01:03So you said that, you did say just that you don't currently use the bus service, but you

01:05have used the shuttle service before.

01:07Obviously, what's your opinion on the action of the shuttle service?

01:10Actually the thing is, the bus is really useful for the students because I'm not using the

01:18bus because I'm studying in the city campus, but my friends, a lot of my friends who are

01:24studying in Telford and Walsall campuses, they are using the bus because they are staying

01:29in here and they have to go for the lectures in these campuses, so I find it quite useful,

01:37the bus service is, but these days it's not in the service, it's not in the service, but

01:46the thing is, my opinion is that service is really important for the students, really

01:55useful for the students, for the studies and it's easy because catching the normal transport

02:01system is quite a little bit difficult, but this bus system is really easy, so time for

02:12the, to present in the lecture at time, so I find this service is quite useful.

02:25Absolutely, and they're saying that the alternative is to catch the 529 into Walsall or the bus

02:31that travels into Telford, but obviously that's going to be an added cost onto students that

02:35are already student.

02:36Yeah, and this bus service was free for the students, so by the financial side it's also

02:45cost effective for the students especially, but now they have to catch the bus to Walsall

02:54or Telford and it's like, for Telford I think for that bus it takes like one hour, more

03:02than one hour to reach the campus, I think, yeah, but this bus, university bus service

03:07it's like 30-40 minutes you can go to Telford, so I really appreciate if they can again restore

03:19the service.

03:20Hopefully keep it.

03:21Yeah, hopefully, hopefully, yes.

03:22Well, this is fantastic, thank you very much, that's perfect, fantastic.

03:25So here we have Alicia, who's a sociology student, so yeah, just as far as money goes,

03:32it's obviously going to be a huge expense for the students, it's just another expense

03:40to pay for at the end of the day, isn't it?

03:42Yeah, what's your take on it?

03:43I think it would be quite stressful because I feel like if the buses were originally free

03:48and then people are then, like they're changing it, then that's like another expense, like

03:53you only get a certain amount each year, so then you're having to like put that expense

03:58like when you didn't already have it, I think it would be quite stressful, and then also

04:01like as a student you can go to uni and then back home like quite a few times, so I feel

04:07like if you're having to buy a bus like three times a day, that can add up so quickly, then

04:12you have less money for like other stuff, I just think it's quite stressful, especially

04:15because like you didn't have to pay for it and then you did, I think, it's a bit annoying.

04:19It's an extra bit of budgeting that you just have to focus into.

04:21Definitely.

04:22I mean, how much a student passes for the buses these days, they're hundreds, aren't

04:27they?

04:28I know, I can't believe, and it's like for what, it's like a five-minute journey or something,

04:31it's like no!

04:32And especially if you're on these courses where you've got to travel between Wolverhampton

04:36to Walsall or Wolverhampton to Telford, that's going to rack up a bit of costs.

04:41So is it something that you think they realistically could do with keeping for students?

04:45Definitely, yeah, because it's like, it's students after all, I feel like there's so

04:49much talk around like, oh keeping stuff cheap for students, so I think it's kind of ironic

04:53to then take away such an essential thing, like it's an everyday expense, it's not like,

04:59you know, an activity, like a luxury activity, it's like buses, like, I think you already

05:04have like your budget and then I think it's just, yeah, I imagine it would be like disappointing,

05:09stressful, like, yeah, I just don't think it's fair.

05:12I mean, I found it a bit surprising that they said they were going to take away this service

05:15to try and put the money into all of our student services, which is a bit, I feel like this

05:21service is quite important to students, you know.

05:24Definitely, yeah, and I feel like if they are then, I feel like because it's for students'

05:28money, if they're doing it for so-called students, then I feel like that should be a discussion

05:32with them and with the students.

05:34They can't say like, oh we're doing this for you, like, have you asked the students, because

05:37I feel like a lot of students would be upset by this, like, if it's going to be for the

05:41students, I feel like students should have an input on like where their money is going.

05:45Absolutely, fantastic, thank you very much for talking to us, that's brilliant.

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