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  • 136 score
    152 voters

    New timetables for the unibus services

    Submitted 3 years ago by David Elliott
    Expired
    • Transport and Parking
    • University Sites and Campuses
    43comments
    With the new timetables on the bus services showing and then in reality only 1 bus per hour for a large part of the day I feel like this will create problems for many students getting to the university for lectures either at kedleston road or at a different site.
Oliver Babe
10:56pm on 20 Sep 21 The use of public transit is a necessity for a wide variety of students at the University of Derby. Many students cannot afford a car on their base income, thus they are limited in their options. Perhaps the university should have focused more of its budget on maintaining its current services than buying custom license plates for its security vans.
Maggie Gramala
2:34pm on 21 Sep 21 The uni needs to go back to the old bus timetable. Not only is it unreasonable to send out a bus only every hour, creating problems for people getting to lectures between sites, but it also causes an issue in regards to the pandemic. People will be crowding for the bus at every hour whilst if there was a bus every 12 minutes like before if the bus is filled and they need to wait for another its not as much of an issue. The uni should seriously rethink the bus timetabling issue as a bus per hour for most of the day is not plausible and not the resources our tuition pays for
Will Harvey
9:17pm on 21 Sep 21 The buses were too busy in the mornings when they came every 7 minutes. 1 hour intervals between buses will be awful for punctuality to lectures and will negatively affect a large number of students. This decision needs urgent review
Neil Pennell
12:48pm on 23 Sep 21 I second this. I got the bus to town a few days ago and the double decker was absolutely packed. It's a recipe for disaster.
Suzy Stevenson
2:37pm on 23 Sep 21 Comment from an anonymous student who raised the same idea on the forum: "In the busy term time, buses that come every 7 minutes are full in the mornings. Buses every 1 hour will create punctuality issues with a large amount of students. Regular buses are essential for students being able to get to lectures on time and a revision to this new timetable is needed"
Suzy Stevenson
2:48pm on 23 Sep 21 *PASSED* This idea has successfully met the threshold and as such will be discussed amongst Union Executive and a course of action pursued and reported back to you here on the Forum, attached to this thread. In the meantime, please continue to add your vote and voice to the issue and our Officer team will represent your concerns to the University.
Claire Lee
7:09pm on 23 Sep 21 Totally agree, the buses first day were full and every hour snd students were stressed and angry and upset sone walked to the end of the road and they were full so agin missed connections for trains like myself and buses not acceptable when you come to uni being told there are regular buses
Oscar Gomersall
11am on 24 Sep 21 Sent an email to the VP education about this. Got no reply about it and therefore assumed nothing would happen. I am commuting from Stoke and the uni seemed to care more about the money side of freshers than anything else. Missed 2 trains this week because of the lack of buses. Why change something that is already working well?
Nina Cupric
11:20am on 24 Sep 21 Hi everyone, as Suzy mentioned we are picking this up as an Officer Team and will be working with the university. Oscar, I did respond to your email, however it must have not reached you for some reason.
Tylae Close
3:22pm on 27 Sep 21 Totally agree, why try to fix something that wasn’t broken? I think that it puts students especially those whom commute at a great disadvantage. What service exactly is the student body paying for here? Maybe the University should shift their focus on ensuring students can adequately access the education in which they are paying for rather than spending money on refurbs and new sites.. Focus on the students that you already have - Greater transparency is needed!!
Bradley Davis
5:07pm on 27 Sep 21 This is a problem with U2 as well as U1. U2 (replaced the 4) used to be a shuttle bus that ran every 20 minutes throughout most of the day stopping at Markeaton Park, Markeaton Street and Britannia Mill. I'm perfectly fine with the new route as it now kinda serves St Chris Halls but the fact that it only runs once per hour between 10 and 4 is awful. As a student based at MS/BM, it makes me feel very isolated from all of the benefits of KR including the main library, Blends, and a large choice of shops for lunch. As the weather starts getting colder too, this will become a huge problem as I will be forced to walk to KR in the rain rather than having the option of taking the bus.
Leanne Passey
3:41pm on 28 Sep 21 The buses need to go back to there old timetable! I am currently on crutches due to recovery of an operation, I finish lectures at 12pm by the time I get to the stop the bus is already full and I have to wait another hour., which means I miss my connecting train! I stayed at the bus stop today and by 12:30 there was already a que. The bus arrived at 12:50 and was full with doors shut by 12:55! So if you did want the 1:10pm bus it was already full so you wouldn't have been able to get on it anyway!! Even one every 30 minutes would be better than this.
Lauren Burns
7:52pm on 28 Sep 21 I'm a student, a parent and I commute. I have a 7yo daughter I need to get home for. The lack of buses mean that what should take me an hour and a quarter to get home, is instead taking me up to 3 hours. I have friends on my course that are in halls who have been an hour late due to buses having to drive past as the bus is at capacity. The bus situation is causing utter chaos, never mind that they're a breeding ground for covid with how students have to pack in like sardines! We need regular buses!
Emma Moss
7:14pm on 29 Sep 21 I’m a Chesterfield campus student who occasionally attends main campus. I was planning on using unibus and train for this - but my first experience was fair from positive. By the second stop from the railway station the bus was so packed out that I felt very unsafe and wanted to get off. Cramming the buses in that way in the middle of a pandemic is a disaster. For my return journey I observed the queue for the hourly bus and realised I had no chance of getting on it even if I was prepared to, so I walked for an hour instead. Unfortunately unless there are substantial improvements to the service that - to be accurate - we were sold as part of the university package - I will be forced to use my own car instead which is not the environmentally friendly option I had hoped for.
Felix Eastell
2:25pm on 30 Sep 21 Make it make sense? We want to reduce covid transmission, not throw everyone onto the same bus, cram them in, and likely increase covid transmission. Not to mention, I tried getting on it the other day from the city center and it drove past! While this would have been inconvenient before, it's beyond that when I have to wait an hour for the next one. They were already packed when they were on the old and much more regular timetable, how does reducing them combat this?
Nicola Hempsall
5:16pm on 30 Sep 21 This new timetable is ridiculous, there were 100+ people waiting for the bus when I was at uni on Tuesday afternoon then when it came not everyone could get on so people were angry and trying to push in. Cramming a stupid amount of people onto a bus because they run every hour up until 4pm in these current times is beyond me. It's made peoples commute to uni very difficult. I will be forced to drive the long commute I have for uni which isn't what I intended to do.
Kingkaew O'Sullivan
5:52pm on 30 Sep 21 It was not a good idea by waiting 1 hour for U1, It was cold and raining, more than 100 students waiting for U1, not all students can get on the bus too. I am living in Nottingham, it took me total 3 hrs to arrive home, I'm end up having a cold and had really bad experience coming to uni.
Kate Phillips
9:02am on 1 Oct 21 I would not mind walking to KR campus now and then, if it wasn't for that bridge you have to cross to get there. If I'm not mistaken a university student died on that road on her way home from uni. It does not feel safe and every hour is not enough buses for the amount of people getting on them.
Zahirah Patel
2:12pm on 1 Oct 21 It is really frustrating with the buses being every hour. It takes me two hours to commute from my home to uni and sometimes I'm waiting 40 minutes for the bus making it nearly 3. This meant i was late for childcare. Its also becoming really cold and we as students have no choice but to wait outside as if we dont we are less likely to get on the bus as there are over 70+ other students fighting to get on the bus. Its a horrible experience and is causing many problems. It also means many people are crammed onto one bus at a time where covid is still around.
Leigh Johnson
11:07pm on 1 Oct 21 As a theatre student, I have sessions at the theatre on a morning (for now only at 10am, but will soon when my schedule shifts have to be there for 9am) and the earliest bus currently that leaves Ked to get into town is at 9:25am and its most of the time late and i always have to rush into class barely making it on time. Not to mention when my schedule starts at 9 am, I won't be able to make it. -- I do walk most days but on days where it's cold and raining I would like to have the option of catching the bus. I don't see why I can't get on the U1X that goes to the train station and get off at the first stop that it makes when it's on the way back to Ked which is right outside the bus station...
Charlize David
11:48am on 4 Oct 21 Bus infrequency was already an issue in 2019 (see "Transport Update" by Scarlet Moss), and once again it has become an issue in 2021. Yes these changes were perhaps to created during COVID, however many modules and programmes are returning to on-campus lectures, and I have recieved word only last week that my modules will change from online to in-person. Surely the unibuses should reflect this. Also this issue further contributes to environmental problem where people will rather take a taxi (since MANY dont live in halls, but very far from university sites), that increases pollution, traffic, and frankly becomes an extra cost to students.
Suzy Stevenson
12:34pm on 4 Oct 21 Comment from another student who raised the same idea on the forum "Also we are still dealing with covid I don’t think it’s suitable being cramped on one bus with loads of people all being bunched together in so much closeness where there isn’t room to even move isn’t good for our health"
Suzy Stevenson
12:35pm on 4 Oct 21 Comment from another student who raised the same idea on the forum "The bus is too crowed and sometimes if it’s full the bus doesn’t let u on meaning that your missing out on lesson or late due to the buses coming every half hour, also speaking as a pregnant lady I can’t get a seat at all and students are all standing up being pushed together against other student which is dangerous because If I get knocked about or injured it wouldn’t be good, it’s gotten that bad that people can’t get off at the right stop due to being so crowded."
Suzy Stevenson
12:37pm on 4 Oct 21 Comment from Kristina Ikonomova who raised the same idea on the forum: "It is really frustrating with the buses being every hour. Last week i was late for work, this week i couldn’t attend my lectures. It’s a very long gap. The buses were scheduled every 12 minutes last year, when barely anyone used them!"
Annie Brown
1:03pm on 5 Oct 21 The buses being only one an hour means I’m now missing classes due to the bus being too crowded and refusing to let more people on. This needs to be sorted urgently as it is affecting people’s studies. Why change something that was working?
Suzy Stevenson
10:02am on 7 Oct 21 Comment from April Adair who raised the same idea on the forum: "I wish to complain about the buses running every hour after 10.30am. I travel from Sheffield via train and a few times already I have missed the university bus by only a few minutes, this has meant I have had to wait an hour in the cold for the next bus. I have found this to be a very stressful experience as I am now having to set off even earlier in order to get to my lectures on time, I am now spending more time having to plan when to travel, which is unacceptable. This needs urgent attention!"
Suzy Stevenson
10:03am on 7 Oct 21 Comment from Tracy Arimtage who commented on a duplicate idea on the forum: "The new timetable is creating a barrier to learning. Students are arriving late and therefore stressed during lectures. Buses are crammed which given the current COVID situation is disgraceful."
Suzy Stevenson
10:04am on 7 Oct 21 Comment from Vanessa Williamson who commented on a duplicate idea on the forum: "I understand last year there was a call for more regular buses on in the evening but this is now causing issues on bus timetable from 10.30 till 3.30 . If you have a late afternoon lecture you have to wait around an hour for a bus between these times this is making student late for lectures and giving them added stress and anxiety which isn't needed in the current situation"
Jake Mander
3:11pm on 7 Oct 21 There's a new update on UdO saying the reasoning behind the changes to the timetabling made by the university were to "Reduce the impact on the environment by having fewer buses and increased the number of seats with the introduction of more double deckers". This seems to directly contradict feedback the university executive gave in response to a question asked by a student that asked if overcrowding on busses could be solved by introducing more double decker busses a couple of years back. The executive's response was something along the lines of "No, the buses look bigger, but in fact they have about the same capacity as the standard busses". It's been a while since I watched the meeting where that question was asked, but I'm almost certain that was the line the university took back then. If someone can prove me correct/wrong then please do. Whatever the case, I certainly feel the university should provide evidence of their justification and publish supporting figures to back this up. This issue has obviously impacted a lot of students and the university should be as transparent as possible with students when contemplating/going forward with sweeping changes such as these.
Keely-Mae Hales
2:11pm on 8 Oct 21 I would like the bus services to change to being more per hour or what not, as it’s unsafe crowing onto a bus…in order for me to get to university safely and on time I have to catch a train then the U1 bus, I have to get up at 5:30Am for these days leaving me quite tired. Also, if I am not able to get on the 4:10 uni bus back to the station I have to stay at the train station until 7:40pm at night waiting around for a train (my trains are every two hours) and by the time I’m getting home it’s around 8:30pm at night. Not going to lie, going to university is causing more stress and I dread going. I dread the busses and I just honestly hate having to come in. No one should have to experience the amount of anxiety I get during their university and I’m sure I’m not the only one.
Bryony Sanson
2:45pm on 8 Oct 21 Clearly the University itself has no worries about student safety. Buses are a life line when walking back at 8pm from a lecture in the dark. What about vunerable students who are not familiar with the area? Absolutely appalling response from the University.
Megan Fisher
3:10pm on 8 Oct 21 The bus issue is beyond ridiculous. One bus every hour is not enough. Today I just managed to make it onto the 1:10pm bus at 12:55pm. The doors then closed as the bus was full leaving many students who finished at 1pm or thereafter waiting over an hour for the next bus. The buses being as full as they are is leaving me feeling unsafe as a vulnerable student, I wear my facemask but the large majority of students do not. Given we are in a global pandemic the lack of in person lectures last year would have benefited from this system, but now we are all coming back in reducing the frequency is ridiculous and unsafe
Lisa Neale
3:28pm on 8 Oct 21 The current bus situation (U1) is not fit for purpose. Frequency needs to increase
Ryan Walters
5:23pm on 8 Oct 21 Why not ask each student to fill out a form to know what stop they are using, what days they need it, the time that they need to be if each of those days and what time they finish for each of those days. This means they can look at the levels of consumers for each time period and accommodate the need. They could also do something with peoples uni pass so people scan on the bus like a bus pass so that they can collect data of who is scanning on the bus, where and when so that they can see user levels
Richard Clarke
5:35pm on 8 Oct 21 The university provided are far more regular bus service to and from Derby prior to lockdown. This looks like a cost saving exercise but with a campus spread across the city and insufficient parking on site at KR it is essential to have effective transport links. If the university wants to encourage students and staff not to use their cars individually then it is important to have a link to the the town with at least one bus each quarter of an hour. Buses also stop at 9:40pm yet the library is open till 10:30 meaning students are vulnerable when walking into town in the dark. There seems to have been limited consultation on these changes.
Fay Turner-Paxton
2:33am on 9 Oct 21 The reduced service to both the U1 during the day and the U2 no longer servicing Britannia Mill during the day now in the new changes completely excludes disabled students who rely on the buses. 6 minutes (the walk from the bus stop to Brit Mill) may not be much for alot of people but those of us with disabilities may struggle with that on a bad day, the new changes have meant the options are either struggle on overcrowded buses where we can't sit down (not good for those that can't stand for long), walk when we may not be able to on some days or pay extra for a taxi from town instead which isn't helpful financially. The uni really should be doing better for people with disabilities and long term conditions of any kind who can feel they have barriers to learning already.
Jack Tymon
1:13pm on 11 Oct 21 Thank you all so much for your feedback regarding buses. We value your voice and opinion greatly and its important that you continue to share your thoughts with us as this will best help the Union represent your views. The Union will be attending a meeting with the University this Friday and any feedback which you have already shared with us will be shared. In the meantime if you have any other comments or thoughts please free to get in touch directly via email. Thankyou, Jack x
Lauren Podesta
6:57pm on 11 Oct 21 The issue with the U1 bus is unbelievable! I am a student who had to commute to derby luckily only once a week but the bus to get my train back is always packed and there’s been multiple times I have missed it meaning I miss my train. The fact that I basically had someone sat on my knee as they were packed in like sardines makes me worry about whether it is actually safe to come into uni. I seriously think there should be a bus which goes straight to the train station and back without making any other stops so that people who need to can actually catch their train rather than missing it!!
Jamie Tunnicliffe
9:13pm on 11 Oct 21 Having 1 bus an hours is not the best at all. The uni hasn’t been realistic with a new contract for buses and it’s affecting study for many students. I can understand that the uni is trying to limit busses but 1 and hour is not feasible. 2-3 an hour, that’s more realistic. With the recent change to the timetable, with the U2 now not stopping outside Brit mill, in my opinion this bus can not be called a ‘site shuttle’. I can understand the reasons for the change as a resident on the new/old street but it’s not the best. If uni want to keep the new rout for the U2, what I would suggest is to change the U1 rout to come up Ashbourne road and the a38 slip road, instead of 2 busses going up ked road. This may make it more feasible and easier for students to get to Ked from Ashbourne/markeaton site side where 2 bus opption will be available.
Dave Lochtie
4:11pm on 14 Oct 21 The union is hosting a forum to discuss transport issues as a direct result of this idea, Tuesday 26th October, 11.30-1, online, full details here - https://www.derbyunion.co.uk/ents/event/3124/
Sophie Paul
4:38pm on 19 Oct 21 The other thing as well is that it's described as the 'free unibus', but it's not free, funding from it comes partly out of our fees so at the minute loads of students are in effect paying for something that they can't use
Hafsa Ahmed
2:45pm on 25 Oct 21 There needs to be more buses in the morning between 8-9am as this is when they're the busiest and get full after a few stops which disadvantages the students waiting at the further stops. Every 15 minutes in the morning is not enough and should be every 10 minutes at least to stop overcrowding, especially in a pandemic.
Suzy Stevenson
11:49am on 28 Oct 21 The Union has taken all your feedback to the University and they have listened and affected the following changes: - U2 re-routed to add capacity to Ked Rd route as of 18th October 2021 - U1 buses doubled between Ked Rd and train station as of 25th October 2021 We will continue to listen to your feedback following these changes, please use the more recent Ideas posts if relevant and please attend the Student Voice Conference to add your opinion to a number of topics on 24th November 2021: https://www.derbyunion.co.uk/ents/event/3158/