SU President Blog

Prize freezes, service level increases and 24 hour buses!

Almost exactly a year ago, I wrote a blog detailing all the changes we had negotiated over the summer 14/15, and now I do so once again, approaching the end of the summer 15/16.

Once again, the Students’ Union and the University have negotiated on a range of levels with stakeholders including the Local Authority and multiple service providers to make sure we improve the services to campus again.

I am however, going to start with this…

• Bath is not a city designed to move people around on mass.
• The Students’ Union and the University do not manage the buses.
• Campus has quite literally thousands of people an hour arriving and departing from it.

So, let’s get going with updates:

Wessex

• There are no changes to ticket prices whatsoever – this is a real terms saving in cost.
• All passes are valid on all services provided by Wessex.
• Service provision is increasing from every 11 minutes to every 9 minutes between 07:20 – 19:00 Monday – Friday (term time).
• Additional buses will be located on the route in Bath to support high levels of demand, these services will be deployed specifically to bus stops and then operate as a vehicle on the route until demand is reduced.
• Wessex will continue to run the U18, X18, 20A/C and U10 services.
• Wessex buses are red, with stars on the front.

First

• All this information can be found on the following weblink: www.bathunibus.com.
• Pass structures have altered, along with the prices of these passes.
• Tickets which are purchased on the bus and as 10/20 journey tickets are not affected by price changes.
• The 18 will now be known as the U1.
• First operations running to the University will be known as UniBus.
• U1 buses will be purple.
• Oldfield Park - A 24 hour service will operate from Oldfield Park using the bendy buses following an identical route as currently in place. This service has 8 buses on the route running between 07:00 – 03:00. Between 03:00 and 07:00 a service will run every 30 minutes.
• City Centre – AM Peak – Starting at Avon Street Car Park and following the normal route to the Guild Hall/Abbey at which point instead of circling around, the bus will continue over the bridge to Great Pultney St., turn right onto Edward St. and then over the roundabout and up Bathwick Hill to Campus. The bus will return down Bathwick Hill and resume a normal route, but circling at Avon St. Car Park to run again.
• City Centre – PM Peak - Buses will begin at the Guild Hall/Abbey and take the same route to campus as in the AM, but on return to the city, at the end of North Parade turn right and return to the Abbey Stop.
• City Centre – 4 double decker buses will run on this service, with exact peak hours yet to be defined.

Bugler

• Have withdrawn their contract providing services to the University.

Complaints

Wessex: comments@wessexbus.com @wessexbus Facebook.com/wessexbuses

First: contact.westofengland@firstgroup.com @FirstBSA Facebook.com/FirstWestofEngland

As ever, get in touch with any feedback you have!

We have agreed to construction of a crossing at the top of Bathwick Hill heading towards Widcombe from the University to support those walking/cycling, and are looking at the cover provided at campus bus stops to protect you from the wet weather!

Jordan x