The University Shuttle is a quick, easy and cheap way to travel from campus to campus.

In fact, bus routes throughout Worcester city are ideally situated for students. Whether jumping on a bus to get to a lecture, visiting the Hive or just shopping in the city centre, there is no simpler, cost effective method than taking the bus.  To give students the chance to find out just how convenient this mode of transport can be, First bus will be on St John’s Campus Wednesday 12th February from 10:30am. Tickets will be sold for 35p a journey and students can buy as many as they like.

In recent years we have all become too familiar with government cuts and councils having to make their allocated funds stretch further and further. Transport has been a hot topic for the Worcestershire area over the past few months. Worcestershire County Council’s Cabinet announced a proposal to decrease bus subsidy following the reduction in Central Government funding.

A consultation was held from 8th November 2013 to 17th January 2014 to gain public feedback on the proposed bus cuts in Worcestershire. Following the 8,500 responses generated, Worcestershire Council has decided to consider the matter further. The comments received indicate just how important the bus service is to the community. Worcestershire’s many rural residents heavily rely on the service, not to mention the students, elderly and many employed commuters.

These bus routes are more than just a way to travel; they link communities, families and friends, in turn helping to decrease isolation and loneliness.  Maintain the health of the people through convenient stops near hospitals and health centres. They strengthen the economy by connecting customers to shops, bars and restaurants, and give us a more environmentally friendly way to get around. Public transport, particularly buses, can be the thread that keeps a community together.

For students that have never used, or rarely use the bus, the event on Wednesday is a fantastic opportunity to give it a trial run for very little cost, 35p per bus journey. If you tend to call a taxi to get yourself home out of habit, save the money and try the bus. Perhaps you own your own car and don’t see the point in using public transport? When you add up petrol expenses and the cost of city centre parking, plus the added hassle of battling yourself through traffic, you may find the bus a more pleasant option. Many new things have been brought in to improve the passenger experience, from priority bus lanes to real time information systems in some areas, all adding to a more efficient, convenient journey.

There are handy apps such as NetNav which will tell you when the next bus is and with a map to show you where the bus stop is. It also has train information.  So you can be in a lecture on campus and easily see its a few minutes to the next service.  It even calculates how long to get to the bus stop. Whatever your reasons may be for not using the bus service previously, the offer for University of Worcester students on Wednesday is too good to pass up.

Public services like our transport systems are essential to our communities. The best way to protect these societal backbones is to use them. It won’t just benefit us as individuals, our wallets, punctuality and stress levels, but it will also support the growth of business and maintain our contact with one another. It will ripple out into the wider communities and aid our neighbours in the more rural locations, the people most likely to lose their bus services. It supports people who are unable to drive through medical conditions, or purely due to the expense of running a vehicle. Every time we buy a bus ticket we contribute to the conservation of that service. So head to St Johns main Reception on Wednesday and give it a go.