Heya,

I'm Georgia. A second-year Politics and Sociology student at Bath Spa University.

Like many Bath Spa University students, I wake up at 7, get ready, have breakfast, and walk down to a bus stop around 8 where I text my friends with my bag in hand. And like the other 30+ students already at the bus stop, we all watch 3 FULL U5 buses drive past us.

This is still around 8 in the morning.

Eventually, when a U5 bus does arrive there's standing room for a couple of students, which is often the difference between being on time and being late. Then consider the effects the lack of space, frequency, and punctuality of U5 buses must have on disabled students and students with anxiety. Something has to change.

There are over 17,000 students at Bath Spa University, and the most popular way of getting to Newton Park Campus is by getting the U5 bus, it is also the only bus that goes to Newton Park Campus. This bus service is obviously not sufficiently organized or prepared to handle the number of students who commute on a daily basis and as a result, students are late or even miss lectures and seminars although, like me, they plan to arrive early to ironically avoid the full buses.

Research from FirstGroupPLC reveals that although their profits have increased in 2023 (£902mil), they have not reinvested those profits back into their services instead they have given their profits to shareholders. For students, this means that the price of single bus tickets has also increased from around £1.20 to £1.80 but the quality of service has not improved if anything it has become worse. Ultimately, we are paying more for less.

By signing this petition, I aim to communicate with senior members of staff including The Vice Chancellor, The Student Union, and FirstBus to improve the service the U5 buses provide for us.