Disappointing News Regarding KU Buses - EMAIL NOW TO VOICE YOUR SUPPORT

Hello to all you fantastic people who have supported this cause, sorry that it has been a while since you have heard from me. I hope you have had a good summer!

Unfortunately, as many of you may have seen, Kingston University has failed to sufficiently respond to criticism and calls for change regarding the introduction of a fee-paying system for the student buses. Instead of reaching out to the student body to find a sufficient compromise, they have instead continued with little change to the plan. This plan is being implemented by the university, with their only compromise being introducing a one day £2.20 unlimited travel ticket. This will still cost students £11 for five days of unlimited travel, a cost I and many of you believe is still far too high for students to pay.

Additionally, the main reason Kingston University has given for this change, alongside the sustainability of the new buses, is the higher frequency of services for students to reduce overcrowding and increase student satisfaction. However, the new timetable available on OSIS/Falcon shows some minor but no significant change in bus frequency compared to previous years of free travel. So, students are paying for a service that remains largely the same as the free one. This is incredibly unfair as we still have little control over our own bus service and are fronting the cost of plans we did not make.

You might be thinking the university has already made the decision and implemented it, what can I do?

We can continue to let the university know we are dissatisfied with the service we are receiving and want change NOW. We already pay close to £10k in tuition fees and yet are unjustly facing more costs for essential travel.

If you are a KU student, I urge you to take a few minutes and email Student Complaints  (email address below) and our Executive Director for Students to voice your concerns and wishes regarding the KU bus services and your support for this petition. One email might not seem like much, but if we all speak up about this issue, we can make a change.

studentcomplaints@kingston.ac.uk