As a Humanitas student that takes the 230 bus everyday, I have decided to start a petition to reinstate the shuttle (navetta) that the university had in place pre-pandemic. Every morning hundreds of students that start class at the same time are waiting for the bus at Abbiategrasso, with only one bus at each time slot, meaning that we have to be packed and/or wait for the next one. During the COVID pandemic, two buses would run in the morning (8,8.05, etc) but since September this is not the case anymore, so only one bus runs per time slot. This has created very crowded, unsafe and rather uncomfortable situations for students. Moreover, there is a risk of missing the bus since sometimes students are not allowed on since the bus is full. Not only students take the bus, but also hospital staff, university staff as well as patients, who might be very old and sick people, so every morning everyone is struggling to get to Humanitas University and Hospital.

This situation is aggravated by the fact that MEDTEC students come to Humanitas in this period, as they were not present here constantly throughout last year, which means we are more than what we used to be. Now, as attendance is mandatory and monitored, all students are present at all lectures. Taking all this into account, it makes sense that the capacity of the public transport system to this area should be increased, but what actually happens de facto is quite the contrary. The navetta no longer exists and the amount of public buses actually reduced after the pandemic.

In the afternoon the situation is worse than in the morning, as almost everyone travels back to the city at the same time, with minor differences. This creates a situation in which people are pushed against each other and packed inside the bus that only runs twice an hour. This is very unsafe and creates a huge risk for accidents during the bus ride as well as creating a big infectious risk for passengers.This is aggravated by the fact of masks not being mandatory on public transport anymore but Covid19 infection still being active.

Bringing back the navetta would allow students a safer and more accessible way to reach university, as making the parking free of charge did not improve the situation as most people who take the bus are regular riders who don't use a means of private transport. Also, bringing back the navetta will encourage the extended use of public transport, thus, leading to a reduced environmental impact and improved parking for students who don’t have the ability to take public transport to get to Humanitas university.

This situation must change!, somehow.