Oxford University Student Union cancels funding for Safety Bus

OUSU has voted to no longer support the running of the Safety Bus, which they believe to be “inadequate”.

Previously they had provided £12,000 a year to support the Brookes Union in the running of the Safety Bus. However, in a vote which took place on Wednesday night the OUSU decided that would no longer happen.

There might need to be a repaint of the buses

There is no data available about how many Oxford University students have used the bus, but a survey two years ago found that 70% of those asked had not.

Many Oxford students felt that they had had to wait too long for the bus to arrive, and a small minority believed the volunteers were “confrontational”.

The Safety Bus is staffed by volunteers from Brookes, who are not asked to sign a code of conduct before joining; this is one of the areas that OUSU wished to see reformed.

Another problem for Oxford was that the bus does not run for 25% of their term. Perhaps if they’d wished to see the running period extended, Oxford could have provided more of its own volunteers.

The orange machines are a common sight in the early hours of the morning

The bus provides a key lifeline for those nights when you don’t have enough money for a cab, or someone is too drunk for one. For a £1 donation, the Safety Bus will take you from door to door.

Last year the bus drove 20,000 miles taking people home. Tom Smith, Vice President of the Brookes Student Union, said in a statement on his blog that the Safety Bus would continue to run for Brookes students who wished to use it. What do you think about the OUSU’s decision to cut funding? Contact us at [email protected].

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