RAGE-COACH: BUS SERVICE GOES ON HOLIDAY

Students’ fury as vacation bus service fails to deliver.


As most students flew the Leamington nest for the delights of a warm home, free food and nagging parents, spare a thought for the sorry few who decided to stay on in the hope of completing the all-important essays and revision ahead of the summer term rush.

The hours they thought would be spent with their heads buried in academic papers and textbooks have instead involved standing, sitting, and in some cases, sleeping at bus stops across Leamington and the University campus.

2nd year Chemistry student, Doug Hayden, was forced to sleep at the Arts Centre stop after buses left before the timetabled slots. “Sleeping out on the street like that, I’ve never felt so vulnerable and embarrassed” he explained. “I reminded myself of my homeless hero, James Beavis, except this certainly wasn’t for charity: the only charity was me!”

Taxi for Hayden…it was his only choice

Despite The Tab making repeated requests for comment from Stagecoach, the demands for answers have so far fallen on deaf ears.

President-Elect and Welfare Officer Ben Sundell has been quick to take up the fight with Stagecoach, stating on his blog that “the service has not been good at all over this past week – and a lot of people have been put out by it.”

As the snow falls this weekend, the hardy souls who are staying for a second week are preparing themselves for the worst. Charlotte Matheson and Jess Pratt-Wavell, well known Warwick socialites, have spent the week driving in to campus to avoid the chaos. Matheson commented that “the wait for the bus is longer than it takes to get downstairs in Smack, it’s just ridiculous.”

“The buses are driving me mad”

Only time will tell if four more weeks of travel agony lies in wait for commuting students or whether Stagecoach can finally fulfil the dissertation do-ers’ holiday needs.