Public Transport - opinion piece
As a student in Manchester I am extremely concerned with saving my money! When first arriving in the city I was absolutely amazed to discover that the bus companies such as UK North, Magic Bus and Finglands offered weekly bus passes at just £2. I was also offered a termly bus pass for £30, which I also believed was a complete bargain. Unfortunately the prices have begun to inflate, but at £3 a week I suppose that I still cannot really complain! These passes also work after midnight. This is perfect for the student lifestyle, which involves going to bed in the early hours of the morning! When rushing to get to a lecture in the morning after one of these nights I grew increasingly impressed to find a number of busses pulling up at my stop on a regular basis. However I do believe that this regularity should continue for the whole day. After finishing university at five o’clock it is extremely irritating to have to fight your way onto a bus with hundreds of others wanting to get home also. The buses at this time are way too congested and overcrowded and not frequent enough. On many occasions I have opted for walking home in the rainy city as opposed to feeling claustrophobic crammed into a bus that is way over its limit, despite the fact that I have already purchased a ticket for a week’s use. I strongly feel that this must be against all health and safety rules. On this same issue I have felt extremely concerned with the lack of security on buses, particularly at rush hour when there is an endless number of school children causing chaos and also after a night out. I have witnessed several fights on buses in Manchester, which have made me feel incredibly vulnerable and threatened and made me fear for my own safety. Much of this behaviour takes place on the top of a double decker bus, whereby the driver may be completely oblivious to the situation as it is usual for the buses to be extremely rowdy and noisy at this time of night. Another nuisance of travelling on public transport in Manchester is the number of people who ignore the no smoking ‘rules’ of the bus. As a non-smoker I find it unbearable to be confined on a journey where another passenger is blowing smoke into my face. I have also had to endure journeys which have consisted of listening to a drunk passenger rant and rave for what seems like a lifetime. Although this may have been me on a couple of occasions after a night out! There is a risk of the passenger becoming aggressive due to the alcohol or even being sick in the presence of other paying customers.
Therefore despite being cheap for students to use the public buses, it is not entirely safe or reliable in my opinion and if parking wasn’t so expensive I would much rather drive to my destination!
By Cherry Sandhu
As a student in Manchester I am extremely concerned with saving my money! When first arriving in the city I was absolutely amazed to discover that the bus companies such as UK North, Magic Bus and Finglands offered weekly bus passes at just £2. I was also offered a termly bus pass for £30, which I also believed was a complete bargain. Unfortunately the prices have begun to inflate, but at £3 a week I suppose that I still cannot really complain! These passes also work after midnight. This is perfect for the student lifestyle, which involves going to bed in the early hours of the morning! When rushing to get to a lecture in the morning after one of these nights I grew increasingly impressed to find a number of busses pulling up at my stop on a regular basis. However I do believe that this regularity should continue for the whole day. After finishing university at five o’clock it is extremely irritating to have to fight your way onto a bus with hundreds of others wanting to get home also. The buses at this time are way too congested and overcrowded and not frequent enough. On many occasions I have opted for walking home in the rainy city as opposed to feeling claustrophobic crammed into a bus that is way over its limit, despite the fact that I have already purchased a ticket for a week’s use. I strongly feel that this must be against all health and safety rules. On this same issue I have felt extremely concerned with the lack of security on buses, particularly at rush hour when there is an endless number of school children causing chaos and also after a night out. I have witnessed several fights on buses in Manchester, which have made me feel incredibly vulnerable and threatened and made me fear for my own safety. Much of this behaviour takes place on the top of a double decker bus, whereby the driver may be completely oblivious to the situation as it is usual for the buses to be extremely rowdy and noisy at this time of night. Another nuisance of travelling on public transport in Manchester is the number of people who ignore the no smoking ‘rules’ of the bus. As a non-smoker I find it unbearable to be confined on a journey where another passenger is blowing smoke into my face. I have also had to endure journeys which have consisted of listening to a drunk passenger rant and rave for what seems like a lifetime. Although this may have been me on a couple of occasions after a night out! There is a risk of the passenger becoming aggressive due to the alcohol or even being sick in the presence of other paying customers.
Therefore despite being cheap for students to use the public buses, it is not entirely safe or reliable in my opinion and if parking wasn’t so expensive I would much rather drive to my destination!
By Cherry Sandhu
Manchester iJourno group
posted by iJourno at 9:59 am
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home