Shuttle bus VC Peter Slee sings its praises

"Our inter-campus shuttle bus is one of those marvelous developments that makes you wonder how we ever did without it. I guess I exhibit a number of the characteristics the service was designed to support. I don’t have a car park pass (I commute by train). I’m based in City Campus but have regular meetings in Headingley Campus. I’m generally time-poor and can’t always find the space in my diary to plan in a walk (although I generally enjoy it when I can) I worry, like we all do, about traffic congestion and traffic pollution in our city. And having lived in Yorkshire for a while now, I’m always looking for ways to make our departmental budget go further.

 

The new service delivers on all of these counts. It runs in both directions every half hour. It is totally reliable, leaving and arriving bang on schedule. So no missed meetings. I have estimated that some 500 colleagues are ferried up/and/or down the road every day, which saves close to 10,000 other vehicle journeys per month, thereby reducing pollution and disturbance to our neighbours and students on campus. And of course, it is free to users.

 

So far so good. But every new development always has a surprise up its sleeve. Our shuttle bus is no exception. What I have really enjoyed is the camaraderie among those colleagues making the trip. New acquaintances are made, impromptu meetings and discussions held, and friendships cemented. Our two colleagues who drive the bus, Brian and (just so we don’t get confused )Brian, are not just excellent drivers, but also great hosts and a never-ending source of information and insight about what’s going on in our world and beyond.

 

So the shuttle bus is a really positive addition to our University. It gets us where we need to be on time and with the minimum of fuss. And in an unexpected way, it perhaps plays its part in bringing us all that little bit closer together."