University of Wolverhampton students to protest over bus service plans

The University of Wolverhampton students will be supported by National Union of Students (NUS) representatives and members of the University and College Union (UCU) representing academic and support staff are expected to be present as well.

The bus service, which ran between the university's Wolverhampton, Telford and Walsall campuses came to an end at the start of this month, meaning students and staff will have to access public transport to get between the three unless they have a car.

The university said each journey cost around £10 which made it "difficult to justify," but student representatives said the decision was particularly hard on those who faced mobility or access issues as the campuses in Walsall and Telford were not near the main train and bus stations.

They will leaflet prospective students outside the main campus in Wolverhampton on an open day on August 17 to make them aware of the cuts, with new courses due to start in September.

Naomi Glynn, who is coordinating the day of action said most students who need to travel between campuses will face greatly increased costs.

She said: "We have done all the sums and looked at all the options for people who need to travel from Wolverhampton to Telford and Walsall and it is going to cost them a lot of money, that is if they can get there as one of the main points of the protest is the difficulty for the less able bodied who will face a trip from the bus or train station to the campus.

"This action is designed to let prospective students know that they will potentially face this inconvenience when they start their courses and an extra cost of in some cases of up to £200 a month.

"We understand the university has to look at all areas cost wise but they are spending a lot of money elsewhere and this is a valuabel resource for students and staff they they are cutting back on and we think it could be saved."