Merseyside Night Buses

[E400]

RE: Merseyside Night Buses
Likewise, I have just completed a degree at Liverpool and I was the only person from all my friends who had a bus pass, which I used frequently to travel to Wirral, Wrexham and Bolton.

All my friends either walked or cycled, including one friend who lived by Tesco in Allerton and went to John Moores Byrom Street campus near the tunnels. The cash just isn't there for most students to get a bus pass, even for those who work. For me it was an absolute necessity due to my unconventional work patterns which involved me moving around a lot.

The odd occasion that people did get the bus was when only 2 or 3 of us were going out for a drink, but any more than 3 people and it is cheaper to get a taxi - that is what both Stagecoach and Arriva have to try and break down. They need the bus to become the new taxi, they need students to associate a bus with a journey home from a night out.

Now with university tuition likely increasing, and maintenance grants being taken away, student spending will decrease. Luxuries such as bus passes will become even less affordable, and cycling and walking will take more prevalence. From my own experience, students would rather spend 50 quid a year on a City Bike account, which they can use any time of day and all over the city, rather than the hundreds of pounds for a bus pass, which they will generally only use to shuttle between home, uni and ASDA during daytime hours.