Services make it difficult for student to attend university
A disabled Bath student fears she may fail university because she finds it “impossible” to get there by bus.
Alice Anne, who is in her first year at the University of Bath, said she is having to study from home because it is so difficult for her to cope with the city’s bus services.
The 21-year-old from New York City forks out £20,000 a year to study biomedical sciences but says she is having to teach herself at home.
She has stopped going to lectures and only makes the difficult trip into university to attend practical laboratory sessions that are not timetabled for first thing in the morning.
“It’s really disappointing because I have worked really hard to get to this university, and there’s no way for me to get there now,” Alice said. “It’s impossible for me to get in by 9.15am. I’m having to teach myself from home and I’m afraid I’ll end up failing.”
Alice suffers from chronic pain and fatigue and walks with a cane. She also has a condition called postural orthostatic tachy-cardic syndrome which means she is likely to faint if she stands for more than about ten minutes.
She paid £300 for a bus pass and tried to walk from her home in The Paragon to catch a U1 Unibus from the city centre last week.
But her husband Tom O’leary, who helped her get to a bus stop and waited in the queue for her last week, said Alice started to get “severe foot cramps and spasms” after a couple of days.
He is worried about how Alice will cope now he has returned to work and is unable to help her.
“We live in the city centre, on The Paragon. There is no bus service from town to university that is suitable for students.”
He said the 10 service, introduced after the U1 was rerouted around the city only runs from 9am until 5.30pm so does not fit with Alice’s lecture times.
He added: “Unless something changes, my partner may be unable to attend university.”
Alice has permission from the university to study from home, and got a full refund on her term pass from First Bus. She buys a weekly ticket now instead.
Bath and North East Somerset Council says the a Dial-a-ride service is available for people who cannot use conventional public transport.
Councillor Mark Shelford, Cabinet member for transport, said: “Students are clearly making a positive choice to use the bus and I welcome that, but it’s up to the commercial market to meet the demand. If one bus operator is unable to do this, I would challenge others to look at the opportunities.
“For people unable to use conventional public transport a doorto-door service is provided between 0930 and 1430 on Mondays to Fridays by Bath Dial-a-ride.”