Fare deal for Heslington East Students as Number Four bus returns

YUSU have announced that the Number 4 bus operated by the First Group will once again serve the Heslington East campus; one of a number of improvements being made to the University bus network.

The U-Turn comes just one year after the First Group controversially withdrew the service to Heslington East, curtailing it instead at the Science Park, the company complaining that it could not compete with University subsidised rival Unibus. The company also complained that it did not have permission to use its vehicles on the Heslington East campus, unlike its rival, so instead had to operate them on the congested Field Lane. impacting on reliability.

The new service will be free between campuses, like the Unibus 44, however it will not serve the Sports Village, instead terminating at the Interchange at the top of the campus.

The return of the number 4 is just one of a number of improvements being made to the University bus network for the new academic year; other changes include the creation of a new service, the SB1, connecting Heslington East and West to The Boulevard, the site of a large new student development, and the Morrison’s supermarket. Another is a reduction in the price of a Clubbers Bus ticket to £1 from £1.50, although the service will no longer run on Sundays due to lack of use.

YUSU President Kallum Taylor was delighted with the changes, saying: “It’s safe to say we have a properly solid relationship with the University’s Travel and Transport team, and the service they’ve helped implement here is better than ever for our students. This is what happens when the University embraces the Students Union as much as is possible, in a meaningful, consistent partnership.”