Queen’s bus service isrendered ‘unsustainable’

Transport Minister Danny Kennedy said the poor usage appeared to be due to Friday lecture schedules and an unwillingness on the part of students to wait until late afternoon for the Student Union bus.

SDLP MLA Mark H. Durkan raised the matter at Stormont asking whether he will reinstate the bus service for students from Queen’s University.

He called for the reinstatement “in light of the challenges that were faced by students trying to get from Queen’s to the Europa bus station during last year’s severe winter weather.”

Mr Kennedy stated: “Translink have operational responsibility in regard to service provision. They have advised me that they have no plans to reinstate the bus service at QUB to Londonderry.

“They did say that they did previously provide buses to Londonderry from the Student Union facing Queens University on a Friday, however, the buses were only used by a very small number of students and the service became unsustainable.

“This appears to have been because lecture times on Fridays varied for individual students and many were unwilling to wait until late afternoon. Currently Translink transports students to Queens University on Sunday nights on services departing from Foyle Street at 19.00.”