Ulink Feedback

Congratulations ULink! Not many people are happy with your services still you boast as if you'r increadible.
Dont blame me for destroying our environment,, because I'd rather drive than let you destroy my time-keeping,

I wonder whether these comments are ever read by UWESU, because for all our ranting nothings ever done. Wessex Connect seem to agree only too readily to the requests of our "Timetable Changes" only because IT MAKES NO DIFFERENCE TO THEM! For 3 Saturday's in a row, the 17.18 U2 has failed to turn up at Wine Street, usually meaning a 30 minute freezing wait for a then PACKED U3.

Also, Sunday 17th, the LAUNCH of the brand new timetable, and between 9.45 and 10.30, the all important 10.10 U3 failed to appear. Eventually I gave up and went home. Sort it out ulink, its a pathetic attempt at management.

I am furious with the Ulink service. It has let me down on many occasions before but this weekend has been quite simply destroyed by Ulink. Yesterday, I waited at UWE for a bus that turned up 40 minutes late, in sub zero conditions. This made me miss my appointment in the centre of Bristol. Today (16/2/2008), I attempted to get the 8.31pm bus from Wine Street to UWE. This time, I waited from 8.25pm until 9.30pm (again, the temperature was freezing) and no Ulink bus showed up. I eventually had to give up, and now cannot get back to campus tonight. This is, of course, a major inconvenience and I am completely appalled at the fact that I have had to pay for this service. I have seen that your website is currently displaying a new timetable that begins tomorrow, but due to the fact that now there is no access to a current timetable at the moment, I assumed the timetable would also serve (at least to a limited extent) for the days it has been displayed. The last bus on a Saturday has never been as early as before 8.25pm so I knew getting there at that time would mean I would get a bus, whether they were running on the old or the new schedule. According to the new schedule, two buses should have come in the time I was there. One bus did turn up but it’s lights were off and it ignored me and the couple of people with me all trying to get it to pick us up. I have come to terms with the fact that a Ulink bus is very rarely completely on time, but the amount of terrible service this weekend has been appalling.

I feel I deserve compensation after putting up with a completely unreliable bus service, that has let me down time and time again, in particular this weekend.

Can someone tell me when the U3 service actually runs in the mornings and evenings weekdays? Does it stick to a timetable or is it simply regulated by the mood of it's drivers? I say this because although it's meant to leave St Matts - a main bus stop - at 7.45 in the morning I regularly find it departing at least 10 mins early - that is when it doesn't turn up 15 mins late!!! I'm not at all bitter, just that I resent having to wait over 45 mins for a U3 at Frenchay when there was one sat right in front of us for at least half an hour. And where are the timetables anyhow, is there really any decent non bureaucratic reason why they can't be programmed into the main electronic display? You never know, might just enable the drivers to know when they're supposed to go.

Just found out that the departures for U3 on a saturday is practically non-existent! They leave every THIRD hr....Can we please get more frequent busses, well atleast one pr hr?????

Things were looking pretty good with new the bus plan but I didnt know that the euphoria was only going to last for a day or two. I waited over an hour for the U3 bus this afternoon at Frenchay, which never turned up and the frustrating fact is, that it is HAS happened before. This is the second time I have experience during the past two weeks. The question here is; Where is the BUS? and the golden answer/reply seems to be "The traffic is mad in the centre, so it will be late" here I would like to add that this excuse is no longer valid. It has been used since the begining of the term and can no longer be used as a justification.
Will the Ulink buses ever run smoothly????

i am so dissapointed the ulink service. you said You will increase and improve the bus service after 8 november, but i dont think so. I think it is getting more and more worse. i waited the ulink bus over 2 hours in uwe. What's going on?

Let me say firstly, this is talking from experience, I mean right this moment kind of experience, and past too. I live in the City Centre in Cherry Court, a mear stones throw away from Stokes Croft station. This morning I left at just before quarter to, to start my long walk of a minute to the station. But upon walking not only did I see the U2 drive past, around 7 minutes earlier than said, but also the U1, 12 minutes to bloody soon. How can I expect to get to Uni when the buses don't come at the right time! It's a white rabbit this service, and the sooner it gets shot, the better.

Also, how come there isn't a bus that arrives at just before 9, either I a) get up at the crack of dawn and get there miles too soon, or b) end up being late for a 9 o'clock start. Where's your logic Ulink people?

So I suppose i'll wait for the next one at 9.20ish now, better get my move on, it's .5 past now.

I can't believe Ulink actually charge people for this.

I am dissapointed to find out there is no more free flyer between the campuses, why is this??
Why can't you buy a single ticket on a u-link bus? why not have £1 singles?
why are there so few buses between St. Matts and Frenchay??
Why do they stop running so early?
Why is U-link so crap!?

I was suprised to see the advertising trick used on the students. I got the leaflet over the holidays and it said from 50p a day and I was really amazed. I normally drive to Uni but for 50p a day would gladly avoid the havoc that is parking onsite. Then I saw the star above the 50p a day. It was like one of those competitions that says you have won a huge prize...then you see the star and it explains you only get the prize if you spend £40 on the phone, stand on one leg and buy the gift yourself.

Why not advertise the £2 daily rate being cheaper than a student ticket on normal buses rather than trying to convince people it will be 50p a day...if you pay £300 or whatever up front for the year.

Also, the website for Ulink is shocking. Why doesn't is clearly tell you what time the U3 between Frenchay and Glenside/St Matts is?

I personally have never experienced such a poor bus service all my life. The buses just dont come when they are ment to so you cant get on the busses due to overcrowding with people waiting well over an hour to get on ANY ulink let alone the one they want. The amount of times i have seen ulink busses drive off at frenchay when have been waiting for more than an hour with no explantaion is shocking. Sort it out!!! If it was a service run for the public there would be riots allready!!

(carried on from the comment below)... than the current timetable, until at least 12 every night, as at the moment they are useless for going out. they obviously don't have to be as frequent, but a couple of buses available at later times would be really good.

i'm very pleased that we are finally getting a U4 that goes straight down the M32.
i think that the ulink buses should run later

the busses that runs to fishponds are not enough. and its either the bus are irregular or its too full to fetch anyone else. its a disaster if we cant arrive on campu for classes and me and my friends have several times not been able to get to class on time as the ulink busses (u3) are either too full or they don come at all. Something must be done to avoid this situation. We are paying for the bus and we should get better service.

as stated by many people above the U£ is too crowded, the service isnt as good as the flyer, you have extended the route, and shrunk the busses down, bring back the two old style busses for the flyer between st matts and frnchay, 10 and 40 past the hour, they were perfect, id rather walk from the bottom of fishponds to the campus to get that bus than walk all the way to frenchay becuase of a crammed bus of frenchay students that got on in the center because the U1 or U2 were probably late

I think its great that we now have the option not to use First bus. I jumped at the chance to use the Ulink service when it started, although so far I have only been able to get aboard it 4 times due to overcrowding.

A great idea but poorly executed. Hopefully the increase service will sort out the problem. I am really glad that I vowed to 'try out' the Ulink service for a week before committing myself to an annual pass.

I would personally like to see a Ulink bus travelling either through Marketgate to Cribbs, or through Frenchay to Cribbs. At the moment whenever i need to travel to Cribbs to work i a needing to spend an extra £3.60 a day and walk into Broadmead whereas i have already paid god nos how much for my Ulink bus pass.

I would love it if Ulink expands its route to serve the other side of Filton Avenue where Filton College is simply because there are loads of UWE students living there who have to walk quite a distance to King George pub in order to catch the bus. That's not a particularly nice thought with winter looming up.

I personally think the Ulink is good idea and im gratefull thats its cheaper than the normal buses, buit whats the point in having the service if its not going to work...first of all I wake up to go to a lecture at 9.30 and i have to get the bus at 8.46 form market gate and the bus just drives past becuase its too full!!! Really annoying. Plus i think the bus timetables need to be re-planned according to student timetables, whats the point is having a lecture that finnishes at 6.30pm and waiting for the next bus which is at 7.28??? At the moment im paying for taxis just for the fact i kow ill actually get home!!! sort it out.

Well, I have to admit that the Ulink buses are a little more reliable this week compared to previous ones....hurray for that!! Since I live on Glenside, I use U3 and would really appreciate more frequent departures towards city center and back. Another thing bothering me is that there are no departures towards Glenside from city centre after 1800, which I really dont understand. Not asking for an all nighter but it will be more convenient if there were departures until 2100.

Thanks

Just to verify some misunderstanding that several people have about the "free" passes for people living on campus. The cost of a pass is included in the weekly rent. For example, last years rent in Carroll Court was around about £66. This year its £74. Go figure.

I am a St Matts student who agrees with the comment below about the U3 overcrowding and equally plead with Frenchay students trying to get to the centre 'if the U3 is full get off let St Matts/Glenside students get to lectures. I do hav further believe though although i have found unlike many other people the U3s that i have caught are running on time they run at very strange times. Due to the fact that they run from the centre a U3 can arrive at St Matts a good 20 mins to almost and hour after lectures end. I have a seminar that finishes at 6.30 and to get to Frenchay i have to wait till 6.57, but it is those that have a seminar that finishes at 7.30 as there is no option if for them if they wish to get to frenchay other than waiting to catch the 9.36 to the centre and go from there. Weird!!

Also surely as I am sure the new presidents agree as they themselves were St. Matts students if we are trying to encourage are more unified university and dispell the common feeling that Frenchay 'gets everything' we shud surely make it easier for these students to get to Frenchay. The UWE Flyer did this reasonably well and fitted with the times of lectures much better. Also they were usually punctual and realiable, the U3has problems here as it has to come all the way from the city down the Fishponds Road which is again being dug up. I dont deny the need for a service that provides for the Fishponds Rd/Stapleton Rd area though.

I also am beginning to wonder why it is i have paid for a pass as so many students are travelling the service for free because somebody forgot to increase the print run. Do i get a refund???

This service if even began to work would be great but there is definately work to be done.

Ok so they are attempting to deal with the issue of having bought single deckerbuses instead of double but what about the problems that St Matts and Glenside students face? Frenchay students have the U1 and U2 services to get to the city centre but so many of them insist upon using the U3 and therefore preventing St Matts and Glenside students from getting to their campuses for lectures etc.
Bring back the inter-campus flyer for good, change the U3 route so that it ends at Glenside, thus preventing the Frenchay students from taking up all the space, just to get to the city centre. Also some the times of the buses makes absolutely no sense with regards to lecture times - at least with the campus flyer you knew it was every 30 minutes - timed to fit with lectures. Frenchay students have so many more options than Glenside/St Matts students, try and make the Ulink a bit fairer!!

When I first read the Ulink announcement I was excited that it would effectively cost £3.60 a week! Brilliant seeing as I was paying £2.80 (now £3) a day with First! Was pleased to see the nice new "green" buses during freshers week. Found the service to be very busy during freshers but I put that down to it being free that week... Thought why not and I paid for a 3 termly pass online.

My first annoyance is with the passes themselves... a piece of oversized cardboard with a silly stamp to say when it expires! If I lost the card, (which is probable seeing as it will not fit in my wallet!) anyone could pick it up and use it as there own! A photo would have helped? Size wise it could easily have been the same size as NUS cards.

Secondly as others mentioned the number of buses running is an obvious issue and I hope the additional buses will help ease how packed the buses can get. Disappointed with the state of the additional buses.... not very energy efficient?

Thirdly why am I paying? This morning I flashed my pass and sat down, knowing I am effectively paying 50p a day (based on 7 days a week, although I only use the bus Mon-Fri). But was shocked to see the driver refusing cash and letting people without passes on for FREE!!! Why? Because apparently he had no more day pass tickets... great for them but what about everyone else with passes, who paid upfront? Also since the service was free during freshers week.. does that mean we all get one weeks refund (£3.60 in case you have forgotten).

I also acknowledge that it is the start of a new year and the bus service is new, but I live in the City Center and have to get to Spike Island and Bower Ashton on most days. I have so far caught the bus a total of about.. 5 times? Mostly because they either don't turn up, they break down or just drive past because by the time they pick up everyone from Marketgate, there isn't any room for students that want to get on at the next stops! Spike Island is easy enough to walk to, but today I walked to and from Bower Ashton, because I didn't want to deal with waiting for a bus. I think double deckers, or maybe two buses would be good, at least at rush hour times when everyone has to get to lectures or meetings at the same time. My bus pass was included in the price of my rent, and I feel like it's a bit of a waste if the buses are too unreliable to catch. It seems the buses run much better to Frenchay than to Bower Ashton, which isn't really fair as the same number of students go to each campus.

I must admit, when I first heard about the ULink, I was a bit skeptical, however when I bought my pass and used the service a few times, I thought that it was a great service. Great price, good buses. The punctuality and the customer service from the bus drivers are just some of the notable good points.

However, and I repeat, however, there is a clear problem, which has already been addressed of the fact that buses not being able to handle the number of people that the service is supposed to be catering for. There has been a few times in which I have been late for lectures as a result of overcrowding and the bus not being able to stop for me as a result.

This is fustrating since I got up at 6AM just to catch this bus! When I lived in the Rackhay, we took the 139 service, which was double deckered - this would be a better solution for this issue. Or, which is even better, to run two buses rather than one - which is already being done, but not on a regular basis.

I think the people responsible for ULink need to look at their estimates of how many people are using the ULink. This has obviously exceeded their expectations, however they need to manage their expectations and respond to it.

I am a little unhappy that students living on Frenchay are given a free bus pass. This has probably caused much of the overcrowding - had they of had to pay for a bus pass, this would reduce the amount of people wanting to use the bus (trigger happy). People would pay for a daily ticket and make less bus journeys - because in all honesty, do people on campus really need a bus pass?

I hope you find my opinions useful.

busses route to cribbs causeway perhaps?

I am dissapointed where the buses are not as punctual as the welcome week after classes start. Some students who rely on Ulink to get to lecture are often caught late because the buses are late. Besides, more buses to run on more interval will be good to accommodate the amount of students using the service.

I think this is a great system! the First monopoly in Bristol is shocking (not to mention their prices!!) the Ulink system will hopefully give them a bit of a wake-up call!

My only criticism is that there are obviously too little buses for the number of students who want to use them! either get more buses or employ some logic and use double deckers.

I find it absurd that the flyer (a double decker) was replaced by the ulink system with the extended route with a single decker?! Who thought of that? I'm lucky because I hardly ever have to use the ulink bus (thank god.) I can't imagine the stress students go through every day on this farce of a system. I really think it's unnecessary stress on students worrying whether they can be on time. I can't imagine it's safe cramming double the capacity of student into a bus that students have to be standing right by the driver. South Gloucestshire buses was fined for the same thing at my old school. Please just sort it out with common sense?

While I understand the initial teething problems that any bus service does go through, I do not understand why it is so difficult for an intercampus bus to turn up on time. I have had to leave over an hour earlier each day to get to a lecture on time, just in case I have to walk from Frenchay to St Matts (which I have done at least 3 times since term started). I get my pass "free" as I am living on campus but to be honest, I'd much rather walk and get some exercise than get stressed out and pay for a service that does not provide.
Could I recommend that the U1, U2 and U3 services remain and that a U4 addition run purely for the campuses such as Glenside, St Matts and Frenchay. I have heard of many people missing lectures and seminars because of the lack of prompt runnings of buses and I think that when people's education, that which they are also paying for, starts getting affected (especially final year students like myself) then something more urgent needs to be arranged even if it is a temporary solution. A double decker perhaps? More buses? More regular buses? The current timetable has significant gaps on the U3 service, especially as the day goes on and it is by no means as effective and convenient as the old flyer.

Good luck with solving this pressing problem. Thanks.

I'd be a lot happier with the service if it didn't involve me needing to get a bus to get the Ulink bus. I live in Brislington, which isn't that far away from UWE or the Ring Road, but all students here (and there are quite a few) are forced to get a bus to town or keynsham and then get a bus from there. UWE really needs to set up a bus service that goes through the Bath Road route near McDonalds in Brislington. It'd also be good for those students that live close to Sixth Form areas like Brislington School and St Brendans.

I understand it is the beginning of term, and perhaps more significantly the start of this new ulink service. however, I really think it needs to be reviewed. I'm speaking as a resident of the marketgate halls, and I attend the arts faculty at Bower Ashton. We have great difficulties getting to university on time in the morning. There is only one bus which leaves at remotly the right time to get you into uni in the morning, it is always late, usually by at least 15 minutes, so obviously we are always late.
Also it is always far far to over crowded, with everyone cramming in like sardines.Really a double decker is required for this route, or more than one bus at a similar time. Sometimes we have had to drive past people at the later stops, because the bus is already too full, so they can't gett on at all! which is ridiculous. I think that if we are paying a fair price for the service it needs to changed, as i suggested above, and an extra time in the morning would be a bonus, because if you miss the one at 8.51, then you have to wait until 10.05 (which turns up more like 10.20) for another.
Thankyou for reading my comments