Replacement exam shuttle bus to run
By Bridget Fitzsimons | Nov 18 2008
THE EXAM shuttle bus that has recently been cancelled by the university is set to be replaced. The Students’ Union (SU) has stated that it intends to provide a service for students that will replace the previous shuttle bus service.Having originally told The University Observer that there was “no need” for the buses, SU Education Officer, Paul Lynam, now feels that the demand for an exam shuttle bus is there. SU President, Aodhán Ó Deá, echoed his sentiments stating that “if students still feel that there’s a need for a shuttle bus to run then there will [be one].”After the cancellation of the exam shuttle buses, Mr Lynam said that the SU “opposed this entirely,” but explained that “the shuttle bus, as per its remit, which is that it goes from exam centre to exam centre for people who have an exam in Blackrock followed by an exam in the RDS… we have worked with the timetabling this year so that that is no longer needed,” and that the SU would not be providing an alternative service to students.However, the next day Mr Ó Deá and Mr Lynam had “looked into doing one ourselves and actually pricing it,” and decided that it was a feasible option after all.Mr Ó Deá and Mr Lynam credited SU Entertainments (Ents) Officer, Gary Redmond with finding the buses for the exam shuttle, with Mr Ó Deá stating that “our Ents officer does a lot of work with a bus company and we got him to have a look at the situation and see if he could get us a better deal and it seems as if he has.”Mr Lynam feels that the SU bus service will be “more effective than last year’s bus service because we’ll be running more regularly.” However, he was keen to emphasise that the SU “cannot give a guarantee to all students with this bus service because the first exam has two thousand people at it.”“We’re not going to run the fifty buses, so either you’re going to be on the first few buses, or you’re not.” Mr Lynam added that students “shouldn’t use it as a guarantee.”The exam shuttle bus will depart from the Belfield campus for the RDS every half hour, starting at 7.30am and concluding at 5pm. The service will be free but is not guaranteed for every student. It will operate solely between UCD and the RDS and will not visit the other exam centres, due to the small number of exams taking place outside the RDS centre."