“Take the Bus!” - If It Comes

On the week of March 23-29, Maynooth University’s campus had been covered with posters promoting a “Take the Bus” initiative, encouraging students to use public transport in response to ongoing criticism and frustration toward parking on campus. These posters sparked immediate misdirected outrage from the student population. 

One student voiced their frustration on the anonymous Instagram page @maynoothconfessionz, stating: 

“Does anyone else think the MSU putting up ‘take the bus signs’ in response to people complaining about parking is disgusting? I would take the bus if it wasn’t the most unreliable sh** ever.” 

The current-sitting MSU executive officers have expressed a desire to resolve the issues of parking in the university in their campaigns last year. However, with no new updates offering a solution to the lack of sufficient parking in the university (Yet any information on the process of resolving this issue is disclosed, which is a matter you can read on further in this article), many students felt that these posters were a slap in the face. Many were quick to blame the Students’ Union, accusing them of pushing public transport. However, the Union responded on Instagram stating: 

“We want to make it clear that MSU-AMLMN (Maynooth Students’ Union officer team) were not the ones that put up the Transport Posters around campus, we have been requesting that the posters are taken down.” 

Many students who choose to travel by car on campus are often left with little to no parking options, and may frequently miss class or arrive late as a result. This is something that the MSU has acknowledged in the past in many of their officer’s speeches at the hustings on March 3, and with the Union’s claims to address this issue, perhaps students are under the assumption that this is their solution. However, this “Take The Bus” initiative was actually introduced by the University itself in what seems to be an attempt to respond to frustrations over parking. 

We received a comment from the VP for Student Life at the MSU, Amina Traboue, on the matter of the posters: 

“As you may have noticed, posters have recently appeared on campus promoting alternative transport options and directing students to an informational transport website. We’ve also become aware that some students believe these posters are associated with the MSU-AMLMN and Maynooth University.” 

“To clarify, MSU-AMLMN is an autonomous body that operates separately from the university. In addition, the posters currently displayed around campus do not include the MSU-AMLMN logo, which further indicates that they are not affiliated with or produced by our organisation. We have notified other trade unions of this and have communicated to the university in hopes that the posters are taken down.” 

Even those who choose to travel by public transport face immense difficulty. Buses are often unreliable, late too early, or cancelled altogether. As well as this, students commuting via public transport often struggle to engage in student life, particularly those travelling outside of Dublin areas where options are limited.  

Another student commented on the issues of long bus commutes on the Maynooth Confessions page: 

“That whole ‘take the bus’ sh**e is so unfair. I get the bus and I spend nearly 3 hours a day round trip to/from college. Build more parking so I can drive next year.”

With this being said, the freedom of having a car cannot be overstated, and public transport is often seen as a last resort many students have been forced into as of late. If you cannot afford or acquire accommodation, a consistent problem for students due to the ongoing housing crisis in Ireland, commuting by car is your best option, if parking is easily available. Commuting long distances to participate in classes is a struggle that many students face, and often these bus journeys are far longer than a direct drive to the campus would be. Bus routes are costly to run, and are often designed to cover as many stops as possible, meaning a 40-minute drive can turn into an hour and a half journey by bus. Trains may be more efficient, and sometimes quicker than driving, yet they are not accessible for many people in rural areas, and do not always provide direct routes.

From my own personal experience of commuting by bus last year, the journey took an hour and a half each way, while by car it takes approximately 50-60 minutes. This bus was often delayed or cancelled, and did not run outside of direct term time or weekends, meaning it could not be used for multiple exams. It also ran only once a day, leaving no time for extracurricular activities. This is not unique to my own experience, but rather reflects the reality for many students commuting to university.  

Many students are forced to arrive on campus before 8am out of fear of not getting a parking space, which ultimately defeats the purpose of the convenience of driving. It seems that no matter what method you choose, the scenario is lose-lose.

The "Take the Bus" posters have now been removed by the university, however student upset remains. This message fails to understand core issues such as late arrivals, absences, and frustration will continue regardless of how students travel unless the parking situation is properly resolved.