The rally will be held in the Crown Street Mall at 1pm on November 12.

Protest organiser, and Wollongong University Student Association president-elect, Chloe Rafferty said people would hit the street “to send a clear message to the Liberal government that Wollongong residents are not going to accept this attack on our service”.

Ms Rafferty said UOW students were “absolutely outraged” by the Transport for NSW decision.

“So many students rely on the free bus service to get around Wollongong, to get to uni, to get to part-time jobs,” she said.

Meanwhile, thousands of people have already joined an online protest to voice their opposition to the free Gong Shuttle becoming a paid service.

More than 3000 signatures were added to a change.org petition – dubbed “Keep the Gong Shuttle Free” – within three hours of the NSW government announcing the change on Wednesday.

On Thursday morning, that number had grown to more than 8500 and by late in the day it had surpassed 11,000 online signatures.

A petition needs 10,000 signatures to prompt debate in the Parliament. However, parliamentary rules do not allow for electronic petitions.

In a shock announcement, made via a media statement, Transport for NSW revealed on Wednesday afternoon that standard Opal fares would apply on the Gong Shuttle from January 29.

The petition, started by Callum Harvey, has called on Transport Minister Andrew Constance to reverse the move. 

For more information on the November 12 rally, visit the event’s Facebook page.