It’s standing room only for some University of Wollongong students travelling from Campbelltown to classes on the 887 bus.
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The first day of the university session started on Monday and photos supplied by Campbelltown MP Greg Warren show a number of students standing in the aisles of the bus they catch to the campus.
According to the timetable of the 887 bus, the next stop after the university is Appin, which suggests some students may be standing for at least half an hour.
“I fear that this isn’t even the worst of the 887 bus debacle,” Mr Warren said.
“Many university classes don’t begin until the second week back, so with that in mind how does the Transport Minister expect the 887 service to cope with the massive demand without a review of the timetable?
![The 887 bus that runs between Campbelltown and the University of Wollongong is sometimes standing room only, according to Campbelltown MP Greg Warren. Picture: Supplied The 887 bus that runs between Campbelltown and the University of Wollongong is sometimes standing room only, according to Campbelltown MP Greg Warren. Picture: Supplied](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/4FavSveeQdYEHssZq5umRQ/19e6c581-85d4-4ca3-8b48-5c68cec9e439.JPG/r0_186_2016_1321_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
“The Government should be doing everything in its power to encourage local students to use public transport to travel to and from university, rather than forcing them into driving on the notoriously dangerous Appin Road.”
Mr Warren said the issue stems from the timetabling of the buses, where there is a three-hour gap in the middle of the day.
An 887 bus leaves the university at 12.45pm but the next one is not until 3.45pm.
"I fear that this isn’t even the worst of the 887 bus debacle."
In a letter to Transport Minister Andrew Constance Mr Warren said some students were finishing classes at 1pm or 2pm and then having to wait several hours to catch a bus home.
“For the many students who have casual or part-time jobs in retail, hospitality or similar industries where they work during the evenings to support themselves during their studies, waiting for up to three hours for a bus is simply not an option,” Mr Warren wrote in his letter.
The Campbelltown MP said he had been pursuing this issue for some time.
“This is not new to the minister, we’ve been on about this for a long time and the government is simply ignoring it,” Mr Warren said.
He has put forward a notice of motion to the parliament which, in part, “condemns the Liberal Government for consistently ignoring requests from University of Wollongong students living in Campbelltown for a review of the 887 bus timetable between Campbelltown and the Illawarra”.
Transport Minister Andrew Constance’s office was contacted for comment but did not respond before deadline.