Universities have helped spawn dedicated services in several towns and cities across the region, although some have been much more successful than others in satisfying the wider community
FOCUS ON SOUTH-EAST ENGLAND
There are 14 universities in south-east England, and in many locations they provide good business for bus operators. Dedicated fleets operate in Canterbury, Reading and Southampton among others, while elsewhere the existence of 24hr services is often an indication that students are an important market.
Both Brighton and Southampton have around 30,000 students each; Reading is comparatively small at 15,000. Brighton & Hove route 25 runs every 4min at peak times, its allocation including crowd-absorbing Mercedes-Benz Citaro bendybuses. Ten other buses also reach the campus each hour, while six more pass by on the main road.
Reading has a mere eight buses an hour, half of which are usually Claret Spritzers, refurbished East Lancs-bodied Scania N94UD OmniDekkas with an upstairs seating layout designed to appeal to students.
One estate is populated by students who don’t need all-day links to the city centre
Emphasising that university campuses are private property rather than part of the publi…
