Spending four hours a day crammed in a public bus has become a daily routine for second year Sydney University student, James Lean.
He’s had some tough times trekking from Avalon to the CBD and back but one story stands out.
“My worst ever experience was after uni on a rainy day,” says James. “It was 5pm peak hour traffic and the bus was packed when some scaffolding fell down in the CBD. It took us an hour and a half just to get to the Harbour Bridge.”
From there, it took another two hours to get to Avalon – that’s three and a half hours to travel less than 40km.
James said it was his most horrifying public transport experience, so far.
“It was enough to almost bring my girlfriend to tears,” he said.
Last year the daily grind saw James spending an average of 20 hours a week on the bus. It meant 5am starts, five days a week, to get to uni on time.
This year he’s resorted to skipping lectures on Wednesdays so he can have an extra day off.
“I get so cramped up after the ride that sometimes I don’t mind the long walk from Central Station to uni” James says.
Although it isn’t exactly the best study environment, James tries to get as much of his university reading and work done during the bus trip as he can.
“When the only option you have is a two hour bus ride to uni, you’ve got no choice but to cope,” he says, gritting his teeth for another endurance test.
Transport is a key issue for the Sydney Alliance which is working on a series of practical improvements it hopes to put before decision makers this year.
Alliance director, Amanda Tattersall, said an ineffective transport system was a major problem for the city.
She said individuals, businesses and communities were all being handicapped by a system that no longer met the needs of Australia’s largest city.
“Transport is a key priority for the Sydney Alliance because it is having negative impacts on our ability to work and study, and on our quality of life.
“It is handicapping businesses and the wider economy,” she said.
