Dear Roehampton students,

I hope you've all had a restful break and are settling back into Term 2. As promised in my Term 1 round-up last month (check it out here if you missed it), we're taking the next steps in addressing the ongoing transport issues that affect so many of us. For a quick recap: After hearing your concerns at the November Open Forum, we campaigned hard for the reinstatement of the University's free bus service. Through our advocacy, we uncovered some eye-opening cost details from the University—pre-COVID it ran at around £100k a year, but this academic year (2025/26), it's ballooned to a staggering £862k due to inflation in fuel, labour, and depot costs. Even with Wandsworth Council's £100k contribution last year, it just wasn't feasible to bring it back this time around.

While that's disappointing, the silver lining is that the University is committed to exploring alternative ways to ease transport costs for commuting students. But we didn't stop there. We've been collaborating with Putney MP Fleur Anderson on the bigger picture: improving public bus routes like the 265,85, etc (from Putney Bridge station to the University and Roehampton Asda). Fleur has been incredibly supportive and is already pushing Transport for London (TfL) and the Mayor of London for enhancements, especially on the stretch from Putney High Street to Roehampton.

To make our case even stronger, we're now launching a student survey to gather real data on the challenges you face with public transport around Roehampton. Whether it's overcrowded buses, unreliable timetables, high fares, or safety concerns during your commute, we want to hear it all. This isn't just about venting, your responses will directly inform our campaign with MP Fleur Anderson and help us advocate for tangible improvements, like more frequent services, better routes, or even increased bus capacity for students and commuters.

The survey is quick (about 2 minutes), anonymous, and open to all current Roehampton students. Head over to this link to share your experiences. It's live now and will run until the end of February. The more voices we collect, the more powerful our push will be!

If you have any questions or want to get more involved in the campaign, drop me an email at rsupresident@roehampton.ac.uk or swing by the RSU office. Let's turn these transport headaches into real change. Your input could make all the difference.

Stay connected,
Joshua Kayode
RSU President.