Kingston students call on the government for support throughout transport strikes

By Georgia Howell

This year is looking set to be a year flled with strike after strike. As train and bus drivers, nurses, teachers, university staf and paramedics engage in union walkouts, large swathes of the country are undoubtedly in for a difcult year.

Kingston students are espe- cially impacted by transport strikes. Students rely on overground links and bus routes to get to campus. While many students say they support the strikes many have spoken out about the lack of support in place for those who have long and often particularly expensive commutes.

Alexa Duplesis, a third-year geography student normally commutes to her classes but on strike days she is forced to miss her scheduled classes.

“I’ve considered getting taxis but, with how far away I live, it’s just not afordable because my budget is already so stretched with bills going up. I do support the strikes though, I think it’s high time workers stood up for what they deserve, but I think that uni or the government should put some support in place for students who commute,” Duplesis said. Others fear that if the strikes continue, their degrees may be afected. Daniel Chen a second year student said: “I’ve had real doubts about continuing with my degree. With the strikes going on and on I’m frustrated that the government are allowing this to impact so many students’ access to education.”

Chen said that as students often have lower incomes than the average person, it’s those whose parents cannot fork out huge sums for taxis or cars that will be left in a worse position.

“I feel like this refusal to even consider pay rises to keep these essential industries running, or at the very least ofer those impacted by the strikes some support, is, yet again, impacting working class students more than anyone.

“Most of us can’t aford to run a car in London and, for those of us with long commutes, taxis and other ways of transport are out of the question.”