Free Feilding-Palmerston North buses for UCOL students

UCOL students can now commute between Feilding and Palmerston North for free, thanks to a new agreement between Horizons Regional Council and UCOL.

Students and staff at UCOL can now travel on Horizons buses running between Feilding and Palmerston North for free; they simply need to present their current UCOL ID card to the driver.

The service is free for UCOL students and staff on a trial basis until 16 August 2019.

UCOL students and staff can already travel on Horizons’ Palmerston North and Whanganui urban bus services for free, as well as the Whanganui-Palmerston North commuter service.

The popular Feilding-Palmerston North service has five stops around Feilding, and the first bus arrives at UCOL with plenty of time for students to grab a quick breakfast or coffee before class.

A one-way trip on the Feilding-Palmerston North service would normally cost students $4 (or $3 with a Go Card), with the free service saving students up to $8 a day.

Philip Hindrup, Horizons Regional Council’s Manager of Transport Services, says, “We’re delighted to work with UCOL to provide free travel for students. The Manawatū area is an important educational hub, so we’re happy to make it easier for students to travel to and from class.”

UCOL’s Executive Director of Student Success, Dr Nicky van der Bergh says this new arrangement makes education more accessible and can help students reduce their living costs.

“Offering this bus service for free opens up tertiary education to more members of the Manawatū community. From a student welfare perspective, it gives our students living in Feilding the option to leave their cars at home and save money.”

Timetables for Horizons’ bus services are available at http://www.horizons.govt.nz/buses-transport/bus-routes-transport.

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