PROTESTS about chaotic bus services to and from a Winchester college have reached fever pitch.
Fed-up students at Peter Symonds College are angry about the PS4 and PS5 services run by Stagecoach which the say they are frequently bad, chronically overcrowded and dangerous.
One student was hit by a bus last week and suffered bruising.
The PS4 and PS5 bus runs between the college and Andover.
Students say up to 100 people are daily attempting to get on one bus which causes chaos and in some cases students being pushed into the road.
One concerned parent, Ian Robin, told the Chronicle students were almost crushed by a bus outside the Jolly Farmer pub on Andover Road.
"A group of around 35 to 40 students were massed at the Jolly Farmer to board the PS5. The inevitable pushing and jostling led to a line of students at the very edge of the kerb unable to move back from the oncoming bus.
"The bus driver, for some reason, chose to drive towards this line of students in such a way as to almost crush some of them against the bus shelter itself."
Lauren Walker, 18, from Andover who is a second year student, was hit as the bus was turning.
She suffered a bruised chest, and said she was hit by the vehicle as a result of the melee.
Lauren said: “It is ridiculous, we have been constantly complaining about it. Everyone is sick and tired of Stagecoach, the buses we got last year were fine but this year we have them breaking down, full of holes and the service is frequently bad."
Adam Large, 17, a first year student, said that getting on the bus is stressful: "It is hectic especially considering we pay £700-£800. I think Stagecoach has become synonymous with having unreliable and poor service."
The Chronicle witnessed the chaos unfold at the college on Monday afternoon and saw at least 60 students in a desperate scramble to board the PS5 bus.
A Stagecoach spokesman said of the incident in which Ms Walker was hurt on Tuesday November 24: “Safety is always our number one priority and on this occasion as the bus driver arrived at the stop he noticed a large number of passengers waiting in the road.
“One of the students waiting to board pressed the emergency button to release the doors before the bus had stopped and while the vehicle was not in a safe position.
“The driver decided to find a safer place for passengers to board and drove to the college where a marshal was on duty and able to assist with the safe loading of passengers.
"We continually monitor the number of passengers using these services and whilst we realise they are often very busy, the legal capacity of these services is not breached.
"We are working with the college to find an alternative solution that will make boarding our services easier for all passengers who want to use them."
A spokesperson for Peter Symonds College said:"Of course, these are public buses, run by Stagecoach not the college. Nevertheless, we work closely with Stagecoach to ensure our students can travel to and from the college safely.
“Senior college staff, student representatives, and Stagecoach management work together to make sure things run as smoothly as possible."
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