Waiting for a bus? This will make you smile

Coffee, lollies and umbrellas are making life happier for people waiting in queues for buses at Gates 2 and 8 on High Street.

While the campus waits for the Light Rail to be fully functional, the long bus queues have been a topic of much discussion and debate amongst everyone. With thousands of staff and students relying on the Express Bus from the University to get to Central Station, the bus queues in the afternoons at Gate 3 and Gate 8 can be a daunting sight as people wait to get on to the next bus, which can take anywhere between two to 10 minutes. Add to that the fact that they must brave the elements while waiting for the bus to arrive can be off-putting for anyone.

The Division of Finance & Operations (DFO) as part of their key themes to “Delight Customers”- which includes staff, students, and visitors - is looking at making this waiting experience a positive one for everyone, especially at the start of Semester 2. Whilst it has been a challenge to build additional shelters for the bus stops due to several limitations, they are looking at alternate solutions to ensure there is appropriate cover from Sydney’s ever-changing weather! As part of this, DFO is running a “Happification of Bus Queues” campaign, running for 4 weeks beginning 23 July.

The commuters will be presented with the following means of comfort by student volunteers as they wait for a bus at both Gate 3 and Gate 8:

• Umbrellas – Recognising the fact that the wait can be difficult, especially when the weather is terrible, DFO will be providing temporary relief from the rain by offering umbrellas at the bus stops. People can pick up one of the large umbrellas as they enter the queue to shield them from the weather and return it at the end of the queue, as they are entering the bus so that the commuters after them can make use of this shareable shelter. 100 umbrellas have been provided for this purpose at both bus stops for those rainy days.
• Coffee vouchers – Twice a week free vouchers for one hot beverage (any milk option) at either The Little Marionette Café, The Whitehouse and Maze, will be handed out at the two Gates. Every 10th person in the queue will win one.
• Lollies – To those who aren’t able to score a voucher, there will be lollies to enjoy. Because who doesn’t love a good lolly!

Talking about the initiative Ashley Milosavljevic, Director of Operations at DFO, said: “This year we introduced three themes for our Division and believe initiatives like this embody all three (Enabling Excellence, Delighted Customers and Happification). We have been working closely all year with many areas around the University and look forward to supporting and initiating similar activities like this in the future.”

This year, DFO has been on a mission to make the UNSW Campus experience better for everyone, by making changes, both big and small.  They have been working closely with student representatives and staff, taking into account their feedback about where they believe we are succeeding in terms of campus experience and where we can make improvements. DFO and its various areas are looking to put that feedback into enhancements wherever possible.